March 24, 2015 - EAA congratulates all the volunteers and supporters of the restored B-29 Superfortress Doc, which was rolled out Monday, March 23, at a special event at Wichitas McConnell Air Force Base exactly 70 years to the day after its original delivery to the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. The airplane slowly emerged from a former Boeing hangar as the Air Force Song (Wild Blue Yonder) played and assembled volunteers, backers, and supporters cheered.
Over the coming weeks and months, the airplane is scheduled to undergo engine run-up, followed by a first flight and additional test flights. Once airborne, Doc would become the worlds second flying B-29 along with the Commemorative Air Forces FIFI.
Docs Friends, the non-profit organization that owns the aircraft, has stated a goal to fly Doc to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2015 (July 20-26). Since the CAF has confirmed it will bring FIFI to Oshkosh this summer, the prospect of the worlds only two flying B-29s appearing together could create a historic event for aviation enthusiasts.
According to the Docs Friends website, Doc was originally one of eight B-29s in a squadron nicknamed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It flew in the latter days of WWII as well as the Korean War. It was decommissioned in 1956 and parked in the Mojave Desert where it served as a ballistic target on a China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons range. Tony Mazzolini, who served as a flight engineer on a B-29 during the Korean War, acquired the airplane in 1987, and restoration began.
Doc was relocated to its Wichita birthplace in 2000, where over the past 15 years hundreds of volunteers have contributed some 300,000 hours to restore it. Volunteers included retirees from Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, veterans, active duty military, and others wanting to honor those who have served. Other countless individuals and organizations have made financial and in-kind contributions to keep the project going.
EAA Chairman of the Board Jack J. Pelton serves on the Docs Friends board of directors.
One of the first no nos given us was dont wear rings. Being both young and stupid, I ignored such.
There is a ladder for access up thru the nose wheel well. One day climbing down with arm full of flight equipment, I slipped and fell to concrete, my ring caught on the ladder nearly tearing my finger off. I still have the ring and there is a tear in the metal, to prove my stupidity.
Yes, to give more ground clearance to the oversize propeller versus a conventional straight wing:
You can see that if the wing went straight out from the root the propeller would be in the dirt.
With the exception of Whites, the rule among the peoples of the world, whether residing in their homelands or settled in Western democracies, is ethnocentrism and moral particularism: they stick together and good means what is good for their ethnic group." -Alex Kurtagic
With the exception of Whites, the rule among the peoples of the world, whether residing in their homelands or settled in Western democracies, is ethnocentrism and moral particularism: they stick together and good means what is good for their ethnic group." -Alex Kurtagic
"Docs Friends successfully started and tested all four of the B-29s engines during a test on September 18 in Wichita, Kan.
Doc Restoration Program Manager Jim Murphy called the test a success and said that the planes systems performed as expected. Murphy said after inspection and fine-tuning, the aircraft will be ready for FAA inspection and further pre- first flight testing."
Engines start at 8:50, debriefing at 36:00
With the exception of Whites, the rule among the peoples of the world, whether residing in their homelands or settled in Western democracies, is ethnocentrism and moral particularism: they stick together and good means what is good for their ethnic group." -Alex Kurtagic
With the exception of Whites, the rule among the peoples of the world, whether residing in their homelands or settled in Western democracies, is ethnocentrism and moral particularism: they stick together and good means what is good for their ethnic group." -Alex Kurtagic
With the exception of Whites, the rule among the peoples of the world, whether residing in their homelands or settled in Western democracies, is ethnocentrism and moral particularism: they stick together and good means what is good for their ethnic group." -Alex Kurtagic