 When the Thunderbirds fly over in the final scenes, the formation  they are supposed to be flying in is known as the "Missing Man"  formation. However, the missing man formation is flown with only  four jets, and the number three jet pulls straight up without using  afterburner while the rest of the formation flies in their original  positions. This was obviously done for Stamper. It is an  extraordinary honor to have this formation flown during a funeral  or, in this case, after a mission, equivalent to the riderless  horse. The Thunderbirds are currently flying this maneuver in air  shows out of respect for US Military personnel lost in the War on  Terror.