Meet Doolittle Tokyo Raider Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard E. Cole

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet 99-year old Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole on March 7 and 8 at Dolphin Aviation located at Sarasota/Bradenton Airport.

Lt. Col. Cole was Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot on the first air strike on the Empire of Japan, April 18^, 1942 bombing Tokyo and five other major cities, 133 after the attack by Japanese carrier-based planes on Pearl Harbor.

Sixteen North American B-25B bombers carrying 80 airmen flew off the deck of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Hornet. The mission was to bomb Tokyo and five other major cities. The attack was successful, even with the loss of all planes crashing in China. This surprise attack ended four months of national depression due to the success of Japanese victories in the Pacific.

This special event enables you to personally meet Lt. Colonel Cole, have your photo taken with him, buy a signed print “Payback Time” that will benefit the Raiders’ scholarship fund, and even take a ride in the same type of bomber he used on the raid, the North American B-25. Take this opportunity to tour and even fly on “Panchito,” a B-25J Mitchell bomber owned and flown by Larry Kelley of Georgetown, Del. 

For more information and reservations, call: 941/921-7361.