VIDEO: Restoration crew preparing for more flight hours

In the days since the second flight for B-29 Doc, the restoration crew has been preparing the historic warbird for further flight testing.

“It’s a process that requires an extreme amount of patience, hard work and a little luck,” said Jim Murphy, Doc’s Friends Restoration Project Manager. “So much of what we’re doing and our ability log flight hours depends upon the weather, and in Kansas that can be tough to handle. The airplane has performed extremely well during the first two flights. We continue to work toward achieving and meeting FAA requirements for the flight testing period.”

The week of October 10, the restoration crew made adjustments and tested the landing gear operation, while fine-tuning a few other minor items following the second flight.  Click here to watch the gear swing test. 

Further flight tests are planned before the end of the year and Murphy says he’s hopeful the Kansas weather will cooperate.

“Right now our focus is on getting hours on the airplane and completing the test flight phase of our restoration project,” Murphy said. “Not having a permanent hangar to keep the airplane out of the cold weather elements could be challenging heading into the winter months. As the temperatures begin to cool down at night, the oil in Doc’s engines begins to become less fluid. And if we run the engines with cold oil, we could damage an engine. That’s something we’re not going to do. Needless to say, we’re hoping for a mild October and November.”

Doc’s Friends, Inc. is working on plans to build a permanent hangar and home for Doc in Wichita. To get involved, click here to donate to the restoration effort and click here to subscribe to program updates.