B-29 ‘Doc’ cleared to tour

The restoration effort undertaken by Doc’s Friends Inc. reached an important milestone in March, the organization announced, with successful completion of “phase one” flight tests. Restoration Program Manager Jim Murphy said officials from the FAA office in Wichita, Kansas, and agency officials in Washington, D.C., have worked with the restoration team to approve the new certificate that removes limitations including distance from the airport and now allows Doc to tour. The organization is still working with airshow organizers to finalize a schedule, Murphy said in an announcement posted online by the group.

“We aren’t ready to release the details of our 2017 tour just yet, but we are confident we’ll be able to make an announcement regarding our travel plans soon," Murphy said. "We have a few more minor winter maintenance items to complete and we’ll begin running engines before the end of March. If everything goes as planned, I expect us to be back in the air in early April."

The restoration of the vintage bomber that was once used for target practice has been a labor of love driven by fierce dedication, a tale told in the February issue of AOPA Pilot. Doc’s first flight in decades was celebrated in July by many of the hundreds of workers who pitched in to help with what became a 16-year effort.

Doc’s Friends said the 2017 tour schedule will include multiple events in at least six states, and the group continues to raise money to build a permanent home for the bomber in Wichita.