B-29 Doc at Lone Star Flight Museum - May 5th, 2021
The B-29 known as Doc visits the Lone Star Flight Museum at Ellington Field May 5-9, 2021
LSFM moved to Ellington after Hurricane Ike and had its grand opening on September 16, 2017
"Doc" was built at Wichita, KS in March of 1945, B-29 No. 44-69972, one of only two air worthy B-29s
"Doc" never saw combat, was based at Griffiss AFB, NY as a radar calibration aircraft in 1951
Griffiss squadrons members named their B-29s after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs characters
The aircraft was moved to Yuma County Airport in Arizona in 1955 to be used as a target tug
Retired in 1956 and sent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake as a ballistic missile target
Doc sat in the Mojave Desert for 42 years serving as a target for the U.S. Navy
Tony Mazzolini found "Doc" in 1987 and began plans to remove and restore the B-29 to flying status
It would take 12 years before Mazzolini wwould take possession of the airplane from the US Govt.
Doc returned to Wichita in sections on flatbed trailers in May of 2000
The Landing/Takeoff skid plate keeps the tail from dragging on the runway
Proceed to the open crew entry door behind the US Star emblem
Look inside the crew entry door opening toward the tail
Looking right at the open pressure bulkhead access door that leads forward
Visitors enter the cockpit area from the forward bomb bay opening
Move forward and next peek inside the gun aiming side blister window
See upper gunner's seat and openings to the bomb bay and pressurized tunnel to the front cabin
Volunteers reassembled the B-29 in 2000 and drew up plans to restore the historic warbird
Doc’s Friends was formed in 2013, a non-profit board, to manage and complete its restoration
Doc was declared airworthy in June 2016 and made its first flight July 17, 2016
Doc attended eight air shows in four states in 2017 attracting record crowds
Construction began on Doc's KS home 3/2018, completed 11/2018 & opened to the public in 1/2019
Time to take a peak inside by entering through the forward bomb bay
Stand up in the bomb bay and will enter through the forward cabin rear pressure bulkhead
Check out the sample bombs to the left while waiting, a 500 pound and 250 pound bomb
Bigger bomb to the right but no writing identifying it
Wait while a crewman discusses the bomber with 3 guests who'll exit through the forward hatch
View the radio operator's seat in the rear left before entering the front crew cabin
Step inside and look down the pressurized tunnel connecting the front and rear crew cabins
Observation window directly above the entrance to the pressurized tunnel
Turn around and view the pilot's seat left, bombardier station forward and copilot's seat on the right
Zoom toward the bombardier station forward
Zoom in on the controls at the pilot's station
Tail number and Superfortress name tag help the pilot remember what he is flying
Includ the pilot's right consule controls
Focus on the copilot's station
Copilot does not have the center console controls the pilot has
Otherwise the copilot station is a mirror image of the pilot's station
Flight engineer's station
Flight engineer controls cabin pressure, engine throttle and controls the panic button on the left
Plenty of gauges at the flight engineer's station
More flight engineer controls
Radio Operator's station
Radio Operator's must have a radio!
Navigator's seat with bomb bay pressurized hatch door
Only goobers take selfies in mirrors but it's deemed acceptable when using a B-29 fuselage
Exit the aircraft and find a large crowd waiting to climb inside after me
Glad I came when the museum opened to beat the long line to view its insides
Now visit LSFM's aircraft, first up, a Boeing-Stearman PT-17 Kaydet primary trainer built before 1945
Next is a Cessna T-41 Mescalero, military version of a Cessna 172, built for the US Army in 1967
Boeing-Stearman N2S Kaydet, navy version of the Stearman built before 1945
Behold, the only civilian owned McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II flying in the US
Over 90K Harley-Davidson WLA Military Motorcycles were built during WWII, a third went to Russia
Piper L-4 Grasshopper built during WWII, the civilian version is the Piper J-3 Cub
The last of five built Anderson Greenwood AG-14 two seat pusher aircraft, built in 1953
Like the Houston Texans NFL team, this North American SNJ-5 Texan has no go
This SNJ-5 Texan is busy having an engine overhaul & painted in the 1950s color scheme . . .
