Photo by Adam Skoczylas Four jets execute the ‘‘missing man” formation over the Air Force Memorial during a ceremony to recognize Women Air Force Service Pilots March 9.

For Headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., these flyovers are just part of the work, even though coordinating them can sometimes take some maneuvering. They handle the flyovers around the National Capital Region.

Once a head of state or aviator has passed away, the local mortuary affairs office finds out if they are eligible for a flyover. If they are eligible, HQ ACC secures an aircraft and crew and works with the pilot to coordinate the details.

‘‘These planes can come from all over the Unites States, and sometimes they even conduct training while en route,” said Jerry Hughes, a retired Air Force command and control specialist who currently is the senior operations analyst for HQ ACC.

Hughes has to send out notifications to ‘‘as many as 75 or 80 different people, including the [Federal Aviation Administration], Secret Service, the Park Police and Arlington County among others.”

‘‘We do our best to make sure as many people as possible know there’s going to be low-flying aircraft coming through,” Hughes said. ‘‘We don’t want people getting upset when they see those planes coming low, especially in the Washington, D.C. area.”

The standard for pilots doing flyovers is to stay 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within 2,000 feet of the target. This keeps them a safe distance above, while still clearly visible to the parties on the ground.

Since funeral services and processions don’t always happen on time, every time, Hughes has to be flexible on the ground. For ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, they have to de-conflict with nearby Reagan National Airport to avoid any conflicts over airspace.

During the memorial service itself, Hughes is on the ground talking to the pilot, giving the latitude and longitude of the location and giving the signal when the pilot can break out of the holding pattern and be overhead.

The units that perform the flyovers are on a first-come, first-served basis; whichever unit volunteers first gets it.

Occasionally, if the deceased had a history with a certain unit or plane, they try and match up the unit for the flyover to make things special for the Family.

‘‘It means more to the Family if we can find a plane that had a connection to their relative,” Hughes said.

Finding a specific unit that is available for the flyover can be difficult in a timely manner, but often times the deceased is a member of an active unit. If the unit is able to lend a hand, it can speed matters up.

Such was the case with retired Lt. Col. Lee Archer, who served as a fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Archer, who passed away Jan. 27, was eligible for a flyover due to his four confirmed victories over German aircraft in 1944.

Archer served with the 100th Fighter Squad, which is still active in Alabama today. A request was put in with them to do the flyover, and they quickly agreed to do it.

‘‘It was the unit stepping forward that helped us move along quickly,” said Trent Dudley, chairman of the Military Affairs Committee for the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. ‘‘From request to execution it took them a week, when the average is two weeks and sometimes as much as 45 days.”

The HQ ACC also has learned how to work with what they are given. For example, the general formation for a funeral flyover is the ‘‘missing man” formation, where a group of four planes will fly over in formation, and one will break away to signify the loss of the fallen Airman.

If they can only find a unit with three available planes, they go to the ‘‘phantom missing man” formation, where the planes fly as they would as a four-man group, only space is left in the middle for a phantom plane, representing the fallen aviator.

Hughes has been with the HQ ACC for more than 10 years, and was in the Air Force for 25 years before that, so he has plenty of experience with these operations, but there are always some that stick out.

‘‘The greatest honor was participating in the flyovers for Presidents [Ronald] Reagan and [Gerald] Ford. We used 21 aircraft, and seeing them go across the sky with all the people gathered below was a real honor for me and my team,” Hughes said. ‘‘They lie in state one day, and the next day you’re flying over Constitution Avenue with the Caisson below you.”

They don’t always do funerals, though. Sometimes the first Redskins game of the season at FedEx Field, or a special day at Nationals Stadium warrant a flyover. Many of the same processes are in effect, except the timing is even more crucial.

‘‘We like the planes to fly over the stadium just as the last note of the national anthem is sounding,” Hughes said. ‘‘That’s the goal. We usually get the exact time figured out about six minutes before, but if the singer is off a bit, then it can throw the plane off.”

The dedication to service and precision has won HQ ACC many accolades from colleagues and observers alike, due to their ability to turn around requests quickly and accurately, no matter what the situation.

‘‘I’ve been on the fly-bys and they’re professionally planned and with great attention to detail. They bring a lot of good will to aviators and the Families of aviators, and without turning things around quick, none of it would happen,” said Lt. Col. Chuck Cunningham of the 9th Operations Group of Beale Air Force Base, Calif. ‘‘Over the years they’ve provided quick turnarounds to [honor] true heroes who served this country, and it’s such an important job to recognize the heroes of our past.”