Water salute

Water salute for the first Ryanair flight to Rijeka Airport in 2011.
A fireboat gives a water salute to the USS Vandegrift by the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon.
A New York City Fire Department fireboat gives a water salute for the 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge in 2008.

A water salute occurs for ceremonial purposes when a vehicle travels under plumes of water expelled by one or more fire fighting vehicles.

At an airport, typically an even number of vehicles will line up perpendicular on the sides of the taxiway or apron, and the plumes of water will form a series of arches. Symbolically the procession would look similar to a bridal party walking under a wedding arch or the saber arch at a military wedding.

Water salutes have been used to mark the retirement of a senior pilot, air traffic controller, the first or last flight of an airline to an airport, the first or last flight of a type of aircraft, or for other notable events. When the Concorde flew its last flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport blue, white and red coloured plumes were used.[1] President-elect Donald Trump of the United States received a water salute on his first departure from LaGuardia after winning the presidential election in 2016.[2]

Water salutes are also used for ships and other watercraft, with water being delivered by fireboats. This is often done for the first or last visit of retirement of a senior captain, the first or last cruise of a ship, for a visiting warship, or for other ceremonial occasions.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Water cannon salutes in aviation.
  1. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3211053.stm
  2. ↑ "Pres-Elect Trump's Plane Gets 'Water Salute' on Way to D.C.".
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