One year ago this week, the B-29 Superfortress endearingly known as Doc took flight for the first time in 60 years. Doc has since been cleared to fly around the country for a triumphant tour to show off the amazing restoration job completed by Doc’s Friends, and next week the glorious B-29 will attend its first EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh. It will undoubtedly be one of the biggest highlights for most aviation enthusiasts.
But Oshkosh is merely an appetizer for Doc’s biggest achievement since its historic 2016 flight. Earlier this week, officials from Doc’s Friends announced that they have raised approximately $4.5 million toward building Doc a new home at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport. The nonprofit organization expects to break ground on the 28,000-sq. ft. hangar in September, with doors opening to the general public one year later. Most of that space will be taken up by Doc, but the remaining square footage will be used for a STEM-related education center.
“This airplane was and is a scientific marvel,” Doc’s Friends chairman Jeff Turner said, according to the Wichita Eagle. “The science, the technology that went into this airplane is a tremendous platform to teach STEM in our schools and with civic groups. We turn away thousands of kids right now who would love to come and learn about the airplane, the technology and the history because we don’t have a place to do it… we’re going to fix that.”
With $2 million left to raise, the organization has launched a Kickstarter campaign that allows people to contribute as little as $10 to the cause. The more generous of Doc’s friends can even purchase an engraved brick or granite tile to be placed in the plaza outside of the B-29’s new hangar, which will feature a large window so the public can always have a look at Doc.
