B-29 in Wichita
Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:18 pm
Hello guys.
I'll be heading to Wichita next week to bring back a plane.
Where is "Doc" located? I shoudn't be able to free myself, but you just never know...
I'll be heading to Wichita next week to bring back a plane.
Where is "Doc" located? I shoudn't be able to free myself, but you just never know...
Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:54 pm
"DOC" is in what is called the "Northwest Hangar". Not sure if there's any link to the airline, since I couldn't find any info on that topic. In photos it appears to be one of the old-style, barrel-roofed hangars.
Walt
Walt
Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:18 pm
Ollie, you might want to ask ahead and see if you can get in. When I checked into it, you couldn't get in. You might call the FBO that you are using and see if they can find anything about it, and take a camera for us.
Cheers,
Lynn
Cheers,
Lynn
Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:42 pm
Tue Feb 15, 2005 5:16 am
Link isn't working.
John
John
Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:14 am
Thanks guys.
I'm picking up a brand new aircraft from the factory, so I won't be using any FBOs...
But as I said, I doubt that I'll gave the time to sneak around much.
I'll see when I get there.
I'm picking up a brand new aircraft from the factory, so I won't be using any FBOs...
But as I said, I doubt that I'll gave the time to sneak around much.
I'll see when I get there.
Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:55 am
Ollie,
You might try e-mailing the project director and requesting permission to make a visit, if time permits.
His name is Dick Ziegler and he's at dick.ziegler@boeing.com
Walt
You might try e-mailing the project director and requesting permission to make a visit, if time permits.
His name is Dick Ziegler and he's at dick.ziegler@boeing.com
Walt
Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:01 am
I think I read they are planning to move to a different hanger sometime, what a pain that would be. But the hope was to be able to tow her on her own gear. I hope this plan come together. Maybe the new hanger will allow access to the public.
I'd love to see some pictures, the Web cam is nice But...
I'd love to see some pictures, the Web cam is nice But...
Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:49 pm
First of all, we call Doc "him", not "her"
Secondly, the website does not have a www. as part of its address. The real link is http://b-29.boeing.com/
Here's contact info from the site---"...please call “Doc's” Project Director, Dick Ziegler, at (316)523-1465 or email him at dick.ziegler@boeing.com."
Money to Doc goes to Mr. Wayne M. Gomes
B-29 Restoration Fund
P. O. Box 2417
Grand Junction, CO, USA
Since Doc is on Boeing property, it is somewhat hard to get to it.
Secondly, the website does not have a www. as part of its address. The real link is http://b-29.boeing.com/
Here's contact info from the site---"...please call “Doc's” Project Director, Dick Ziegler, at (316)523-1465 or email him at dick.ziegler@boeing.com."
Money to Doc goes to Mr. Wayne M. Gomes
B-29 Restoration Fund
P. O. Box 2417
Grand Junction, CO, USA
Since Doc is on Boeing property, it is somewhat hard to get to it.
Wed Feb 16, 2005 8:13 pm
Ollie,
The B-29 project was a great thing to see the last time I was in Wichita.
The people that work on the project were very friendly and gave me a grand tour. I e-mailed them a week or so prior and scheduled a time to meet up with them. The aircraft was located in the oldest hangar at Boeings facility at McConnell AFB. I needed to get an escort and a pass to enter the facility and was picked up at that gate. (there was an AIR FORCE ONE type in the facility so there was extra security)
The airplane was in a lot of pieces and some great work had been done, the ability to make anything that they need is a wonderful thing, and to have the backing of boeing for tooling and equipment was amazing.
Make time to go see it! The stories of the nose art and other parts was worth it.
There is also a museum at the airport called the Kansas Aviation Museum.
It is around the corner from DOC and has a few neat items and a few pieces of junk. They own a B-52 but you cannot get to it because it is onthe base, they own a 707 but it is missing everything! The really neat thing they have is the prototype Jet Mentor. They were also to be getting a Starship (darn backwards king air)
What are you picking up? Chevy,Ford or Chrysler?(Bombardier, Cessna or Beech?)
