The B-2’s annual flight to Pasadena, California from its base in Missouri is carefully choreographed—and inclement weather can sometimes disrupt it.
Since 2005, the flyover of the United States Air Force’s Northrop B-2 Spirit has been an annual attraction at the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day, only missing the 2023 event due to the total grounding of the Spirit fleet following a mishap a month earlier. This year, heavy rains that were part of the “atmospheric river” hitting southern California also grounded the B-2, resulting in just the third time the parade didn’t see the appearance of the flying wing long-range strategic bomber.
The first rain on the parade in 20 years scuttled the B-2 flyover—much to the disappointment of attendees, who braved the downpour, even as umbrellas were banned for safety and clear sightline reasons.
“The B-2 bomber moment is typically just a matter of seconds for those who know it’s coming, and packs a huge punch as it roars echo through the Colorado Boulevard corridor, which is most of the parade route,” The Orange County Register reported.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
“Due to the inclement weather in Pasadena causing a low (cloud) ceiling, the B-2 Spirit could not conduct its scheduled flyover for the Rose Parade,” said Joanna Bachtel, spokesperson for the US Air Force 509th Bomb Wing.
Although the B-2 missed the parade this year, it demonstrated team spirit by performing a flyover during the Rose Bowl football matchup between Indiana University and Alabama. The aircraft soared over the famed stadium at about 3 pm PT.
The B-2 Spirit’s Specifications
- Year Introduced: 1993
- Number Built: 21, including one prototype
- Length: 69 ft (20.9 m)
- Wingspan: 172 ft (52.12 m)
- Weight: 336,500 lb (152,634 kg) MTOW
- Engines: Four General Electric F118-GE-100 turbofan engines
- Top Speed: 628 mph (1,010 km/h)
- Range: 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km; 6,904 miles) without aerial refueling
- Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
- Loadout: 40,000 lb (18,144 kg) – Capable of delivering conventional or nuclear weapons, including JDAMs, bunker busters, and nuclear bombs
- Aircrew: 2
B-2 Flyovers Are Surprisingly Hard to Arrange
The flyover of a B-2 might seem simple, but it is a highly coordinated, precisely timed event. For the flyover of the parade and game, the B-2 doesn’t fly to the Golden State ahead of time. Instead, the aircraft takes off from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, and flies across country in some of the busiest airspaces in the country, passes over the parade route on Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard, and then makes the return flight home.
“It’s very busy airspace, as you’d imagine, particularly during the Rose Parade,” said Col. Joshua D. Wiitala, the new commander of the Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing, which operates the entire B-2 Spirit Fleet. “The biggest thing is just setting everything up for success with the routing itself and all the cooperation with the FAA.”
Pilots wake up around 2 am CT and then make the three-plus-hour flight from Whiteman AFB to Pasadena, covering 1,600 miles. Beyond being a public relations stunt, the flight serves as a training exercise for the crew, ensuring they arrive within seconds of 8 am PT and the start of the parade, and then of the game, coinciding with the national anthem.
Wiitala told The Pasadena Star-News that the wing appreciates the chance to fly over the parade.
“We’re really looking forward to this flyover as a chance to just connect with the American public, connect with the Tournament of Roses team down there, and just showcase what this team is capable of and celebrate what this team has accomplished this year,” Wittala added.
The wing commander added that while two aircraft make the flight, one to make the flyovers and the other as an airborne spare, the entire wing plays a role.
“We’re very proud of our team,” said Wittala. “It’s more than just pilots. It’s more than just maintainers—it’s medics, it’s support personnel across hundreds of specialties, and really 4,000 airmen across the total force, active duty and guard, who make this mission happen.”
The B-2 Showed Up During Rose Bowl Halftime Instead
Aside from 2021, when the parade was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2023, when the B-2 fleet was grounded, the B-2 has been a staple of the parade and game.
Usually, the aircraft flies over the stadium at the start of the game—but this year, weather conditions allowed a B-2 to fly over the stadium at halftime.
Although the flight took place on the first day of 2026, the planning and organizing of the planned flight capped off a busy year for the Northrop B-2, which saw a deployment of the bombers to the island of Diego Garcia as part of the US military buildup last spring. In June, seven B-2s took part in “Operation Midnight Hammer,” striking Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, dropping 14 massive GBU-57 bunker busters and other weapons during a complex, undetected 37-hour mission from Whiteman AFB.
Beyond the training aspect of the mission, there is another reason the B-2 makes the famed flight. It is a way to go home and honor those who saw its development.
“There’s that local connection with the B-2, which we think is extra meaningful: being able to showcase the jet back to the people who sustain it and built it in the first place,” Wiitala explained. “We love that connection with the local community here in the B-2 community. Having been able to do this for over 30 years just makes it a great event.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Angel DiBilio.
