Official B-29 Doc Restoration Thread

[CAPFlyer]

Doc will get its own crews once training them is complete I'm sure, but it's also important to get the plane flying in the meantime to complete its testing and to get it out there making appearances (and thus some revenue) in the meantime. I think it's a great show of community that the CAF crews and the FAA have worked together with the Doc team to get the plane flying while the new Doc crews train and get certified (since the FAA is requiring them to have a certified Flight Engineer, which adds a layer of challenge).

Can't wait to see the pics of the first formation flight myself since FiFi is back in the air after winter maintenance and on the road soon!

[b29driver]

DOC training starts next weekend.
Highly experienced crewmembers from several other museums/organizations that can checkout quickly will help this season.

[4RG.I.'S]

In an email update, Doc is/was at an airshow (Barksdale) this weekend. Here is a link to Doc's Friends page:

http://www.b-29doc.com/2017/05/07/docs- ... how-day-1/

And a link to their photo album where we can enjoy a B-17, B-52 and B-29 Doc in flight together!!! :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/b29doc/se ... 399910371/

[APG85]

Absolutely awesome...!!!

[Zac Yates]

On Facebook I saw a photo of the formation. It made my weekend!

[JohnTerrell]

Yeah Zac, a few formation shots can be seen in one of the links above (https://www.flickr.com/photos/b29doc/se ... 399910371/)

This shot in particular I think is just awesome: https://www.flickr.com/photos/b29doc/34 ... 399910371/

And a really great shot of the B-17/B-29/B-52 from another photographer (with just a focus on Boeing bombers): https://www.flickr.com/photos/78271477@N04/34509795985/

Also some neat air-to-air photos of the B-17, B-25, and B-52 taken from on-board "Doc": https://www.flickr.com/photos/b29doc/al ... 1347473571

[wendovertom]

Those are SWEEEET! Congrats to the DOC crew on what looks like a great show

Tom P.

[JohnTerrell]

More and more great "Doc" photos if you just follow/scroll through their Flickr photostream: https://www.flickr.com/photos/b29doc/

[MilitaryAttractions]

DOC and FIFI flying together!

https://youtu.be/6ma_8rVJins

[dred]

A dream come true

[Warbird Kid]

Excellent job guys. Now go find another one and do it all again!

[MilitaryAttractions]

walkthrough tour inside Doc https://youtu.be/EtBynzceV1M

[Zac Yates]

I think it's worth posting in this thread that at Oshkosh Doc was awarded the Phoenix Award, and Doc's Friends received the Gold Wrench. Congratulations to everyone involved!

[APG85]

Couple questions for the one(s) in the know:

Why have they not polished, and then eventually painted white, the area right above the cockpit? Is there something wrong with the metal that prevents it from being polished up like the rest of the airframe?

I've been wondering the same thing for awhile. When the plane was rotting in the desert, you could see the area above the flight deck looked like it had paint on it...

[Matt Gunsch]

Couple questions for the one(s) in the know:

Why have they not polished, and then eventually painted white, the area right above the cockpit? Is there something wrong with the metal that prevents it from being polished up like the rest of the airframe?

Also wondering whether there are plans to eventually add the 4 gun turrets to the airframe?

Ever work inside a polished metal plane after it has been sitting outside ? That is why it is painted white, it gets too hot inside and every little bit helps

Doc never had turrets installed, so it is correct the way it is.