B-29 DOC and P-51 Gunfighter to bring history to life in Albuquerque, NM, Sept. 22-24
The B-29 DOC History Restored Tour will bring B-29 DOC and P-51 Gunfighter to Albuquerque, NM, and the Albuquerque International Sunport, Sept. 23 & 24.
Both historic warbirds will be available for ride flights on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Purchase P-51 Gunfighter Rides
B-29 DOC is one of only two B-29 Superfortress bombers that remain airworthy out of the nearly 4,000 B-29s built by Boeing during World War II and one of 1,644 B-29s built by Boeing in Wichita, KS.
The P-51 Gunfighter was built at North American’s Inglewood, California, facility and was accepted into the USAAF in March 1945. That month, it was shipped to England, where it was assigned to the famous “Mighty Eighth” Air Force. In July of 1945, after the War ended in Europe, it was returned to the U.S. and assigned to Olmstead Field in Pennsylvania. In 1947, it was transferred to the Air National Guard, and it thereafter served with units in Wyoming, New Mexico, Illinois, and Kentucky. In 1956, it was declared surplus and sold on the civilian market. Today, Gunfighter offers ride flights and performs at airshows across the nation. Its mission is to honor the sacrifices of those who have served and inspire the next generation of aviators.
“The History Restored Tour provides a unique opportunity for people to get up close and personal with history and climb inside the airplanes that helped protect freedom at home and abroad during World War II,” said Josh Wells, B-29 DOC executive director. “People don’t just take a ride on these historic warbirds. They feel the thunder under their feet, the weight of history in the cockpit, and they walk away with a whole new appreciation for what the Greatest Generation endured. It’s a chance to feel exactly what those young pilots felt 80 years ago. It’s not just thrilling; it’s humbling.”
The Albuquerque stop will be ride flights only — no static ground tours. The two historic warbirds will depart Albuquerque Thursday, Sept. 25 to continue on a three-week-long joint tour mission that will include stops in California and Arizona.