(NewsNation) — Just like the national anthem, the commercials and halftime show, the pre-game flyover is a Super Bowl tradition unlike any other.
But this year it will be different.
That’s because it will be done by the first all-female team of pilots, jetting across the sky to honor 50 years of women flying in the Navy.
Naval lieutenants Arielle Ash and Katie Martinez will lead the Diamond Formation, departing from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and flying above State Farm Stadium right before kickoff.
The show will only last around 10 to 12 seconds, which means the pilots will be flying faster than the speed of sound.
For them, it’s about honoring the past.
Back in 1973, 50 years ago, the first eight women started flight school in Pensacola, Florida.
Today, their legacy carries on.
“These women paved such an important path for all of us that are able to be here today,” Ash said.
Martinez says she’s proud to fly with her friends on the field, “who happen to be female.”
“I’m an aviator because I earned my wings just like anyone else,” Martinez said.
The other big performance of the day will be the Super Bowl halftime show.
While most of the details are being kept secret for the big day, we do know that Rihanna has jam-packed her entire 17-year career into one 13-minute performance.
Rihanna, who hasn’t performed live for seven years, says it was challenging to get back into shape for the physical exertion this performance will require.
Picking songs, she said, was the most difficult part about it.
Rihanna actually changed her set list 39 times over the past few months trying to get it exactly right.
It was the birth of her first-born son back in May that spurred her to agree to perform in this halftime show after declining an invitation to be at the 2019 game out of solidarity with ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
This time around, though, Rihanna said it is important to show representation for all Black women and to show her little boy that his mom could still live up to such a massive challenge.
“When I first got the call to do it again this year, I was like, ‘Are you sure? I’m three months post-partum, should I be making decisions like this now?'” she said. “I might regret this, but when you become a mom, there’s something that happens where you feel like you can take on the world and you can do anything.”