![]() The B-29 had no issues, and soon we were turning downwind, heads on a swivel, being careful not to encroach on other airspace, and watching for traffic because it was a VFR afternoon and, therefore, the skies were filled with small aircraft. There is a hill over there you want to avoid. When I fly that particular departure in the mighty Cessna 150, it takes much longer to reach 700 feet agl before turning crosswind. When the runway ahead of us diminished to non-usable and flying speed was assured, Novak intoned “gear up,” and I heard and felt the landing gear retract. We used a lot of runway, then a lightness in the nose told me takeoff had begun. I teach at KBFI, and I have to say there’s a big difference between the Cessnas I’m normally in and the B-29. My camera was rolling as the pavement that I am oh so familiar with sped by. Novak, as pilot flying, verbalized power up and the behemoth airplane started down the runway. One of my dear friends and mentor Dean Boyd was career Air Force and had been a flight engineer on several multiengine aircraft, and I could not help but think of him and his stories about crew coordination and teamwork in the cockpit as I watched and listened to these men do their jobs.Ī few minutes later, the aircraft was configured for takeoff and the final checklist run. According to Novak, Obreiter, as flight engineer, had the task of “fixing things” the pilots did. Novak issued the challenges, and Newell and Obreiter replied in response. There was a brief pause, then the controller issued instructions for a left downwind departure from Runway 14R.Įngine run-up is a three-person event. When Novak asked for a particular departure, the controller responded with one that referenced local landmarks, to which Novak responded that the crew was not familiar with the area. Doc flew again in 2016 and we went out on tour in 2017.” It took another four years to finish the project. Doc’s Friends is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation. “The aircraft moved around a bit, then in 2012, Doc’s Friends was founded. “The project was going to take about two years, then Boeing sold its Wichita facilities,” Wells explained. Then there are the logistics of where the work will be done, where spare parts will come from, and sometimes curveballs, such as when Boeing divested its Wichita facilities. For starters, there is a lot of red tape to cut through when acquiring a former military asset, and it can be too much for one person to handle. Restoring any aircraft, especially one that was formerly used by the military, is neither quick nor inexpensive. Seating is very limited as passengers occupy the same seats that were once used by crew members of the B-29, which was designed for a crew of 10.Īccording to Wells, Jeff Turner-the retired Spirit AeroSystems CEO who today is the chairman and founding member of Doc’s Friends-told Mazzolini, “If you figure out a way to get it back to us, we will figure out a way to put it back together,” They are not cheap or easy to get-the Museum of Flight rides had sold out before the Superfortress had even touched down at King County International/Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle this week. The aircraft is on tour, offering rides for a price. Doc is one of 1,644 built at Boeing’s plant in Wichita. A total of 3,970 Boeing B-29 Superfortresses were built during World War II. a nonprofit organization based in Wichita, Kansas. ![]() “Wolf gets to fly aboard Doc…” About the Aircraftĭoc is owned by Doc’s Friends, Inc. And I nearly had kittens when I made the call to the edit team to relay the news: ![]() I was part of a media flight staged out of the Museum of Flight in Seattle where Doc paid a house call. Recently, I had the opportunity to fly aboard this rare machine. One of the best parts of being an aviation journalist is that it gives you access to some pretty unique and special aircraft-such as Doc, one of the last airworthy B-29s in the world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |