Missing man formation

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For the musical group, see Missing Man Formation (band). For the album, see Missing Man Formation (album).

Template:Infobox recurring event The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flypast of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot, a well-known military service member or veteran, or a well-known political figure.[1][2][3] The planes fly in a formation with a space where one plane should be, symbolizing the person's absence. Though similar formations have occurred as early as World War I, the first flypast in the modern formation of four planes is believed to have occurred in 1931 at the funeral for Charles W. "Speed" Holman.[4]

Missing man formations are also used in motorsport in memory of a recently deceased driver,[5] and in American football and ice hockey in memory of a recently deceased player.[6][7]

Description[edit | edit source]

Missing man formation based on finger-four; Flight leader (#1), lead's wingman (#2), and second element lead's wingman (#4) are present, but second element lead (#3) has departed or is not present.

Several variants of the formation are seen. The formation most commonly used in the United States is based on the "finger-four" aircraft combat formation composed of two pairs of aircraft.[8] The aircraft fly in a V-shape with the flight leader at the point and their wingman on their left. The second element leader and his wingman fly on the right.[4] The formation flies over the ceremony low enough to be clearly seen and the second element leader abruptly pulls up out of the formation while the rest of the formation continues in level flight until all aircraft are out of sight.[4]

In an older variant, the formation is flown with the second element leader position conspicuously empty.[4] In another variation, the flight approaches from the south, preferably near sundown, and one of the aircraft will suddenly split off to the west, flying into the sunset.[9] In all cases, the aircraft performing the pull-up, split off, or missing from the formation is honoring the person (or persons) who has died, and is representing their departure.[10]

In memorials[edit | edit source]

Permanent memorial sculptures depicting the missing man aerial formation exist at Randolph Air Force Base (Missing Man Monument, 1977, Mark Pritchett) in San Antonio, Texas,[11][12] Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (Missing Man Memorial, 1995) in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Valor Park (Missing Man Formation, 2000) near the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.[13][14]

Outside the United States, a missing man memorial was dedicated at the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum (Missing man salute [nl], 2004, Leendert Verboom) near Soesterberg Air Base to commemorate the 21 June 1944 crash of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Connie" following a bombing raid in Germany;[15][16][17] it was moved to the CRASH Luchtoorlog- en Verzetsmuseum '40-'45 [nl] museum near Rijsenhout in 2014.[18][19]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

Media related to Missing man formations at Wikimedia Commons

  1. ↑ Missing Man Formation.  Bob Edwards.  (May 28, 2001)  NPR.  Retrieved 2011-09-12 from link
  2. ↑ Histories: The Missing Man Formation.  All POW-MIA.  Retrieved 13 September 2013 from link
  3. ↑ The History of The Missing Man Formation.  Old Glory Traditions.  Retrieved 2011-09-12 from link
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 High Honor.  Daniel Ford.  (May 2001)  Retrieved 2023-11-04 from Smithsonian Magazine
  5. ↑ F5000 Drivers Honor Racer Jeff Green With Missing Man Formation.  D. Randy Riggs.  (2018-06-21)  Retrieved 2023-11-04 from Vintage Motorsport
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ The Way The Columbus Blue Jackets Honored Their Fallen Superstar Was Perfect.  Jason Newland.  (October 16, 2024)  Retrieved October 16, 2024 from link
  8. ↑ What's the "Missing Man" Formation?.  Daniel Engber.  (December 14, 2005)  Retrieved 2011-09-12 from link
  9. ↑ Missing Man Flyover honoring San Antonio WWII Veteran happens tonight.  (2021-06-10)  Retrieved 2023-11-04 from KTSA
  10. ↑ 'Missing Man' symbol of loss.  Todd Zielinski.  (2012-10-12)  Retrieved 2023-11-04 from Luke Air Force Base
  11. ↑ Missing Man Monument, Randolph AFB, Texas | Local ID: 342-USAF-50384.  (March 4, 1977)  National Archives, Record Group 342: Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations.  Retrieved 6 December 2022 from link
  12. ↑ Missing Man Monument.  Retrieved 6 December 2022 from The Historical Marker Database
  13. ↑ Valor Park.  Retrieved 6 December 2022 from The Historical Marker Database
  14. ↑ Civic Memorials Development Guide.  (2013)  Tecstone Granite USA.  Retrieved 6 December 2022 from link
  15. ↑ Template:ASN accident
  16. ↑ Missing Man Salute Memorial.  Retrieved 6 December 2022 from Traces of War
  17. ↑ Soesterberg, 'Missing Man Salute'.  Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei.  Retrieved from link
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Missing Man Salute monument.  CRASH Luchtoorlog- en Verzetsmuseum '40-'45.  Retrieved 6 December 2022 from link
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