World War ll Bomber plane available for rides in Bemidji Aug. 18-20
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Jul. 27—BEMIDJI — The Experimental Aircraft Association is set to bring its World War II B-25 Mitchell plane, the "Berlin Express," to the Bemidji airport Aug. 18-20.
Flights are available in Bemidji starting on Friday, Aug. 18, and running through Sunday, Aug. 20. The flight costs $425 if participants are a member of the EAA, if not, the flight will cost $475 and a one-year EAA membership is included when a non-member purchases a ticket.
According to the EAA website, there are eight seats available on each flight and a minimum of five people are required per flight. If fewer than five people are booked, organizers will try to reschedule the flight that day or another day during the tour. If rescheduling is not possible, these flights may be canceled and a cancellation charge will not be assessed.
Each flight experience lasts approximately one hour, including briefing and debriefing — but the actual flight time will be about 18 minutes.
Participants are encouraged to wear clothing appropriate to local weather conditions. According to the EAA website, the aircraft can be drafty at times so consider bringing a light jacket or sweatshirt for the flight.
Foam earplugs are provided as the flight can be quite noisy. Cameras and camcorders are allowed and encouraged — but participants are asked to keep them as small as possible as space is restricted inside the airplane. Other forms of baggage are generally discouraged.
For more information about the B-25 bomber flight tour or to purchase tickets, visit the EAA website at
The North American B-25 Mitchell is a medium bomber from World War II. A powerful twin-engined and twin-tailed aircraft, it was used by every branch of the United States military.
According to the EAA website, in March 1939, the U.S. Army Air Corps launched an appeal to aircraft companies for a medium bomber that was able to carry a bomb load of 2,400 pounds for 1,200 miles at a speed of 300 miles per hour.
North America delivered a prototype named the NA-62. The Army Air Corps was impressed with the aircraft's performance and immediately ordered the aircraft, now designated B-25.
The first B-25s became combat-ready in early 1942 just in time for a very daring plan after a devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The idea was to load 16 bombers onto the deck of the USS Hornet and sail as close as they could safely get to Japan and launch off of the carrier and bomb Tokyo as well as military installations in the area.
"The mission would be led by famous aviator James H. Doolittle. On April 18, 1942, the task force was spotted early and even though the odds were against them, the 16 bombers roared down the deck toward history," the website reads. "The planes hit their targets and most ditched off of the coast of China after the raid. With one daring mission, Doolittle's Raiders lifted the morale and spirits of everyone back in the United States."
When the EAA's very own B-25 Mitchell was donated to them in 1972, it was the 327th H model off the assembly line of the near-thousand or so that were built.
This airplane served in the war as an administrative aircraft and was stationed at bases in Washington, Colorado and California. At one point in time, it was also modified for use as a trainer.
Backtracking to 1968, after a stint with Long Island Airways, Filmways, Inc. Tallmantz Aviation got involved and decided that N10V ought to be in the movies. The airplane was given a J-model greenhouse nose section, which was historically inaccurate but gave it the traditional look.
Tallmantz assembled N10V with 17 other flyable B-25s to begin production on Catch-22 — director Mike Nichols' adaptation of Joseph Heller's bitter satire about life in wartime.
An orthodontist, warbird collector and accomplished air race pilot from Merced, California, Dr. William Sherman Cooper, bought N10V in May 1971. Cooper was killed in a crash while practicing aerobatics in his Pitts Special a year later, and the B-25 was donated to the EAA Aviation Foundation.
EAA staff and volunteers fully restored the airplane starting in 1975, removing the airplane's movie livery and repainting it as the City of Burlington. The airplane flew in these colors for several years, even hopping rides for visiting VIPs like Sen. Barry Goldwater, until it was damaged after a gear failure on landing. At that point, it underwent a cosmetic restoration and was moved into the EAA Aviation Museum's Eagle Hangar, where it remained for the next few decades.
Now fully restored, "Berlin Express" is ready for its next mission in honoring WWII veterans as well as helping inspire a new generation of aviation enthusiasts, the website reads.
For the full history of the Berlin Express or other B-25 planes, visit the EAA website at
