(Tribune News Service) — The B-2 Stealth bomber made a roaring return in the skies above Pasadena for the Rose Parade on Monday morning, and the Rose Bowl later in the day.

The giant stealth bomber missed last year’s Rose Parade after the Air Force grounded the fleet out of safety concerns. B-1B Lancer bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota flew over last year to mark the moment.

But not this year. The B-2 — based out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri — was back as it soared over Colorado Boulevard, leaving spectators awestruck, just as it has for several years.

Redland Daily Facts reached out to the Air Force, curious about how the pilots prep for the flyover. The pilots preferred going by their call signs. The Air Force said Maj. “Thunder” Beck and Capt. “Nitro” Tencati, both are B-2 pilots assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron and would be flying to support the parade and the Rose Bowl, officials said.

Q: How many pilots are actually in the bomber when it flies over, and what are their specific roles/duties? Does the flyover actually have a mission name?

Nitro: The B-2 is a bomber with only two pilots, each with their own responsibilities. The first pilot will be in charge of physically flying the aircraft and talking with the controllers (and making sure the jet is on time), while the mission commander manages the aircraft systems, communicates with our team on the ground during the flyover, provides updates to our team back at Whiteman and holds overall authority over the execution of the mission.

Q: Do you as the pilots do a briefing before the flyover, where you talk about the logistics of the flight?

Thunder: For this mission, we allocate an entire day to thorough planning. This involves a comprehensive examination of various aspects, including the fuel needed to meet our extended-duration requirements, the routing to and from the designated areas, and the capacity to support both events, particularly if only one B-2 is available during the execution.

After completing the mission planning and reviewing the plan, we proceed to develop contracts and contingency plans. Contracts are formulated for both ourselves and the ground crew, and we make an effort to identify as many contingencies as possible—anticipating potential issues that may arise. Subsequently, we devise strategies to counter these contingencies.

Nitro: We also take into consideration the ground features for the parade and football stadium in order to successfully fly over our targets at lower altitudes. Alongside mission planning, we also practiced in our B-2 simulators to not only practice being on time, but also ensuring the safety of the mission and coming up with contingency plans. Throughout this period we have reviewed the plan thoroughly and made sure that every contingency has been thought of and addressed.

Q: How about a little about the journey itself? After the flyover, is it basically head back to home base?

Thunder: Our plan is to fly from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., and head west towards California. From there we will have one of two B-2s posture themselves for the parade. This entails working closely with our friends at Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center to manage the airspace as we receive timing updates from our ground crew at the parade. Once the parade is complete both B-2s will then proceed to conduct aerial refueling training off the coast of California. After we complete our refueling objectives, we then maneuver back to support the Rose Bowl game, which is executed in a similar fashion as the parade. Once we are mission complete, we will return to base. Unfortunately, this means we will miss the game, but given that one of our pilots is an alumnus of the University of Alabama, we’re hoping to hear that the game was great!

Q: When you do a flyover in front of such a large audience, what’s it like to be among the few who have done them? Any thoughts about being that pilot?

Thunder: Serving our country is a tremendous honor, and being pilots for America is a responsibility we deeply value. The chance to combine passion for flying with a prestigious event like the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.

Beyond flying the world’s only Stealth Bomber, realizing that we are contributing to something greater than ourselves and collectively expressing our passion for our country with many others is an incredibly humbling experience. We acknowledge and appreciate that while we are the most visible part of the flyover, we are only a small portion of the team that makes it happen.

Nitro: Something as visible and important as this can be a little daunting, but that is what makes this flyover exciting! I have personally talked with some of the pilots that have flown this in the past and they have all agreed that it was one of their favorite experiences. Growing up in California I know how great the parade [and] the football game are, making this opportunity very special for me. Being part of a flyover is always an exciting experience, but I am honored to be able to participate in something that has such a rich history.

(c)2024 the Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, Calif.)

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previous coverage

• Police prep for Rose Parade protests, from Gaza cease-fire supporters to striking hotel workers
• B-2 Spirit to fly over Rose Bowl after being grounded last year