Historic "Catch 22" Bomber to take Flight at Wings, Wheels and Rotors Today

Executive Sweet, the storied B25 Bomber featured in the film "Catch 22" will be on hand at today’s Wings, Wheels and Rotors Expo at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base.

Manufactured for the Army Air Corps by North American Aviation, Executive Sweet was built in Kansas, City as a B-25J in 1944 and was used mostly for training Army bomber crews. She has twin Wright Double Cyclone engines rated at 1700 hp each. Maximum speed is 275 mph and cruises at 230 mph. This aircraft has a wingspan of 68 feet and weighs 21,000 lbs empty and up to 35k lbs at full gross weight.

Tickets for a 30-minute ride in the historic plane cost $425, but the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce will be raffling off a free ride at the expo today.

This type aircraft was the same that was used during the famous Doolittle Raid in April 1942 when 15 "Mitchell's" flew off the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) to bomb Japan. Executive Sweet also participated in the Doolittle Raid 50th Anniversary in 1992.

Executive Sweet now belongs to the American Aeronautical Foundation, www.aafgroup.com, a non-profit aviation group run by volunteers out of Camarillo Airport.  

The event is located at 11200 Lexington Drive in Los Alamitos and will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In order gain entry into the base and into the event all adults need to have valid identification. Entrance into the event and parking are both free.