A group of business leaders from Wichita, KS founded Doc's Friends in early 2013 with a vision to see the historic Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as Doc restored to flying condition.
The new non-profit group, Doc's Friends has taken ownership of the airplane
and will lead the effort to refurbish the vintage airplane. It is believed that
Doc is the last known Boeing B-29 Superfortress that is in restorable
condition.
Before Doc's Friends took on the project, in 1987, after sitting more than 40
years in the Mojave Desert where it was a sun baked sanctuary for birds and
many other desert creatures, Doc was rescued by a group of historians with a
dream. The group, led by Tony Mazzolini and backed by the United States
Aviation Museum, had a plan to restore the B-29 and eventually get it back into
the air. Mazzolini, a 78 year old local, has invested a lot of effort into the
B-29. He was instrumental in rescuing the bomber from the scrapyard, and
will remain involved in the restoration. According to Tony "Doc" should
be ready for her first flight in May with the hope to make the first public
appearance in an airshow for the 2014 Air venture in Oshkosh.
-Nacells, Engines and props are readied to install, Doc's Friends .com image-
Doc's Friends, a group of Wichita aviation enthusiasts, was recently formed to help make Mazzolini's dream of a flying museum come true. The board is chaired by Jeff Turner; other members include Charlie Chandler, Jack Pelton, Steve Clark, Lynn Nichols, Brad Gorsuch, Vic McMullen, and Ron Ryan. The airplane was recently moved from a storage hangar to active hangar space donated by Boeing, which will allow volunteers to resume work to restore the aircraft.
Project leaders figure completing the restoration and getting the plane in the air will require $3 million to $5 million more in donations. The board will work to raise funds and recruit additional volunteers.
The bomber was designed and built in 1944 inside Boeing Wichita's Plant II and was one of a squadron of eight airplanes named for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The B-29 was the first bomber to have a pressurized crew compartment, computerized weapons system, remote-controlled guns, advanced radar for bombing and navigation, and an electronic fire suppression system.
When refurbished, Doc will be only the second flyable B-29 in the world. Its ambitious restoration and service as a living memorial is documented on the group's website: www.B-29Doc.com .