Eight Alpha jets of the Patrouille de France filled the skies above Manhattan with the colors of the French tricolor -- soaring above the iconic statue which was a gift from France to the United States and dedicated in 1886.

"Honestly, this flyover of the Statue of Liberty is something I never imagined I would be able to do in my life," Commander Brice Beaudouin, leader of the patrol, told AFP ahead of the flyover.

This mission, dubbed "Liberte 250," highlights France's support for the US insurgents who took on the British crown, making Paris the oldest international ally of Washington.

Several other flyovers are planned during this deployment -- which ends on July 5 -- in Maryland, Virginia, over Washington, DC, and again over New York for the final day of festivities on July 4, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.