Wichita, KS — The B-29 Superfortess called “Doc,” which is being restored inside a Boeing Wichita hangar, is getting closer to getting back in the air, volunteers say.
Work on the flaps – the last major structural piece to be installed onto the aircraft as part of a years-long restoration project – has been completed. More than 30 volunteers helped with the installation.
Progress on other remaining key components, including the fuel cells and avionics, is also advancing smoothly, organizers report.
“It has been incredible to witness the dedication of all the volunteers supporting Doc’s Friends throughout this journey,” TJ Norman, Doc’s Friends operations manager, said in a statement. “Taking the time out of their own week to work on this aircraft just shows the unified passion we all share to get this warbird back in the air.”
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The bomber is expected to fly again by the end of this year.
The plan is for the airplane to be based in Wichita but to also have it serve as a traveling museum and exhibition.
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 plane under restoration was built too late to fly bombing missions during World War II. It served as a radar trainer during the Korean War.
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