Ferndale Native Lt. Col. Dane Coppini to Take Part in NFL Flyover This Sunday

Ferndale Native Lt. Col. Dane Coppini

When the national anthem concludes at Sunday’s NFL game, four T-38C Talon supersonic jets will sweep over the stadium—flying out of Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas. In the cockpit of one of those jets will be someone many on the North Coast watched grow up: Lt. Col. Dane Coppini of Ferndale.

Coppini’s mother, Carrie Coppini, said the moment is one their whole family has been looking forward to. “He had the opportunity to do this flyover for the NFL game, which is just so cool,” she said. According to the Kansas City Chiefs’ game information, the formation will feature four T-38C Talons, and Dane will be flying in the first jet to the right of center.

Coppini has been in the Air Force for nearly two decades. “He’s been in the Air Force since he graduated college,” his mother explained. “He’s a, what you’d call, a career military.” He began in security forces before attending Officer Training School and later being selected for pilot training, Carrie said. Over the years he served in Special Operations, completed a stint at the Pentagon, and eventually became a fighter-jet pilot trainer at Laughlin Air Force Base.

But long before any of that, he was simply a Ferndale kid. “We’ve been here since he was two,” Carrie said. “He went through all the schools in Ferndale and graduated Ferndale High.” After high school, Coppini attended George Fox University in Oregon, where he earned his degree and applied to join the Air Force during his senior year.

Today, Coppini’s service has influenced the whole family. “We’re not really a military family. We are now because he inspired his brothers to join,” Carrie said. “He kind of turned us into a military family, but we didn’t start out that way—we’re dairy farmers, you know?” His mother describes him as someone who carries deep gratitude for the teachers and coaches who shaped him in Ferndale. “He loved growing up in Ferndale…and he remembers everybody very fondly.”

And Ferndale isn’t just a place of his past. Dane and his wife Michelle will be back home for Christmas this year—something his parents cherish.

As for Sunday’s flyover, the family—and likely much of Ferndale—will be tuning in. “We’re just very proud of him, that’s for sure,” Carrie said.

Sunday’s game—featuring the flyover by four T-38C Talon jets from Laughlin Air Force Base—will be broadcast on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with the flyover taking place at the conclusion of the national anthem.