Doc’s Friends Inc., Wichita, Kansas, announced that Bluetail, an aviation records management and compliance software company focused on digitizing aircraft documentation, has completed the digitization of nearly 80 years of maintenance and historical records connected to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress DOC. Bluetail carried out the work as part of its yearly community support initiative, which assists aviation groups involved in restoration and preservation projects. This year, the company selected Doc’s Friends Inc., the Wichita organization that maintains and operates DOC. Members of Bluetail’s Digital Services team traveled to Wichita to handle the aircraft’s paperwork archive, scanning decades of maintenance logs, manuals, handwritten notes, and other records connected to the bomber’s history and upkeep.
Once scanned, the material was processed through Bluetail’s AI-based records platform, where the documents were organized chronologically and converted into a searchable digital archive. “DOC is a living lesson in history for generations to enjoy and learn from,” said Roberto Guerrieri, CEO and co-founder of Bluetail. “I was inspired by the story of people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to get her airborne. The fact that my kids and grandkids have the opportunity to see her fly is truly an epic mission to support.” The company said the work is intended to support both long-term preservation and ongoing maintenance operations for the aircraft.
“Being able to have searchable digital records and documents is a game-changer for our maintenance team,” said B-29 DOC Executive Director and CEO Josh Wells. “Maintaining DOC is a meticulous process, and our team needs access to technical data, parts lists, and manuals that were written in the 1940s to support the skilled and precision work that it takes to keep our warbird airworthy. Deploying Bluetail’s technology and support to our maintenance team will further enhance our ability to keep DOC flying for generations to come.” The aircraft, serial number 44-69972, was built in Wichita in 1944 and delivered to the United States Army Air Forces in March 1945. After the war, it was converted into a radar calibration aircraft and redesignated as a TB-29 before later serving at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. The aircraft was retired from service in 1956.
The effort to recover DOC began in 1987 when Air Force veteran and Continental Airlines employee Tony Mazzolini started working to bring the aircraft out of the California desert. After an agreement involving the donation of a restored B-25 Mitchell to the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Navy released the aircraft, allowing it to be transported back to Wichita in 1998. Doc’s Friends took ownership of the aircraft in 2013 and completed the restoration. On July 17, 2016, the bomber returned to the air for the first time in 60 years. The following year, DOC appeared alongside the only other flying B-29, FIFI, during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The newly completed archive now gives the organization a searchable digital record system intended to support future maintenance planning and preservation work. For more information and to support the B-29 DOC, click on this link: www.b29doc.com.
