If you wondered why a C-5 Galaxy performed the flyover at Gillette Stadium before the AFC Championship game.

January 24, 2012 Military Aviation

David Cenciotti

On Sunday Jan. 22, a C-5 Galaxy (#86-0023) using callsign “Rodd 10” performed a flyover for the AFC Championship game between New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. Used to fast jets flyovers, someone didn’t understand why an enormous Galaxy, flew at 1,000 feet over the Patriots’ stadium after the national anthem.

Here’s the explaination: the C-5 belonged to “The Patriot Wing”, the 439th AW (Airlift Wing) from Westover ARB, whose plane’s tails are adorned with the same Patriot’s logo as the NFL franchise. The aircraft, just returned from an airlift mission Afghanistan, flew over the stadium at the end of a local training sortie.

Above images: via Westover ARB Facebook page

Noteworthy, the aircraft had a “Go Pats” text under the belly and “MHK” acronym below the left wing between the engine as the patch used on Patriots’ jerseys to memorialize Myra Hiatt Kraft, the wife of team owner Robert Kraft, who passed away in July 2011.

U.S. Air Force photo/SrA. Kelly Galloway

Although I had already explained it on Twitter, I though someone might have missed it.

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.