Are you going to ICT, or flying into BEC.
The B-29 project was a great thing to see the last time I was in Wichita.
The people that work on the project were very friendly and gave me a grand tour. I e-mailed them a week or so prior and scheduled a time to meet up with them. The aircraft was located in the oldest hangar at Boeings facility at McConnell AFB. I needed to get an escort and a pass to enter the facility and was picked up at that gate. (there was an AIR FORCE ONE type in the facility so there was extra security)
The airplane was in a lot of pieces and some great work had been done, the ability to make anything that they need is a wonderful thing, and to have the backing of boeing for tooling and equipment was amazing.
Make time to go see it! The stories of the nose art and other parts was worth it.
There is also a museum at the airport called the Kansas Aviation Museum.
It is around the corner from DOC and has a few neat items and a few pieces of junk. They own a B-52 but you cannot get to it because it is onthe base, they own a 707 but it is missing everything! The really neat thing they have is the prototype Jet Mentor. They were also to be getting a Starship (darn backwards king air)
What are you picking up? Chevy,Ford or Chrysler?(Bombardier, Cessna or Beech?)
Are you going to ICT, or flying into BEC.
Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:46 am
Hi, Ollie!
When I visited the "DOC" restoration in 2001, I had the great help of Mr. Gomez (listed above); he arranged for me to gain access to the Boeing facilities, where I was very well received. I was assigned an escort, who took me to the B-29 and allowed all the photos and questions I wanted to ask. Security is tight of course, not only for security's sake, but also due to safety concerns, since you have to travel through an area where they were building the Boeing 737NGs.
McConnell AFB also has a small static park, with very well preserved 1950s and 1960s fighters.
Augusta, KS a few miles East of Wichita on Hwy 54, hosted several T-6s back then.
If you have the time, you should try to visit the Kansas National Guard Museum in Topeka, as well as the aviation museum next door (I forget the name).
Enjoy!
Saludos,
Tulio
When I visited the "DOC" restoration in 2001, I had the great help of Mr. Gomez (listed above); he arranged for me to gain access to the Boeing facilities, where I was very well received. I was assigned an escort, who took me to the B-29 and allowed all the photos and questions I wanted to ask. Security is tight of course, not only for security's sake, but also due to safety concerns, since you have to travel through an area where they were building the Boeing 737NGs.
McConnell AFB also has a small static park, with very well preserved 1950s and 1960s fighters.
Augusta, KS a few miles East of Wichita on Hwy 54, hosted several T-6s back then.
If you have the time, you should try to visit the Kansas National Guard Museum in Topeka, as well as the aviation museum next door (I forget the name).
Enjoy!
Saludos,
Tulio
Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:36 am
That old Jet Mentor deserves a better fate! Anyone know if she still sits outdoors?
Thu Feb 17, 2005 1:47 pm
Well,
Everything the Kansas Aviation museum has is outdoors. The museum lives at the old terminal building at that airport between the Guard base and the Boeing plant. Most of the whole airframes they have are on their ramp out back. They also had a really early S.N. Lear 23 sitting out there. The second to last time I was there they had the last of what they called Afterburner Nights. A lone B-1 was doing touch and goes at dusk, full afterburners shooting past the tail in a tight pattern over the base. What an experience!
Other great things to see out there are the Mid America air Museum in Liberal, KS and the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. At the Cosmosphere the SR-71 in the lobby, the Apollo 13 capsule in the museum along with alot of Russian space artifacts, lots of neat stuff along with a planetarium and IMAX screen. (There is nothing else to do on the weekend when you are in a two week class)
There really is plenty to do, Drive-in Theaters, "tornado warnings", Airplane watching. There are at least 6 airports in the area so there is always something to watch. I was watching a B-2 doing touch and goes one day after class.
The Sedgewick County Zoo is really good too!
Unfortunately our DOM found a company that will Train our Mechanics in house instead of sending us to "The Air Capitol" so I may not get out there any time soon.
