The B-2 Stealth Bomber just flew over the 2025 Rose Parade, with a thundering sound that sparked awe among the thousands gathered below to watch the 136th Tournament of Roses, on Jan. 1.
It’s become a tradition in the skies over the Pasadena on New Year’s morning — one that U.S. Air Force Col. Keith J. Butler knows quite well.
As a native of the neighboring city of Arcadia, Butler grew up immersed in Rose Parade traditions.
His grandmother once rode horses in the parade as a teenager, while other family members played in marching bands or helped craft floats. As a child, Butler spent countless New Year’s Eves camped out on Colorado Boulevard with his family, bundled up against the cold to watch the colorful floats glide past at dawn.
Yet, he never imagined he would one day play a central role in the event. On New Year’s Day 2018, as a seasoned pilot of the B-2 Spirit, Butler steered the stealth bomber over the Rose Parade–a moment he calls both a career milestone and a personal triumph.
“That was admittedly a bucket list item for me,” Butler said in a recent interview. “To see it as a kid, to grow up, fly the B-2, and then actually fly the B-2 in 2018 was kind of a dream come true for me.”
Now, as the Commander of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home of the world’s only B-2 Spirit stealth bomber unit, Butler oversees the very operations that make such missions possible.
The precision behind the flyover is no small feat.
Before the flyover even begins, extensive planning and coordination take place to ensure every detail is accounted for. From briefings to maintenance checks, the entire team works to prepare the aircraft and flight plans, Butler said.
While only one aircraft is visible to the crowds, Butler said two B-2 bombers are deployed for the mission – one as the primary flyer and the other as a backup, or “airborne spare,” in case of issues during the journey.
The arrangement also provides an opportunity for additional training, including formation flying or practicing combat techniques, he said.
“So one will typically be the primary flyer for the Rose Bowl, and then the other one will be the primary flyer for the Rose Parade. But both aircraft can execute both of the flyovers,” Butler said. “We just do that for a little bit of insurance.”
Once the aircrafts are ready and all plans are in place, pilots must take off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and navigate a journey of more than 1,600 miles to Pasadena, timing their arrival to the exact second.
This is because the B-2 Spirit has to appear above the start of Colorado Boulevard within one to two seconds of 8 a.m. to kick off the Rose Parade and align perfectly with the start of the live stream on national television, Butler explained.
“ So on Jan. 1, there’ll be dozens of people that are involved with it, but the totality is behind the scenes, there’s actually thousands,” he said. “The engines, the landing gear, hydraulic systems, electrical, battery, all the things that it takes to pull that off.”
Achieving this level of accuracy requires meticulous planning, teamwork, and split-second execution.
The two pilots usually wake up at 2 o’clock Central Time on Jan. 1 – midnight on the West Coast – to begin the three to three-and-a-half-hour journey from Whiteman Air Force Base to Southern California, Butler said.
“ Typically we go over the mountains, north of the mountains, up in the high desert, kind of in that Palmdale, Antelope Valley area,” Butler said. “And we wait up there and we’ll get there early in case there’s any coordination or deconfliction (ensuring no conflicts with other aircraft in the airspace) that has to happen.”
Once the timing is right, pilots work closely with Los Angeles air traffic control to guide the aircrafts over the mountains down around the Burbank and Glendale areas. From there, the pilots begin their final approach to Pasadena for the parade, he said.
Photographer Mark Holtzman captured the B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover during the 2018 Rose Parade.
After the parade flyover is completed, the mission isn’t over. Pilots continue across the San Gabriel Valley, typically toward Ontario in Southern California’s Inland Empire, before heading back over the mountains. From there, they fly north to conduct additional training in Northern California.
“Because it’s not just a fly over, we train to our combat readiness every time we fly,” Butler said.
Once their training is completed and the aircraft is refueled, the pilots return to Southern California to prepare for their second flyover—this time over the Rose Bowl stadium itself.
After completing the Rose Bowl flyover, the pilots begin their journey back to Whiteman Air Force Base, arriving home around 9 or 10 o’clock at night, Butler said. “It makes for a very long day,” he added.
This year, Butler won’t be in the cockpit himself but will attend the parade in person—a change he described as “bittersweet.”
“ When you’re in the air, you get to see a wonderful vantage point and you know what’s happening on the ground,” he said. “But to be on the ground and part of the excitement and the crowds and being able to interact, help tell the Air Force’s story, and what it means to have the B-2 at the Tournament of Roses, is also pretty nice.”
The B-2 flyover has been a part of the parade since the mid-1990s, when the stealth bomber was still undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Butler said. Initially meant to showcase the cutting edge technology of America’s bomber, the flyover has grown into a symbol of pride, strength and gratitude for the entire B-2 community, who hopes it inspires appreciation for the aircraft and its operators, while encouraging future innovators and service members.
Except for a few occasions, like during COVID and in 2023, when the Air Force Base grounded the fleet out of safety concerns, the B-2 has flown over the parade nearly every year. “It’s a wonderful relationship,” Butler added.