Of the 147th Fighter Group of the Texas Air National Guard based here at Ellington Field
Piper J-3 Cub built in 1940 and owned by the LSFM President and COO
Fairchild PT-19 Cornell monoplane primary trainer built in 1941
Vultee BT-13 Valiant built in 1944 as SNV-2 to train naval aviators for the US Navy
A new arrival as there is no sign identifying the aircraft, so search the internet for the tail number
The star of this hangar is the official North American B-25 of the Doolittle Raider Association
The only flying B-25 painted in the colors of the Doolittle Raiders
This B-25J remained stateside during World War II, a USAF trainer until the late 1950s
Tail number 02344 takes off from the aircraft carrier Hornet on April 18, 1942 on a raid against Japan
Sixteen B-25 Mitchells launched from the Hornet and 77 of 80 crew members survived the mission
Vultee BT-13 Valiant, Fairchild PT-19 Cornell, Piper J-3 Cub & North American B-25J Mitchell
Far corner second floor balcony view of the Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
Piper J-3 Cub, North American SNJ-5 Texan and Anderson Greenwood AG-14
Sweet North American B-25J Mitchell painted as a Doolittle Raider
McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II and a Boeing-Stearman N2S Kaydet
Cessna T-41 Mescalero, Boeing-Stearman PT-17 and Vultee SNV-2 Valiant
Look down on the museum's grand entry while moving over to the next hangar
Next hangar, Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe, Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star & Howard 250 Tri-Gear
Douglas DC-3A with Mooney M-18 Mite and a 1911 Curtiss A-1 Triad under the right wing
Dauntless, Corsair, Avenger, Beechcraft Baron B-58, Globe GC-1B Swift & Sikorsky S-76A
Look down into the cockpit & rear gunner position of the Douglas SBD Dauntless
Ford M151A2 MUTT (Military Unit Tactical Truck) replaced the M38 Jeep in 1959
Also built by Kaiser & AM General, and were replaced by Hummers in the 1980s
First aircraft encountered is a reproduction Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe
Auf Deutsch: "Jack up here" and "Warning, do not drag on the nose wheel"
She uses two modern GE CJ-610 engines & is on loan to the LSFM by the Collings Foundation
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star built in 1951 as America's first jet trainer
Howard 250 Tri-Gear is a Lockheed L-18 Loadstar built as an executive aircraft in the 1950's
View the executive seating of the Howard 250 beyond the disassembled MQ-1 Predator UAV
MQ-1 Predator UAV has wing and tail lying against the wall
NASA Centaur with R2 torso developed in 2010 for unmanned exploration
Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) has a pressurized cabin designed for 2 astronauts
Just past the NASA equipment is a Continental DC-3, donated to LSFM in 2004
Douglas DC-3A built in 1940 for American Airlines
It was purchased by Trans-Texas Airways (predecessor to Continental Airlines) after WWII
Continental Airlines bought it from another airline in 1980 and flew it as a public relations aircraft
Mooney M-18 Mite, built before 1955, had extremely low operating costs
The "Naked Mite" was left uncovered to show internal layout and operating systems
Replica 1911 Curtiss A-1 Triad, first aircraft purchased by the US Navy & could land on water or land
Consolidated's 1941 Plant in Ft. Worth would build the B-36, B-58, F-8, F-111, F-16 & F-35
Sikorsky S-76A built in 1979, used for oil exploration transport and retired in 2016
The S-76 was Sikorsky's first civilian market helicopter based on the UH-60 Blackhawk
Globe GC-1B Swift built in 1946, completely rebuilt and modernized in 2011
Beechcraft Baron B-58 built in 1978 in Wichita, Kansas
Move on to the WWII carrier based aircraft
Douglas SBD Dauntless built as a A-24B in 1942 was made air worthy again in 1997
Chance Vought F4U-5N Corsair was an Argentina night fighter & later an outdoor display for 30 years
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger built in June 1945 and retired in 1953
Type of aircraft future President George H.W. Bush was shot down by the Japanese in 1944
This enormous torpedo bomber was used as a crop duster from 1965 to 1988
Final view of the DC-3 hangar with removed Sikorsky S-76A rotor blade
Ellington's namesake pilot crashed on November 24, 1913 and died 2 weeks later
Ellington was a bomber training base in WWI & was reopened as an advanced training base in 1940
Ellington was made the Air Force's Advanced Navigation School in 1943
Astronauts trained in Ellington's swimming pool before JSC's B29 WET-F was built
The museum recognizes Texas heroes of aviation including trailblazers & wartime aviators
Two more wings showcase aviation leaders and entrepreneurs/innovators
Trailblazers include many astronauts and several firsts in aviation
More trailblazing air racers, acrobatic champions, and first to solo fly the world
Trailblazing glider pilot, astronauts, Sully Sullenberger and Azellia White complete the hall
Future Senator Lloyd Bentsen II flew 35 B-24 missions over Europe in WWII
David Dewhurst flew B-26 missions over Utah beach leading to a successful landing
Tom Landry flew 30 B-17 combat missions in WWII before playing DB & FB for the Texas Longhorns
The top scoring (22 victories) surviving Texas pilot ace was aggie Jay Robbins
Texas based Southern Aircraft Corp. provided B-24 tail turrents to Ft. Worth
Early photos of San Antonio's Randolph Field, built in 1931
Randolf Field's administration building was known as the "Taj Mahal"
Same aircraft training pilots at Ellington Field starting in November 1940
Anti-Submarine hangar in Hitchcock Texas where the columns still remain
Visit the P-47 mockup in the kids hands on Flight Academy area
Also visit the Stearman biplane cockpit mockup
No waiting at the penquin's hang glider simulator
The B-29 is a bigger draw than all flight simulators in the Aviation Learning Center
Inside the gift shop are pink bomber jackets for the girls
And brown bomber jackets for the boys
Departing thought, kids also donated their pets to the WWII war effort