Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Missing man formation

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. The planes fly in a formation that leaves 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.

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Missing man formation
Photographed from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier: three airplanes are flying in formation while approaching, and a fourth plane is climbing up and away from the formation to signify the missing man.
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.
Statusactive
GenreMemorial service salute
Activity
airshows, sporting events

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.123 The planes fly in a formation that leaves 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 formations are also used in motorsport in memory of a recently deceased driver5 and in American football and ice hockey in memory of a recently deceased player.67

Description

Missing man formation based on finger-four; Flight leader (#1), lead's wingman (#2), and second element lead's wingman (#4) are present, but second element lead (#3) has departed or is not present. source ↗

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

Sports

The formation has been practiced in multiple sports to honor a player or driver who recently died.

In motorsports, the formation is usually done during the starting pace laps before the green flag is waved. When NASCAR driver Adam Petty died in a 2000 crash at New Hampshire International Speedway, the pole position winners for that weekend's Truck and Busch Series races left their starting positions open to create the missing man formation.1112 In 2001, the formation was performed during the pace laps of the Dura Lube 400 at Rockingham after the death of Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500 the week before.13 The formation was performed again by NASCAR in 2026 during the Coca-Cola 600 after Kyle Busch died from an illness days prior to the race.14 In IndyCar, after the death of Dan Wheldon in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas, the race was abandoned and drivers performed a five-lap, three-wide salute in his honor.15 A pit stop variant of the missing man formation was done in the 1991 Pit Crew Challenge by Bill Elliott's team to honor rear tire changer Mike Rich after he was killed in a pit accident at the 1990 Atlanta Journal 500: the team serviced Elliott's car as usual, but left the right rear tire unchanged.16

In American football, deceased players are honored by their team on the first play of the game by taking the field but leaving a spot where the player would have lined up. Play typically does not occur so the clock expires, leading to a delay of game penalty that the other team declines to let the affected side resume without losing yardage.17 In 2007, after the murder of Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins' defense did not have a safety for the first play against the Buffalo Bills.18

Ice hockey does a similar formation. After the death of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew during the 2024 offseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets left Gaudreau's spot empty on the ice for the opening faceoff of the team's home opener.19

In memorials

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,2021 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.2223

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 in the Netherlands to commemorate the 21 June 1944 crash of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Connie" following a bombing raid in Germany;242526 it was moved to the CRASH Luchtoorlog- en Verzetsmuseum '40-'45 museum near Rijsenhout in 2014.2728

See also

See also

References

References

Media related to Missing man formations at Wikimedia Commons

  1. Edwards, Bob (May 28, 2001). "Missing Man Formation" (link to audio). NPR. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  2. "Histories: The Missing Man Formation". All POW-MIA. Archived from the original on 21 November 2000. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  3. "The History of The Missing Man Formation". Old Glory Traditions. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  4. Ford, Daniel (May 2001). "High Honor". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  5. Riggs, D. Randy (2018-06-21). "F5000 Drivers Honor Racer Jeff Green With Missing Man Formation". Vintage Motorsport. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  6. Stubbs, Roman (September 1, 2018). "Maryland football started its season with a missing-man formation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. Newland, Jason (October 16, 2024). "The Way The Columbus Blue Jackets Honored Their Fallen Superstar Was Perfect". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  8. Engber, Daniel (December 14, 2005). "What's the "Missing Man" Formation?". Slate. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  9. "Missing Man Flyover honoring San Antonio WWII Veteran happens tonight". KTSA. 2021-06-10. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  10. Zielinski, Todd (2012-10-12). "'Missing Man' symbol of loss". Luke Air Force Base. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  11. "Petty's tribute is on track". The Commercial Appeal. May 14, 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Long, Dustin (May 14, 2000). "Gloom enshrouds New Hampshire track". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved May 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Victory dedicated to Earnhardt". BBC Sport. February 27, 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  14. Williams, James H. "Kyle Busch honored during 'Greatest Day in Motorsport': What we know". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  15. Anderson, Lars. "DAN WHELDON 1978--2011". SI.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  16. Solloway, Steve (October 20, 1991). "Kenny Wallace gets help from his brother". Maine Sunday Telegram. Retrieved May 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "How Fresno State Honored Fallen Nebraska Player With Simple Act". KMJ-FM. September 6, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  18. "To honor slain Taylor, Redskins use 10 men on first Bills play". www.nfl.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-15. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  19. "Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew honored at Blue Jackets home opener". TODAY.com. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  20. "Missing Man Monument, Randolph AFB, Texas | Local ID: 342-USAF-50384". National Archives, Record Group 342: Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations. March 4, 1977. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  21. "Missing Man Monument". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  22. "Valor Park". The Historical Marker Database. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  23. "Civic Memorials Development Guide" (PDF). Tecstone Granite USA. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  24. Shot down description for Consolidated B-24H-1-CF Liberator at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 6 December 2022.
  25. "Missing Man Salute Memorial". Traces of War. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  26. "Soesterberg, 'Missing Man Salute'". Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014.
  27. "U.S. Consul Unveils Relocated Missing Man Salute Monument to U.S. Airmen" (Press release). Consulate General of the United States, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. September 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014.
  28. "Missing Man Salute monument" (in Dutch). CRASH Luchtoorlog- en Verzetsmuseum '40-'45. Retrieved 6 December 2022.