B-29 Superfortress lands at Phoenix Goodyear Airport
GOODYEAR, Ariz. - A historic warbird landed at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport on Monday afternoon.
What we know:
This B-29 Superfortress is known as the DOC, and it flew in from Abilene, Texas.
It will be in the Valley for a few days for the public to see, and you can even take a tour of the inside.
This B-29 is one of over 1,600 B-29 bombers built in Wichita, Kansas during World War II. DOC is one of two B-29 Superfortresses still flying worldwide.
DOC's Friends, a nonprofit, is honoring the men and women who designed and built it, maintained it, and flew this aircraft during World War II by touring the U.S. and sharing its story.
"Because of the long legs, this plane can fly over 3,000 miles. It was sent to the south Pacific, and they're flying out of Guam, Tinian and Saipan, which is about a thousand miles from Japan. Flies about 200 miles an hour, a little over," Mark Novak, DOC's Chief Pilot said.
Novak, once an Air Force pilot, has been the DOC's chief pilot since 2016.
"The B-29 at the time was the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. arsenal. It could fly above 30,000 feet. It was pressurized compared to a B-17. It could fly twice as far and carry three times the bomb," Novak explained.
Novak says just under 4,000 B-29's were built at four different factories across the country.
"This aircraft served on active duty from ‘45 to ’56. The Air Force gave the Navy 250 of these in 1956 to use as targets," he said.
The aircraft spent decades untouched in the Mojave Desert until DOC's Friends chose to restore and fly it.
"Spent 40 years, 44 years in the desert. Our group spent 16 years restoring her in Wichita. Now, we've been flying her since 2016," he explained.
You may be wondering how DOC got its name. Think Disney.
"The squadron commander said, 'We have eight airplanes. We're going to be the Snow White squadron.' So, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. DOC's little dwarf brother is down the road at the Pima Museum, and that's Dopey down there," he said.
What's next:
DOC's Friends fly 140 hours a year. They spend about six months touring the country.
During the winter, they focus on aircraft maintenance.
The B-29 will be open to the public from April 23-27. There will even be flights on Saturday and Sunday.
Next, the B-29 will head to Palm Springs, California.
Click here to learn more about the plane and how to visit it.