We had a chance to chat with the Executive Director of B-29 Doc, Josh Wells, during their stop at Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight in Centennial, Colorado. He stated that their mission is to tell the stories of the greatest generation, to make sure their legacy carries on for generations to come.
It involves letting people “get up close and personal with the B-29, see it, feel it, hug it, crawl through it, make sure that they understand what it may have been like for our men and women, wartime heroes, to have served in these airplanes. Also, to tell the story of the women who left their homes and went to work in the factories across the United States, not just to build airplanes, but to build tanks, munitions, and other wartime deliverables”.
“The Superfortress was a technological marvel; it was the first all-electric aircraft, the first pressurized high-altitude bomber able to carry a lot of payload, and most importantly reach the mainland of Japan.” He said they talk about the technology…the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics went into designing airplanes, and that the B-29 is special for them, particularly with origins in Wichita, Kansas.
Boeing built 16,144 of these aircraft during World War II (WWII), and most of that work was done by women, “Rosie the Riveters”, and the B-29 Doc team is honored to tell their stories, through this aircraft that was restored by a group of heroes and volunteers over 16 years and 450,000 hours from 2000 to 2016. Mr. Wells stated that B-29 Doc is a 100% volunteer organization, and without the volunteers and heroes who worked to rescue and restore ‘Doc’, they could not carry on the legacy they do today.
Anyone can look at an airplane flying, but “it’s a unique experience to be able to crawl inside of a B-29, one of only two that are still flying today, and sit in the seats and look inside and feel the feels, smell the smells, that our nation’s heroes have done.” That’s why they go across the country sharing this airplane with the public.. B-29 Doc’s spring tour will include stops in Denver then go over to Wendover in Utah (an old base where the crew of the B-29 ‘Enola Gay’ trained, Spokane, WA May 13-16, Seattle, WA May 20-22, followed by Minden, NV, and Phoenix, AZ before returning to Wichita. Tours will resume in June and July with a scheduled stop in Oshkosh, WI for AirVenture 2022!
Mr. Wells closed by announcing that they are always looking for volunteers, pilots, and crew members, and encourages those interested to visit their website to get involved. They welcome volunteers on the road (tour) who want to help out, and he feels blessed to have the team and aircraft to tell the stories, teach history, especially to the next generation so they can avoid getting into trouble again.
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