Inside how the Navy axed male pilots to stage all-women Super Bowl flyover

An F/A-18F Super Hornet and an F-35C Lightning II arrive at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2023, in preparation for their flyover of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Feb. 12.

EXCLUSIVE — An all-female team of pilots conducted the Super Bowl pregame flyover for the first time this year – but the Navy staged the historic moment by booting several male aviators days before the big game.

An all-woman crew wasn't always the plan, with a handful of men picked and "very, very excited" for the flyover before they were abruptly told they were being replaced, an aircrew member told Fox News Digital.

"For us, getting to do flyovers is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said the member who spoke on the condition of anonymity, "especially for something of that magnitude."

The Navy's initial press release detailing the flyover on Jan. 26 said the event would commemorate a 50-year history of women flying in the Navy, but the original lineup of 15 service members only included three women, Military.com previously reported. The service members were honored with digital playing cards, similar to baseball cards, that were promoted on social media sites.

NAVY CONFIRMS IT ‘MADE SOME CHANGES’ TO SUPER BOWL FLYOVER, QUIETLY SHIFTING TO ALL-FEMALE PILOT TEAM

Two EA-18G Growlers arrive at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 7, 2023, in preparation for their flyover of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Feb. 12. (U.S. Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aron Montano)

The aircrew member said the original team was assembled at the end of November last year and that the team soon began preparing for the event.

"Basically every Friday until Jan. 27, there was a teams meeting with the NFL and