Water salute

At an airport, typically an even number of airport crash tender fire-fighting vehicles will arrange themselves perpendicularly along the sides of a taxiway or apron; they will emit coordinated plumes of water which form an arch (or series of arches) as an aircraft passes.

Water salutes have been used to mark the retirement of a senior pilot or air traffic controller, the first or last flight of an airline to an airport, the first or last flight of a specific type of aircraft, as a token of respect for the remains of soldiers killed in action,[1] or other notable events.

When Concorde flew its last flight in 2003 from John F. Kennedy International Airport, red, white and blue coloured plumes were used.

An example was the water salute to HMS Hermes (R12) as she returned to Southampton following her part in the victory of the Falklands War.

In most cases, airports uses water salutes for de-icing purposes, which is to remove excess ice from the plane's fuselage.