B-29 DOC to return to Cleveland in May at Burke Lakefront Airport
The B-29 DOC History Restored Tour will land at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport, May 28-31. DOC is one of 1,644 Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers built in Wichita, Kansas, during World War II—and today, it is one of only two still airworthy and flying.
Tony Mazzolini in 1987, standing in front of B-29 DOC as it was being prepped to be towed off the bombing range at China Lake NAWS.
In 1987, Cleveland native and U.S. Air Force Veteran Tony Mazzolini launched his dream of finding a B-29 to restore. It took the Clevelander the better part of a decade to convince the United States Navy to let him have one of the last remaining B-29 airframes that was sitting at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in the Mojave Desert in California. In all, it took more than 30 years for Tony and a team of volunteers from California and Wichita, KS, to restore the historic warbird to its current state.
“Tony’s vision and tenacious desire to find and restore a B-29 is a truly inspiring story,” said Josh Wells, B-29 DOC executive director. “He led a team of volunteers on a rescue mission to pull the airplane from a missile bombing range at China Lake in the Mojave Desert. That same team began the restoration journey with DOC, which was ultimately completed in 2016, thanks to the work of hundreds of volunteers who spent more than 450-thousand volunteer hours in Wichita to restore the warbird. Since then, DOC’s mission has been to honor the legacies of Tony and the volunteers who rescued and restored the historic warbird—flying to cities and air shows across the United States, giving people the unique opportunity to get up-close and personal with history.”
During the four-day tour stop in Cleveland, DOC will be available for public tours, including cockpit access, as well as B-29 DOC Flight Experience rides.
Tony with B-29 DOC in 2016 during DOC’s flight testing phase. Photo by Brett Schauf
“Preserving the legacy and history of the B-29 became a passion for me when I first saw B-29 DOC when it was serving as a member of a radar calibration squadron at Griffis Air Force Base in New York in 1952,” Tony Mazzolini said. “Years later, my passion grew to ensuring we could keep the legacies of the men and women who designed, built, flew, and maintained these airplanes to build what became our nation’s arsenal of democracy. I’m honored to have been surrounded by so many people who shared my vision and supported DOC’s salvage and new mission: to keep the memories alive and remember history.”
The B-29 connection in Cleveland includes more than just Tony’s story. During World War II, Cleveland was an aviation manufacturing hub for B-29 production. The Fisher Body Aircraft Plant No. 2, operated by General Motors during the war, built major components for the B-29, including wing assemblies and engine nacelles. Many other local Cleveland manufacturing shops produced parts of the B-29 Curtiss-Wright R-3350 engines.
B-29 DOC in flight during 2025. Photo by Brett Schauf.
“Cleveland has a rich history of aviation manufacturing, and it’s a story that deserves to be celebrated,” Wells continued. “In the face of war, Clevelanders rolled up their sleeves and answered the call to defend freedom both on the battlefield and on the home front in factories. DOC serves as a catalyst to preserve these legacies and inspire future generations to embrace our nation’s history.”
Event Details for B-29 DOC in Cleveland
B-29 DOC will arrive in Cleveland on Tuesday, May 26, and will be available for public tours (ramp and cockpit access), Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. B-29 DOC Flight Experience rides will be available Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. both days, followed by public tours from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on those days. Ramp and cockpit tour admission will be $10 per person and $20 per family (tickets will be available at the gate on the days of the event). Ride flight prices vary, and tickets are on sale now at www.b29doc.com/rides. Public access will be granted for those with tour tickets and ride flight tickets through the main terminal building at 1501 N. Marginal Road, Cleveland, OH 44114.
