Here's how the process works:
1. The entity that's hosting the flyover makes the request to Air Force/Navy/Army/whoever Public Affairs or equivalent. That request includes all the important info like event type, date, time, location, etc. They can also request a certain type of aircraft or just say they want anything with wings. If they've worked with a certain unit in the past (for example, UT and the TXANG F-16s out of San Antonio), they can request that unit specifically. If this is the case, usually there's already a handshake deal between the entity and the unit they're requesting, but you still have to go through the process because government.
2. The DoD branch approves the flyover, and posts it on a dedicated website just like a M4M nurse encounter.
3. Individuals with access to said website (like me) can browse and look for something intriguing. I'll know what dates and how many aircraft my unit can support, so I'll look for something that matches with a hometown connection or maybe just a city that has good titty bars.
4. I submit a request to PA to support the flyover.
5. PA will contact me, get 6-9 pages worth of info, sit on it for weeks, then flip a coin to decide whether they'll approve or deny.
6. If they approve my request, they'll then get me the contact info for the flyover host.
7. I then work directly with the host for specifics of flyover direction, time, and contingency plans.
8. Flyover happens.
To say it's a training mission and that it will happen either way whether the flyover happens isn't exactly true. Yes, there is some training to be had, and you can turn it into whatever type of mission you want, but the bottom line is it's a great deal for us. When you've done nothing but train in the local area and/or deploy to shitty locations, doing something like this is something special and it's not something that you'll get to do often (aircraft dependent). Some units may choose to turn the 1 minute flyover into a 6 hour mission that involves a low-level or a couple plugs from a tanker, or some (like mine) will just fly directly to the flyover then land so we can watch the game. Bottom line though, it doesn't cost the taxpayer a single cent because every unit gets a certain amount of flying hours a year and they can use them how they see fit. So for those of us that have spent literal years of our lives in Bumfuckastan, let us have our 30 seconds of glory over a football stadium.