Everything the Kansas Aviation museum has is outdoors. The museum lives at the old terminal building at that airport between the Guard base and the Boeing plant. Most of the whole airframes they have are on their ramp out back. They also had a really early S.N. Lear 23 sitting out there. The second to last time I was there they had the last of what they called Afterburner Nights. A lone B-1 was doing touch and goes at dusk, full afterburners shooting past the tail in a tight pattern over the base. What an experience!
Other great things to see out there are the Mid America air Museum in Liberal, KS and the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. At the Cosmosphere the SR-71 in the lobby, the Apollo 13 capsule in the museum along with alot of Russian space artifacts, lots of neat stuff along with a planetarium and IMAX screen. (There is nothing else to do on the weekend when you are in a two week class)
There really is plenty to do, Drive-in Theaters, "tornado warnings", Airplane watching. There are at least 6 airports in the area so there is always something to watch. I was watching a B-2 doing touch and goes one day after class.
The Sedgewick County Zoo is really good too!
Unfortunately our DOM found a company that will Train our Mechanics in house instead of sending us to "The Air Capitol" so I may not get out there any time soon.
Last edited by krlang on Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Thu Feb 17, 2005 1:55 pm
The Kansas Aviation Museum has a 727, 737, Starship, 2 Swallows, recently restored Stearman Ariel, T-33, the Jet Mentor, Prescott Pusher, O-2, Queen Air, Bonanza, a Lear 23, B-52, 707 (Not sure where it is, I didn't see it last time I was there), KC-135 and a bunch of others all on static display. The outdoor aircraft are all accessible because they have been moved out back of the Museum. At the airshow in September, you can get on McConnell AFB and you can see the B-1B on display over by the hangars (you can't see it from the roads). The Museum used to take tours of the airpark at McConnell (F-100, F-86D, P-80, F-105 etc). McConnell has an F-105, KC-135, and a B-47 as the gate guards on the east side. I don't know when you can get on the base to see them.
If you take the 45 min. drive to Hutch (Hutchinson), you can go to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center (www.cosmo.org) and see the Apollo 13, a soyuz or two, the biggest collection of Russian Space artifacts outside of Russia, Fi-103 (V-1) and V-2, SR-71, T-38, and a bunch of other stuff. Liberty Bell 7 will return (not sure when), there is a Gemini or two and a Mercury. The Cosmosphere is the best museum in the midwest I have ever visited.
There are several aircraft that will go to the KAM when they get a hangar. This includes Doc. Many of the aircraft outside the museum (think Jet Mentor) will be going into this hangar. There seems to be no government (city, county, or state) that is willing to help fund this museum and the restoration of the terminal. Its a shame that the only people willing to help this museum are myself and a few other individuals. Hopefully Doc will help change that.
If you take the 45 min. drive to Hutch (Hutchinson), you can go to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center (www.cosmo.org) and see the Apollo 13, a soyuz or two, the biggest collection of Russian Space artifacts outside of Russia, Fi-103 (V-1) and V-2, SR-71, T-38, and a bunch of other stuff. Liberty Bell 7 will return (not sure when), there is a Gemini or two and a Mercury. The Cosmosphere is the best museum in the midwest I have ever visited.
There are several aircraft that will go to the KAM when they get a hangar. This includes Doc. Many of the aircraft outside the museum (think Jet Mentor) will be going into this hangar. There seems to be no government (city, county, or state) that is willing to help fund this museum and the restoration of the terminal. Its a shame that the only people willing to help this museum are myself and a few other individuals. Hopefully Doc will help change that.
Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:19 pm
Thanks for the info, and I hope I didn't come across as sounding too critical in my previous post. I'm thankful that KAM has saved the J-Mentor from becoming so many soda cans. I just have a soft spot for sole survivors (or in the case of my own project, extinct critters).
I'm sure you'd love to get the whole collection under cover. Here's to a happy future!
I'm sure you'd love to get the whole collection under cover. Here's to a happy future!