Doc Arrives at Oshkosh

[mdunn]

The EAA flying is happening at Oshkosh this week and the WWII B-29 Doc has arrived.

Video of the arrival is at the beginning of the video and is reprised in slow motion at the 7:00 mark.



If you search for Doc arrives in Oshkosh there are several more videos to select from.

[Bluside]

That is one beautiful machine. I'm sure it takes quite a bit of money, manpower, and dedication from a couple generations of people to keep it flying all these years. Thanks for posting.

[Fogducker]

Hey,each of those Lycoming engines are 4 rows of 9 cylinder each so 36 cylinders times four is 144 cylinders with 2 spark plugs and each one cost about $20-------Yeah, it takes a couple bucks to keep that ole' pig in the air! It was a lot of work and they had trouble with the rear rows overheating-------but it was worth it and we won the war,----------- or at least I think we did.

Fog

[Ozzy the dog]

Originally Posted by Bluside

That is one beautiful machine. I'm sure it takes quite a bit of money, manpower, and dedication from a couple generations of people to keep it flying all these years. Thanks for posting.

That is one shiny machine. I'm sure it takes quite a bit of money, manpower, and dedication from a couple generations of people to keep it polished all these years.

They certainly don't make them like they used to

[Bob Womack]

Doc is a reconstruction with new skin that first flew less than a year ago. Looks beautiful.

Bob

[Ozzy the dog]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Doc is a reconstruction with new skin that first flew less than a year ago. Looks beautiful.

Bob

Thanks Bob - after my last comment it appears they DO make them like they used to.

[Richgj3]

I'll be there tomorrow to see Doc in person.

Rich

[Kerbie]

The doctor is in! Beautiful bird... looks fabulous. And I liked watching all the others. Nice 10-minute air show.

[mdunn]

Here is how they found Doc at China Lake in the Mojave Desert.



Go to You Tube and search B 29 Doc and you will find lots of videos the history of the recovery; the move to Kansas, the restoration and subsequent flights. The story starts in February 1998. The first flight was in 2016 (I believe).

Boeing built a total of 2,766 B-29s at plants in Wichita, Kan. and that is where Doc was rebuilt. The Bell Aircraft Co. built 668 of the giant bombers in Georgia, and the Glenn L. Martin Co. built 536 in Nebraska. Production ended in 1946. One interesting fact is that many of the restoration crew built B-29's during WWII.

Most of the WWII aircraft industry was situated in California, State of Washington and on the East Coast. The reason for building the B-29 at Wichita, Kansas was that the US Govt. did not want it manufactured on the west coast where the plants could be reached by the Japanese war machine.

What Boeing learned with the B-29 transferred directly into post war commercial airliners.

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by Fogducker

Hey,each of those Lycoming engines are 4 rows of 9 cylinder each so 36 cylinders times four is 144 cylinders with 2 spark plugs and each one cost about $20-------Yeah, it takes a couple bucks to keep that ole' pig in the air! It was a lot of work and they had trouble with the rear rows overheating-------but it was worth it and we won the war,----------- or at least I think we did.

Fog

The cowlings were so tight on these beasts that proper cooling was a constant issue to monitor .

[sawdustdave]

Cool! I live about 10 miles north of Oshkosh, in Appleton. Still never gone to the EAA event...

Only been to 1 Packer game, 20 miles north... Gotta get a life...

[Richgj3]

Just got back from OSH. Pretty cool to see two B29s in the air at once. Huge show. I used to go every year but haven't gone in about 8. It's much bigger now

On a side note, Southwest cancelled the last leg of my flight home and I spent ten hours in the Baltimore airport. I used to own a PiperComanche in which I could go non stop from OSH to Long Island in 5 hours. I now have a Cub which could take ten hours and several fuel stops to make that trip, so it's airlines from now on. I'm too old to sit in a Cub for a trip that long.

BTW, the engines are Wright 3350s with two rows of 9 cylinders each.

Rich

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by Richgj3

I now have a Cub

Aren't they fun?!

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Richgj3

I now have a Cub which could take ten hours and several fuel stops to make that trip, so it's airlines from now on. I'm too old to sit in a Cub for a trip that long.

Rich

Cubbies are cool. I watched either Kyle Franklin or Greg Koontz do his aerobatic routine featuring a dramatically overpowered Cub with the theme of a drunken pilot. This guy had rigged a remote throttle back by the tail. With the plane sitting on the runway at show center and the engine idling he acted like he was doing a drunken preflight walk-around. When he got to the tail he remotely ran up the engine in bursts enough to make the main mounts pop off the ground while he acted like he had collapsed over the tail. Once inside he was able to get the plane in the air with about four feet of roll from a standing stop then immediately pulled into a vertical climb topped off with a stall to horizontal at about a hundred and fifty feet. The plane basically staggered around from one maneuver to another hanging on engine thrust. I forget what the engine was but between it and the pilot's skill I was impressed!

Bob

[mdunn]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Cubbies are cool. I watched either Kyle Franklin or Greg Koontz do his aerobatic routine featuring a dramatically overpowered Cub with the theme of a drunken pilot. This guy had rigged a remote throttle back by the tail. With the plane sitting on the runway at show center and the engine idling he acted like he was doing a drunken preflight walk-around. When he got to the tail he remotely ran up the engine in bursts enough to make the main mounts pop off the ground while he acted like he had collapsed over the tail. Once inside he was able to get the plane in the air with about four feet of roll from a standing stop then immediately pulled into a vertical climb topped off with a stall to horizontal at about a hundred and fifty feet. The plane basically staggered around from one maneuver to another hanging on engine thrust. I forget what the engine was but between it and the pilot's skill I was impressed!

Bob

Here ya go Bob! Enjoy!



Here is a ride along from the cockpit.