The completely restored B-29 ‘Doc’ roared into the sky on its first successful flight since 1956 on July 17. The flight lasted about seven minutes.
Doc took off from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, and returned to the same runway. In the coming days, the ground and restoration team will review all of the flight data and gauge readings, and will also perform a full check and inspection of the plane’s systems and control surfaces.
One small glitch that was reportedly encountered was the ‘weak’ illumination of two particle detectors on two of the engines. Each engine has a pair installed. This, according to reports, could be the result of the recent rebuilding of the engines where the break-in period will traditionally have higher amounts of wear.
Prior to the first flight, the B-29 conducted ground tests at McConnell on July 16, including low and high speed taxiing tests to check systems and brakes.
A more comprehensive flight testing program is planned from McConnell, which is directly adjacent to the facilities where ‘Doc’ was restored.
July 22, 2016
