Says Restoration Embodies 'The Spirit Of Wichita'

For the most part, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta's speech to the Wichita Aero Club Tuesday was a reiteration of the agency's progress on implementing NextGen, certification, ADS-B, and other boilerplate topics. Like most from Washington, the Administrator rarely strays from his talking points.

But before he got into all that, he took a moment to acknowledge the work being done by a group of volunteers who are restoring a B-29 to airworthy condition, which would make it only the second flying example of the historic aircraft.

"Last week, one of the most diverse collections of World War II aircraft ever assembled flew over Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe," Huerta said. "Thousands of people lined the National Mall and crowded onto balconies and rooftops across the city to see these historic planes take flight. It was a special moment to witness, deeply rooted in a love for aviation and its rich history.

"Being back in the “Air Capital of the World,” I’m once again reminded of that history. So much of it happened here in Wichita. Let me give you an example.

"Seventy years ago, a B-29 bomber rolled off the assembly line at the Wichita Boeing plant. It was called “Doc” – part of a squadron of eight airplanes named after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After serving in the Korean War, Doc was decommissioned and sent to the Mojave Desert in California. There it stayed for more than 40 years, baking in the sun and occasionally being used for military target practice.

"Doc got a reprieve in 2000, when a group of historians rescued it and shipped it back home to Wichita. They dreamed of restoring the old B-29 to its former glory – and eventually getting it back in the air.

"Hundreds of volunteers came out to work on Doc – including people who had built the plane in 1944. They painted and installed new skin panels. They replaced every piece of wire and cable. They put in new engines and a modern avionics system.

"Thanks to these efforts, Doc is on track to fly again this summer – for the first time since the Korean War.

"This is a story that embodies the spirit of Wichita. Aviation pioneers like Clyde Cessna and Bill Lear made their marks here. Planes that fly across the world were built here, by generations of Wichita families."

(File images provided by Doc's Friends)

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.b-29doc.com