WWII plane, ‘Maid in the Shade,’ on display all week at the Logan-Cache airport
Jun 24, 2025, 6:00 AM | Updated: 9:47 am
WWII bomber "Maid in the Shade," is a North American B-25 Mitchell. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — One of only two surviving B-25 bombers that saw combat in World War II is on display this week at Logan-Cache Airport in Utah.
It’s the same model of aircraft used by the Doolittle Raiders in their April 1942 mission to Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, though none of those original planes survived.
Want to go for a ride? Tickets to see the plane will be on sale Friday through Sunday.
During their close-up visit, guests will be able to see areas where the aircraft has taken gunfire and been patched up.
The Doolittle Raiders was a group of volunteer airmen involved in a surprise raid in Japan on April 18, 1942.
“Sixteen of them took off from an aircraft carrier hornet off the coast of Japan and bombed Tokyo and other cities when the Japanese thought we’d never bomb Tokyo,” said Mike Garrett, Airbase Arizona Flying Museum Tour Director. “(This was) about four months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.”
This B-25 served wartime duty and flew 15 missions. After it finished flying combat missions in 1944, the plane was used as a trainer.
Now, the B-25, also known as “Maid in the Shade,” is 80 years old. It’s still flying and the people can buy tickets for a ride between Friday, June 27 and Sunday, June 29.
“It’s pretty rare to have a warbird that actually flew combat missions. Most were cut up for scrap metal after the war,” Garrett said.
In 1981, a 28-year restoration began. Now, the plane goes through regular safety checks.
“She goes down for heavy maintenance every year,” Garrett said. “We go over her with a fine-tooth comb to make sure she’s meeting all the requirements for the FAA and our own CAF requirements. So, when we put her in the air, she’s safe.”
This exhibition is part of a tour to showcase the bomber across the western United States. For more information on their stop in Utah, visit the tour site.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that the “Maid in the Shade” was not involved in the 1942 Doolittle Raid.
