Doc Flies Again

The B-29 bomber’s mirrored surface reflects more than just the blue sky above it and the runway beneath.

- Eric Rood

Doc, as this particular plane is known, hadn’t flown in 60 years. Its polished skin reflects the surroundings, sure, but it also reflects a man’s dreams, a community’s effort, lives lost, and wars won. For it to fly again for the first time in six decades mere feet from where the B-29 was originally assembled is a great example of the persistence needed to restore anything. Rescued from the Mojave Desert, Doc flew again from Wichita’s McConnell Air Force Base because of the blood, sweat, tears, and sheer determination of a large group of enthusiasts inclined to preserve the greatest generation’s history.

Boeing broke all the molds with the B-29 Super fortress, the most advanced airplane ever built when it flew its first combat mission on June 5, 1944. Not only was it designed with unparalleled scale and capability, but it also featured important technological developments for all planes to come.

The massive, pressurized fuselage allowed semi comfortable flight at higher altitudes, where it could fly faster using less fuel. Many of the components used electric motors instead of hydraulic systems, another huge leap forward. With fewer hydraulic lines in the airplane, the B-29 gained a reputation for surviving with damage. Decades later, that design also somewhat simplified Doc’s restoration—electric motors are easier to source than obscure hydraulic components. The B-29’s gun turrets were also remote-operated through a primitive computer-controlled fire system, which was the first of its kind. Because the B-29 was heated, it allowed gunners to ditch the bulky suits needed on nonpressurized airplanes such as the B-17 and B-24.