The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flypast of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot, a well-known military service member or veteran, or a well-known political figure.

[4] In an older variant, the formation is flown with the second element leader position conspicuously empty.

[4] In another variation, the flight approaches from the south, preferably near sundown, and one of the aircraft will suddenly split off to the west, flying into the sunset.

[10] Permanent memorial sculptures depicting the missing man aerial formation exist at Randolph Air Force Base (Missing Man Monument, 1977, Mark Pritchett) in San Antonio, Texas,[11][12] Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (Missing Man Memorial, 1995) in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Valor Park (Missing Man Formation, 2000) near the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

[13][14] Outside the United States, a missing man memorial was dedicated at the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum (Missing man salute [nl], 2004, Leendert Verboom) near Soesterberg Air Base to commemorate the 21 June 1944 crash of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Connie" following a bombing raid in Germany;[15][16][17] it was moved to the CRASH Luchtoorlog- en Verzetsmuseum '40-'45 [nl] museum near Rijsenhout in 2014.