The Pacific Prowler, a restored World War II B-25 bomber, climbed over Tuscaloosa this morning in advance of this weekend’s air show.Inside the vintage aircraft, the passengers — four journalists, the airport manager and a local pastor — scrambled between the panoramic view from the windowed nose to the rear-facing dome of the gunner’s seat in the tail.

All day long, a wide variety of aircraft will be arriving and taking off from the Tuscaloosa Municipal Airport. They will be joined by the thunder of the Blue Angels’ FA-18 Hornets.

The B-25 is one of a number of vintage aircraft that will be on display Saturday and Sunday. The Pacific Prowler flew over 120 missions during WWII before being retired from service and later sold for scrap.

The bomber was purchased by a private company in 1962, fully restored and appeared in several movies, including ‘Flight of the Phoenix’ and ‘Around the world in 80 Days.’ It is one of only a handful of B25s still in flight.

The Pacific Prowler’s visit to Tuscaloosa is sponsored by Disabled American Veterans.