Military Aircraft to Fly Over KU Campus for Football Season Opener

LAWRENCE, Kansas — Military aircraft will make three flyovers of the University of Kansas (KU) campus and Lawrence in advance of the sold-out football season opener against Fresno State. The Jayhawks will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23.

A team of F-35 fighters and a C-147, also known as a Dash 8, will fly over David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium around 5:15 p.m. According to a KU news release issued Friday morning, the C-147 will be carrying members of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, who will parachute into the stadium.

The F-35 pilots will conduct practice runs at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, while the C-147 is scheduled to make its first flyover at 8 p.m. that same day. The F-35s are operated by the 56th Fighter Wing and 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. The Golden Knights are based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The newly renovated stadium has a capacity of 41,525 for the 2025 season, and all tickets for the season opener sold out by Wednesday. Fans can watch the game on Fox.

KU will host seven home games this season, starting with Saturday’s matchup. Lawrence Transit will provide bus service from a downtown parking garage to the stadium for all home games.