B-2 TO GIVE DODGERS FANS A BUZZ; VISIT FROM BOMBER SCHEDULED FOR MEMORIAL DAY BALLGAME.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer A Palmdale-built B-2 stealth bomber will join the peanuts-and-Cracker-Jack atmosphere of baseball when the bat-wing aircraft will fly over Dodger Stadium • • [ on Memorial Day. A B-2 from Whiteman Air Force Base Whiteman Air Force Base (Whiteman AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. It is near the town of Knob Noster, Missouri. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. in Missouri, on a cross-country training mission, will be routed to fly above the stadium between 5:01 p.m. and 5:04 p.m. Monday before the start of the Dodgers game against the Florida Marlins The Florida Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Marlins have played in Dolphin Stadium. . ``A good amount of taxpaying Americans will have a chance to see one of their most precious assets,'' said Capt. Bruce Sprecher, a Whiteman spokesman. The flyby fly·by also fly-by n. pl. fly·bys A flight passing close to a specified target or position, especially a maneuver in which a spacecraft or satellite passes sufficiently close to a body to make detailed observations without is part of the yearlong 50th anniversary celebration of the Air Force. As part of that celebration, Rudy DeLeon, undersecretary of the Air Force, will throw out the first pitch at the Memorial Day game. The bomber will pass about 1,000 feet overhead. It will return to its Missouri base after the mission. Dodger officials said they were approached by the Air Force about the flyby and thought it was appropriate for Memorial Day. Dodger officials are awaiting confirmation from the Pentagon before announcing the flyby. Air Force officials confirmed that the flyby is on the flight schedule. Maj. Richard Vanderburgh, a B-2 instructor pilot, will be the mission commander for the flight. A similar flyby occurred New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. when a B-2 thrilled a crowd of 1 million people along Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street) is a major east-west street in Southern California, United States. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east through Glendale, the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Arcadia, ending in Monrovia. to start the 108th Tournament of Roses parade The Tournament of Roses Parade was established, and first held, on January 1,1890, in Pasadena, California, eight miles (13 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Rooted in tradition, this parade is broadcast on multiple television networks, watched by upwards of one . The flybys are incorporated into training missions and not done exclusively for any particular event. ``These are training flights - not PR flights,'' said Ed Smith, spokesman for Northrop Grumman, builders of the B-2. The flight is coming at a time when Congress is about to take up debate once again on the future of the B-2 program. In a Jan. 17 letter to President Clinton, eight members of Congress asked President Clinton to include funding in the 1998 defense budget to keep the B-2 stealth bomber production line open, arguing that the nation needs a minimum of 30 bombers. In the letter, they said the Defense Department has not studied adequately the issue of how many B-2s are needed. The letter urged the president to include $350 million in his proposed 1998 fiscal year budget proposal and allow Congress to debate the issue. The Clinton administration opposes producing more B-2s, saying it would be too costly and would take away funding from other defense programs. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color only in AV and SAC editions) A B-2 stealth bomber, built in Palmdale and stationed in Missouri, will pass over Dodger Stadium as part of Memorial Day festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. . |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion