Her name may sound like your fourth-grade math teacher, but the only thing this Miss Mitchell adds up to is awesome.
This Saturday, the World War II B-25 bomber, Miss Mitchell, will be on display at the Granite Falls Airport where it will be available to the public for tours and rides.
The Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force was originally scheduled to bring the bomber to the area during the Ray Fagen Memorial Air Show in June.
The original Miss Mitchell served with the 12th Air Force, 57th Bomb Wing in Corsica, Sicily, and Italy during World War II. The two-engine bomber flew over 135 missions with no serious injuries to her crew.
The B-25 Mitchell bomber played a major role during the war. Its most noteworthy missions involved the daring 1942 bombing of Japan by Col. Jimmy Doolittle and his Raiders, and a 1944 mission piloted by Lt. Max Bell on bridges of significance in Nazi-occupied Italy for which Bell earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
It took 12 years and dozens of volunteers to restore the aircraft to flying condition, and the award-winning “Miss Mitchell” again took to the skies in 1992 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid.
The aircraft will be on display all day at the Granite Falls Airport from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. There is no charge for the event, but for a $5 donation there will be aircraft tours available of the inside of “Miss Mitchell.” Individuals will have the opportunity to sit in the pilot seat for a photo.
For those looking to experience more, rides will be available to the public at a cost of $400 per seat, and a 100 percent tax deductible donation. “Miss Mitchell” attire, including hats, T-shirts, bomber jackets, and B-25 art prints signed by Doolittle will also be for sale.
All of the funds generated from these events help to maintain the aircraft and keep it in flying condition.
