A dozen Doolittle Raiders and B-25 Mitchell bombers came together in Fresno, Calif. May 10-13 for the 59th anniversary reunion of the legendary Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.
Although organizer Joe Davis of the Central California Historical Military Museum hoped for 16 B-25s -- the same number that launched from the carrier Hornet on April 18, 1942 -- he was thrilled with the turnout.
"It took a lot of work by a lot of people," said Davis, "but the results were well worth it."
Thanks to sponsorships by American Airlines, Chevron, Exxon-Avitat and Petersen Aviation of Van Nuys, B-25 owners from as far away as Texas, Minnesota and Illinois brought their planes to Fresno-Yosemite Int'l. Airport for the event. Fifteen WW II-vintage fighters and trainers also attended.
Despite muggy temperatures and overcast skies May 12th, an estimated crowd of 10,000+ jammed the Sky West Airlines ramp on the southeast side of the airport. Adults paid $15 and children $5 to roam among the warbirds and meet 12 of the surviving 21 Doolittle Raiders.
At midday, the B-25s, escorted by the fighters, took off and made several low passes over the field. That evening, more than 1,500 people attended a $50-per-person dinner-dance held in the Sky West hangar.
Historic Hardware
Much of the credit for assembling the 12 B-25s that participated in the reunion goes to Bill Klaers of WestPac Restorations in Rialto, Calif. He also coordinated and led the flying, which included a photo shoot on May 10th and two mass formation flights on May 11th and 12th.
On the 11th, all 12 B-25s took part in a flyover of the Golden Gate Bridge and the carrier Hornet, now a floating museum moored at NAS Alameda. With Klaers in the lead in Bob Lumbard's "In the Mood," the B-25s headed west via Watsonville to the Pacific coast.
They then turned north along the shore until they reached San Francisco, where they overflew the Golden Gate and Hornet before returning to Fresno. Sounds simple but Klaers did much more than just the flying.
In order to make the fly-bys over the city, he coordinated with the FAA to have both San Francisco and Oakland International Airports hold departures while the B-25s transitioned the area. No small feat but it went off without a hitch.
The B-25s flew in three flights of three, plus a two-ship and a solo. The solo was Gen. William Lyons and copilot Ron Franz who brought up the rear in Lyons' Santa Ana-based "Guardian of Freedom."
Though they wanted to be part of the event, they admitted they were not experienced formation pilots and asked, for safety's sake, to fly trail by themselves.
They were accompanied by five fighters flying top cover, the CAF SoCal Wing C-46 filled with press and Kermit Weeks' King Air flying his personal video team.
WAY MORE DETAILS AND PHOTOS IN JUNE PACIFIC FLYER
AircraftNameOwner/Hometown
1. NL25GLGuardian of FreedomGen. Wm. Lyons; Santa Ana, CA
2. N898BWAxis NightmareDonald George; Springfield, IL
3. N27493Miss MitchellCAF So. Minnesota Wing; St. Paul, MN
4. N1042BTop SecretJohn & Vicki Lister; San Antonio, TX
5. NL345BGMartha JeanDave Wheaton; Sand Springs, OK
6. N5672VBetty's DreamC&P Aviation; Blaine, MN
7. N8195HHeavenly BodyMike Pupich, owner; Bruce Guberman,
pilot; Van Nuys, CA
8. N1943JApache PrincessKermit Weeks; Polk City, FL
9. N9856CPacific PrincessTed Itano, owner; Carl Scholl, pilot; Chino, CA
10. N25NASuper RabbitJim Morgan; Salem, OR
11. N325NSunday PunchBill Manly, Lynn Hunt, Steve Penning;Santa Rosa, CA
12. N9117ZIn the MoodBob Lumbard, owner; Bill Klaers, pilot; Rialto, CA
Fresno Doolittle Raider Reunion B-25s
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