Fresno's 144th Fighter Wing featured in Levi's Stadium flyover

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's a time-honored tradition at the start of America's game.

Two F-15Cs that flew over Levi's Stadium before the Niners' NFC Divisional Round victory Saturday belonged to none other than the Fresno-based 144th Fighter Wing.

"This was definitely the most probably harrowing flyby I've done, but also the most exciting, I would say," says Capt. Skylar Bautista.

The ceremonial flyover was piloted by Capt. Bautista and Lt. Col Luke Campagne, better known by their call signs "VooDoo" and "Cougar."

"Believe it or not, I volunteered -- I don't know if you can see behind me, but I'm somewhat of a fan," Capt. Bautista said.

A Reedley native and lifelong 49er fan, Capt. Bautista has been flying for the military since 2014.

He joined the 144th after attending Fresno State.

While these pilots make it look effortless, he says the coordination between the stadium, FAA, Pentagon, NorCal approach controllers and the military was months in the making.

In addition to pouring rain and low cloud cover, a nearby airport.

"The way we were able to see the stadium is the amount of fireworks that were shooting off during the team intro, and the anthem intro was how we could see the stadium from 15 miles away," Capt. Bautista said.

Once the game kicked off, our hometown heroes were honored on the field.

"The experience when you're out there in the rain during the fourth quarter, on the goal line during a divisional round playoff game, and George Kittle points at you and dabs you up, that was pretty much a life moment for me," Capt. Bautista said. "And then obviously, they won the game."

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