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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 formation | |
|---|---|
 Pilots assigned to Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) perform a Missing Man Flyover formation, above USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), during a wreath-laying ceremony held on the flight deck in memory of a service member killed during a training accident. | |
| Status | active |
| Genre | Memorial service salute |
| Activity | airshows, sporting events |
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]
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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]
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- Missing Man sculptures
Missing Man Monument (1977) at Randolph AFB
Missing Man Memorial (1995) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam
Missing Man Formation (2000) at Valor Park, USAF Museum
Missing Man Salute (2004) at Rijsenhout
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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, 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 museum near Rijsenhout in 2014.[18][19]
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