“Hi, Santa!,” 4-year-old Tommy Tye shouted from atop his father’s shoulders.
Santa Claus waved from a Navy helicopter hovering over Lynnhaven Inlet. The chopper noise drowned out any “ho, ho, ho’s.”
“There he is,” said Russell Tye, Tommy’s father. “How cool is that?”
Dozens of families flocked Saturday to the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach to see Santa hitch a ride with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 2, also known as the Fleet Angels. Jolly old St. Nick and the helicopter crew departed at 10 a.m. from Naval Station Norfolk for the fourth annual Santa flight. The helicopter hovered over 14 locations across Hampton Roads, lowering enough to spot Mr. Kringle waving from the open side door.
On Friday, the day before the flight, the classic red suit had not yet been unboxed from the previous year. But crew members said they were excited to take to the sky and spread some holiday cheer.
“A lot of times, Hampton Roads hears us fly overhead low and they might get irritated,” Master Chief Petty Officer Derek Nord told The Virginian-Pilot on Friday in the squadron’s hangar bay. “This is the one time of year they understand the purpose because they look up and they see Santa in the door.”
This is the second year Nord played Santa. He’s volunteered for the role several times over the years at various units.
“This is a fun flight. My kids call it ‘Wtanding in for Santa,'” said Nord, who has three children — 7, 9 and 12.
Other volunteers included Lt. Jacob Long, who co-piloted the helicopter, and Brandon Drew, the crew chief during the flight. Long said he was especially excited for his 2-year-old son to see him participate in the festive flyby.
“His favorite things are Christmas movies and Santa right now so combining that with what I do is special for me,” Long said.
As for those who are selected for the flight, Capt. Matthew “Nilla” Wright, commanding officer of the squadron, said there is “not much science behind it.”
“It is really whoever needed that training in flight,” Wright said.
The “Santa mission” coincides with a routine training exercise. During the flight, the crew will be working on navigation, combat logistics and — arguably the most important task — timing. The pressure is on to not be five minutes late when a 5-year-old expects to see Santa, Wright said.
The crew prepared for the flight by mapping out exactly where the helicopter would be and when to coordinate the entire flight path with various airspaces across the region. The flight path’s 14 stops spanned Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach — all mere minutes apart.
Connecting with the community in this way, Drew said, is what led to him volunteering. Seeing all the kids get excited about seeing Santa in the Navy helicopter is awesome, said Drew, who has four children, ages 8, 10, 11 and 14.
As the helicopter hovered over Lynnhaven Inlet, 21-month-old Christopher Tye clapped his hands and squealed with glee from his perch on grandpa Tom Tye’s shoulders. Angela Tye, mother of the two boys, patted the back of the toddler.
Saturday marked the third year the Tye family has come out to see Santa fly with the Navy. The annual flight has become a family tradition, one that they plan to stick with as long as the Navy hosts the flyby.
“We will be out here every year, and one day, we hope it is their kids on our shoulders,” Angela Tye said.
Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
