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Prints and a calendar are available.

NORTHROP CELEBRATES THE 20^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE B-2 STEALTH BOMBER’S FIRST FLIGHT

Northrop- USAF- Plant 42

Palmdale, Calif.. July 17, 2009

Text & photography by Brian Emch

The Spirit has just turned twenty. On July 17, 1989, just nine months after it was first rolled out to the public in November 1988, the highly secret B-2 stealth bomber took to the skies for the first time, with Bruce Hinds and Rick Couch at the controls. Twenty-one of the highly advanced bombers were built, and today twenty remain - one was lost in Guam in early 2008. Two decades later, now having seen its share of combat missions, (including one that lasted 44 hours), the airplane is flying as well as ever, still giving spectators and military personnel alike, goose bumps wherever it flies, and now it has a mascot, too. On a blazingly warm sunny Southern California morning, exactly twenty years to the date of that first flight - media, VIPs and Northrop employees got a look at one of the B-2s, as well as the “stealth bike”, built by Orange County Choppers of New York. Dave Mazur, VP and B-2 program manager at Northrop, rode in on the bike to be the master of ceremonies for the morning’s event.

One of the operational B-2s , the Spirit of Louisiana, #93-1088, was the backdrop for the ceremony. Speakers included Los Angeles television announcer Stephanie Edwards (famous for working the Pasadena, California Rose Parade’s play-by-play with Bob Eubanks); Bruce Hinds, the first B-2 test pilot; Col James Dawkins, USAF Commander of the 509^th Operations group at Whiteman AFB, where the operational B-2s are based. Scott Seymour, former president of Northrop’s Integrated Systems, and Gary Ervin, President of Northrop’s Aerospace Systems were also on hand to share their thoughts. Several dozen media representatives were on hand, as well as what appeared to be at least two hundred very enthusiastic Northrop employees. And yes folks, there was a flyby, though officials weren’t calling it that, instead they referred to it simply as a “well-timed training mission”. The Spirit of New York, #82-1068, aka “air vehicle #3”, took off from Edwards AFB and flew by twice - the first was what you might call a combination of a “dirty pass” and “photo pass”, while the second flyby featured a good profile view with the gear up, with a late banking turn as the crew headed back to Edwards. This concluded the morning’s festivities.

It is believed that there are currently four B-2s in the Antelope Valley right now - New York, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Two of these flew out from Whiteman last January, for New Year’s Day activities, and then went to their birthplace for upgrades.

Thanks to Northrop, and in particular Brooks McKinney, for the opportunity to come out and cover the event.