Credit: Submitted
The large military transport plane that circled over the Levittown area Wednesday was taking part in a memorial service, according to an official.
The 174-foot-long C-17 flew several circles over Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, and Middletown Township at about 1,000 feet above the ground. The low-flying transport jet shook homes and caught the attention of plenty of eyes in the area.
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U.S. Air Force 628th ABW Public Affairs Chief Diana Cossaboom told LevittownNow.com the plane was circling over the area as it prepared to do a memorial flyover at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Upper Makefield Township.
“The numerous laps are ‘timing’ orbits. The plane enters a holding pattern until the appropriate time in the ceremony and then begins its ‘run in’ to cross event center at the appropriate time. The orbits are normally done far enough away from the event so spectators aren’t distracted by it,” she said.
The ceremony at the cemetery was for Capt. Raymond Zheng, a C-17 pilot assigned to the 14th Airlift Squadron in Charleston who died July 30 in a motorcycle crash. He was raised in New York City. The airman had visited 30 countries and had two deployments during his time in the military, according to his obituary and the military.
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The C-17 traveled from Charleston to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to drop off 14th Airlift Squadron members so they could travel to the ceremony in Bucks County.
The plane then took off, performed its loops over Lower Bucks County, did the memorial flyover, and returned to New Jersey to pick up those who attended the service.
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Realizing the low flight caused a stir in the area, the U.S. Air Force spokesperson said she wanted to explain what occurred to the public.
Although it is not uncommon for military transport and refueling jets to fly over the area, the C-17’s low altitude and circles in the sky were not a common sight.
The C-17 has been in military service since the mid-1990s and is known as a versatile large transport jet that travels the globe with the American military and several close allies, including the Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force.
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This isn’t the first time military planes have captured attention over Levittown. In 2017, a refueling plane and fighter jets from the Royal Saudi Air Force caused a stir when they passed over Levittown. They were traveling from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to their home base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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