We at WarbirdsNews have been following the restoration progress of the B-29 Superfortress known as ‘Doc’ for some years now. We have provided updates on her restoration as often as possible, but now we are excited to announce the grand lady will be officially rolled out for her public debut this morning in Wichita, Kansas. We have known this for a couple of weeks now, and it has been hard sitting on this big news, but it was embargoed until this morning… something we respected with our silence as requested.
The rollout will take place this morning outside her restoration hangar, exactly seventy years to the day since the US Army Air Forces initially accepted ‘Doc’ from The Boeing Company. This will be a private, invitation only event for volunteers, donors, sponsors and the media. We expect to have photographs of the event later today.
The ceremony will proceed as follows…
11:00 a.m. Lunch/Speakers
12:20 p.m. Rollout
12:30 p.m. Interviews/Photos Alongside Doc
The speakers will include the following…
Larry Lawson, President & CEO, Spirit AeroSystems
Col. James Dermer, Vice Wing Commander, 22d Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB
Col. Jeffrey Jordan, Commander, Intelligence Wing, McConnell AFB
Tony Mazzolini
Jeff Turner, Chairman, Doc’s Friends
Video of the Rollout.
As the press release reports…
After thousands of hours of volunteer work, it’s time to celebrate a historic milestone and rollout of B-29 Doc. On track to fly later this year, Doc will be one of only two restored B-29s in flying condition. Part of a squadron of eight planes named for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Doc was originally built in 1944 and was delivered to the Army Air Forces from Boeing Wichita’s Plant II, now home to Spirit AeroSystems. In preparation to its first flight, Spirit President and CEO, Larry Lawson, will ceremonially “deliver” Doc once again to representatives of the U.S. Air Force.
Background
Tony Mazzolini and others found and rescued Doc from the California desert in 1987, where it was being used for military target practice. Restoration began in California and resumed when the plane returned to Wichita in 2000. Doc’s Friends, a group of Wichita business leaders and aviation enthusiasts, was formed in 2013 to help carry out Mazzolini’s dream of transforming Doc into a flying museum.
About Doc’s Friends
Doc’s Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation managing the restoration of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as “Doc”. The group was formed in 2013 and is led by retired Spirit AeroSystems CEO Jeff Turner along with other Wichita business leaders. Doc’s Friends is committed to returning this World War II warbird to the air to honor previous generations, educate current and future generations, and connect the world to the rich heritage of aviation. For more information about Doc’s Friends or to follow Doc’s progress, visit http://www.b-29Doc.com. Doc’s Friends can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
