NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University Football will have a flyover for its Homecoming game on Saturday against Marshall, ODU Athletics announced on Wednesday. Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, the Red Rippers, the same squadron that flew ODU Football Head Coach Ricky Rahne in an F/A-18F Super Hornet last year, will perform the flyover.
Last summer, Rahne flew with Commander Dustin Peverill for a 45-minute excursion that took them over the Atlantic Ocean, the Outer Banks and Eastern Shore. They broke the sound barrier not once, but four times. They searched for ships over the ocean and avoided some thunderstorms and he treated Rahne to a panoramic view of Hampton Roads.
The Red Rippers are the Navy’s oldest continuously active fighter squadron and has served over the last century on more than 30 aircraft carriers.
One of the pilots for Saturday’s flyover, LT David Forbes, is a 2022 Old Dominion graduate.
The Red Rippers mascot, Ripper Man, will lead the Monarchs onto the field on Saturday.