When the 1970 film adaption of Catch-22 began preliminary production, Paramount made a decision to hire the Tallmantz Aviation organization to obtain sufficient North American B-25 Mitchell (B-25) bomber aircraft to recreate a Mediterranean wartime base as depicted in the Joseph Heller novel of the same name. Tallmantz president, Frank G. Tallman found the war-surplus aircraft. He also gathered personnel to fly and maintain the fleet.

Aircraft

Catch-22's budget could accommodate 17 flyable B-25s, and an additional non-flyable hulk was acquired in Mexico, made barely ferriable, and flown with its landing gear down to the Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, filming location, only to be burned and destroyed in the landing crash scene. The wreck was then buried in the ground next to the runway, where it remains. Paramount planned to film the Catch-22 aerial sequences for six weeks but the production required three months to shoot; the bombers flew a total of about 1,500 hours and appeared on-screen for 12 minutes. Fifteen of the 18 bombers used in the film remain intact, including one housed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. All the B-25s had the tip of the vertical stabilizer painted blue. For the film, mock upper turrets were installed. To represent different models several aircraft had the turrets installed behind the wings representing early (B-25C/D type) aircraft. Initially, the camera ships also had the mock turrets installed, but problems with buffeting required their removal.