BeechTalk - BT - B-29 "Doc" nearing 1st flight in Wichita

Username Protected · **Posted:** 06 Aug 2014, 12:28

http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/ ... Mjk2NzY2S0

:bow:

Username Protected · **Posted:** 06 Aug 2014, 16:07

...long time coming too! I remember the day it arrived in Wichita, and I volunteered a few Saturdays that first year to help with the restoration. (my work was mostly scrubbing/cleaning in the tailcone)

It will be a great day when he flies again and joins the show circuit.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 06 Aug 2014, 22:58

Username Protected wrote:

...long time coming too! I remember the day it arrived in Wichita, and I volunteered a few Saturdays that first year to help with the restoration. (my work was mostly scrubbing/cleaning in the tailcone)

It will be a great day when he flies again and joins the show circuit.

I saw this airplane many years ago when it was outside. Looks like it's come a long way since then. I wish one of these projects was near me, I'd love to work on it.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 18 Sep 2015, 08:32

As reported by AVweb, Doc is scheduled for engine start and testing this morning at 8am CT. Live video streaming here.

:popcorn:

Quote:

B-29 "Doc" Ready For Engine Startup
By Elaine Kauh

The restoration team working on the B-29 Superfortress “Doc” will go on live webcam Friday morning for the first engine startups. The event will start at 8 a.m. CT in Wichita, where Doc is undergoing work at its hangar. Tom Bertels, a Doc’s Friends board member, told AVweb in an email Thursday the team wants to get all four engines running. “The goal is to power up each engine to idle speed in order to verify that everything is in order and operating within expected operating envelopes,” he said. “If all goes as planned, after each engine is started and observed by itself, we will start all four so that Doc will once again be under full power.” In preparing for the startup, Doc has undergone work on the fuel system and leak checks, and each engine has had turbocharger casings installed. “This will be a huge milestone for the people who have invested so many hours of their lives to restore the B-29,” Bertels said.

Meanwhile, the FAA has reviewed inspection plans for the B-29 and the board is awaiting approval for an airworthiness certificate. As soon as it’s in, the board will submit its request to the U.S. Air Force to use nearby McConnell Air Force Base for flight testing. It’s hoped that the aircraft and the paperwork will be completed to allow a first flight by the end of the year. A Kickstarter fundraising campaign will launch in the coming weeks to raise money for the flight tests. Doc, which was one of a squadron of World War II-era airplanes named after Snow White’s seven dwarfs, has undergone restoration work off and on since 1987. Only one other B-29, Fifi, is flying.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 18 Sep 2015, 09:19

They got 3 of 4 started. I would think they would have a much larger fire extinguisher handy for a first time engine start.

Vince

Username Protected · **Posted:** 18 Sep 2015, 09:27

Username Protected wrote:

They got 3 of 4 started. I would think they would have a much larger fire extinguisher handy for a first time engine start.

Vince

Yes.

Wonder why they didn't fully cowl the engines?

Looks like the primer works on #2, because it starts, but they're not getting full fuel flow. As soon as they let the primer go, it quits.

B-29s run awfully hot on the ground, I hope they're paying attention to 1, 3, 4.

#2 is running now.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 18 Sep 2015, 09:28

They got all 4 started.

Vince

Username Protected · **Posted:** 18 Sep 2015, 18:16

Username Protected · **Posted:** 18 Sep 2015, 20:16

Great to see another piece of history making a comeback. Hope the public appreciates the effort that goes into such a project. Having had the privilege of making the maiden flight on several restored airplanes, it never gets old! Let's all KEEP EM FLYIN! We may just be the last generation to do so.
:bow: