Patrouille de France wows New York and Statue of Liberty

Blue, white and red smoke hung in the air over New York as the Patrouille de France called in for the first time in 31 years – and painted the skies over the Statue of Liberty with a flypast over Manhattan.

The French air force aerobatic team is on a six-week goodwill visit to mark the centenary of the US entering the First World War in 1917 and France’s position as America’s first ally since the Wars of Independence.

With the tailfins of their Alphajets sporting stars and stripes, the eight jets were watched by thousands in Battery Park and south Manhattan during their 10-minute display.

The Patrouille de France has not appeared in the US since 1986, when the team took part in festivities to mark the centenary of the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift to the US from France.

Hopping across the US, the team will make 24 stops including flying over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Grand Canyon and Washington DC and the Pentagon before crossing into Canada for a three-show visit that ends on May 6.

Flying out from Salon-de-Provence on March 17, the 10 jets, 72 pilots and ground crew were supported by an A400M military cargo plane as they crossed the Atlantic, touching down in Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and Canada before reaching the US.

On the way they faced extreme weather with temperatures dipping to -40C in the far north and were forced to leave three planes behind in Canada because of mechanical issues.

The Patrouille de France will fly over Washington DC on March 29 before heading to Florida to start the cross-country trip.