B-2 bomber could still fly over Rose Bowl game after being grounded during 137th parade’s opening

There’s still a chance that Rose Parade and Rose Bowl attendees could see the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 bomber flyover after the plane couldn’t make its traditional flight over the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena due to the first rain to hit the event in 20 years. The plane’s Rose Bowl window was moved from before the game to halftime in hopes that the weather would clear.

As the parade began, the skies were cloudy. The rain was coming down. Attendees were prepared to hear the thunder, not from the weather, but rather from the B-2 bomber’s familiar roar overhead.

That didn’t happen as planned, as the cloud cover made it too difficult to navigate the skies, U.S. Air Force officials said.

“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 U.S. Air Force 509th Bomb Wing.

Typically on Jan. 1, the plane executes two tightly-timed flyovers — one for the Rose Parade and another for the Rose Bowl. The latter one could still happen, Air Force officials said, as the rain started to clear Thursday morning about an hour into the parade.

“We, however, are doing everything in our power to make the Rose Bowl game flyover happen if weather permits,” Bachtel said. “The Rose Bowl game flyover has been flexed to be conducted during halftime to allow the maximum chance to conduct the flyover.”

By around noon, U.S. Air Force officials said that teams on the ground in Pasadena said that the weather looked “promising” for the flyover to happen at halftime. The rain had stopped by the parade’s end, but skies remained cloudy and gloomy

For years, the giant stealth bomber’s flyovers have became a Tournament of Roses tradition, as they have roared over Colorado Boulevard, leaving spectators awestruck.

The last time the B-2 didn’t fly was the 2023 parade, when the Air Force grounded the fleet out of safety concerns.

That year, the change stemmed from “a safety pause,” officials said, to allow base personnel to inspect the fleet after an incident in which a B-2 Spirit was damaged on the runway at Whiteman AFB after successfully completing an emergency landing.

Arnold Gomez, 30, of Watts was disappointed Thursday the B-2 could not fly as the parade opened. “You’d think it’s so high-tech a little rain won’t hurt it,” he said. “Even if we just hear it, it would have been OK.”

Although the Air Force plane didn’t kick off the show, Gomez may have another chance to see it if he sticks around for the Rose Bowl.

The planned Thursday mission was to be flown by airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, requiring split-second timing, extensive coordination and careful navigation through some of the busiest airspace in the country.

This year’s flyover was set to come at a different moment for the Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing, which operates the B-2 fleet. It caps one of the busiest operational years in recent memory and marks the first Rose Parade flyover under U.S. Air Force Col. Joshua D. Wiitala, the wing’s new commander.

Much of the past year has been marked by frequent deployments as the wing carried out global deterrence missions. In June, B-2 bombers were part of a major U.S. strike on nuclear facilities in Iran — the largest B-2 operational strike in US history.

“It has been a very busy and very consequential year for the 509th Bomb Wing,” Wiitala said in a recent interview. “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.”

After the parade, the aircraft on typical years continue on a carefully planned path that includes additional training before returning to Southern California for the Rose Bowl. This time that return was initially synced to the national anthem before kickoff, but will now tentatively happen during the Rose Bowl’s halftime.