B-29 Superfortress Bomber Hangar Webcam in Wichita

Doc, a B-29 Superfortress Bomber aircraft, first went into active service in 1945. While it’s no longer used for the purpose it was built, which in retrospect can only be a good thing, Doc is still proving to be a powerhouse and is doing a great job at educating folks about aviation history.

There’s an old saying that goes – what goes around comes around – and that is often proved to be true. In Doc’s case, after being retired from bombing and other duties in the mid-50s, it was parked up in the arid landscapes of China Lake, California, where it was used as a bombing target for military training purposes.

Desert climates are renowned for being unkind to man, beast and machine. After forty years-worth of sun and sand-blasting, Doc, as anyone or anything would be, was a bit of a wreck. Wreck or not, in the late 80s when Tony Mazzolini discovered the decrepit B-29, it was love at first sight. 

It would be ten long years before he and a group of enthusiastic volunteers could finally rescue the plane from its sandy grave and begin its lengthy restoration. If you drop by the cam to take a peek at Doc and find the hangar empty, it means the plane has been taken on tour. You can find out when it’ll be back under cover by checking the plane’s tour schedule on the official website. And before you ask, yes, it still takes to the skies.