Doc’s Friends, the team responsible for returning the B-29 Superfortress known as ‘Doc’ back to flying condition, released the following update this afternoon ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend. We thought our readers would be interested to hear a little of the details going on behind the scenes leading up to the Superfortress’s first post-restoration flight.
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The Doc’s Friends flight operations crew has been engaged in conversations with the team at McConnell Air Force Base (MAFB) in Wichita, KS (including the McConnell’s leadership, operations, flight safety and airfield management teams) to schedule medium and high-speed taxi tests. Upon completion of those tests, the Doc team will begin conversations with MAFB personnel to schedule runway access for first flight.
– We are also working to finalize the schedules of the flight crew who will be operating Doc alongside the Doc team for taxi testing and first flight.
– Taxi testing and first flight are weather dependent.
– The airplane is complete and ready for taxi testing and first flight.
– Our communications team is working through a robust plan for first flight media coverage planning and it is our intent to alert the media in plenty of time to allow for coverage plans. Shortly after alerting the media, we’ll share plans with the public regarding first flight schedules.
– We remain committed to returning Doc to flight status to honor the men and women who served our nation and who maintained these warbirds.
– The safety and protection of the crew and the plane are the most important. We will not jeopardize either to meet an arbitrary deadline for flight.
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WarbirdsNews will be sure to post any updates as soon as we receive them. Many thanks to Doc’s Friends for their latest news. Fair winds and blue skies to all!
