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The last two flying examples of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress will be making a joint appearance this year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The rare appearance will be supporting the "Turning the Tide" salute to 1944, commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The 71st fly-in convention will take place July 22-28 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
This is believed to be the fourth time two B-29s have made a joint appearance in 50 years. The first took place at Oshkosh in 2017 and the 2024 appearance will be the first time the warbirds have appeared together in 2018. Each plane will be featured on EAA's Boeing Plaza. FIFI will be on display July 22-24 and Doc will take the spotlight July 25-28. These planes are also scheduled to make a formation flight at the start of the July 24 night air show. When this impressive plane is not on display at Boeing Plaza, Doc flight experiences will take place July 22-25 at the Appleton International Airport about 20 miles north.
"As AirVenture is the world's largest annual gathering of warbirds, bringing these two iconic aircraft together is another of those ‘Only at Oshkosh' moments," said Rick Larsen, EAA's vice president of communities and member programs. "These airplanes are big favorites wherever they appear, but together they will make the ‘Turning the Tide' commemoration even more unforgettable."
FIFI is owned and operated by the Commemorative Air Force's B-29/B-24 Squadron in Dallas, Texas. The B-29 was acquired by the CAF in the early 1970s after a group of members found the plane at the U.S. Navy Proving Ground at China Lake, California where it was used as a missile target. The plane was saved and carefully restored, flying for 30 years until 2006 when it was grounded pending a complete powerplant re-fit. FIFI underwent an extensive four-year restoration including the installation of four new custom-built hybrid engines. The warbird returned to the sky in 2010 and has been traveling coast to coast ever since.Learn about the Doc flight experience and get tickets today
Doc was built in 1944 and for years it was part of a squadron known as the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in upstate New York at the Griffiss Air Force Base, lending it the name we know today, Doc. The plane retired in 1956 as the age of the jet bomber began. Doc was also left in China Lake and used as a target for Navy training missions until 1998. A restoration group rescued Doc, taking possession from the U.S. government and bringing the B-29 to Wichita, Kansas in pieces in 2000. After 16 years and over 450,000 volunteer hours, Doc made its first post-restoration flight in July 2016, roughly 60 years after it had been retired. Doc is owned and operated by Doc's Friends, Inc., a Wichita-based non-profit.RELATED STORIES:EAA AirVenture updates - legendary aircraft designer returns, B-29 Doc joins performersWhy these 2 warbirds are not attending Sun 'n Fun
The CAF revealed in March that due to extended maintenance, FIFI was one of two warbirds that were not attending tour stops in Montgomery, Alabama and the Sun ‘n Fun Airshow in Lakeland, Florida. While FIFI and the B-24 "Diamond Lil" were undergoing winter maintenance, additional items were found that needed to be addressed before the aircraft could safely return to flight. While FIFI will be missing out on the 50th anniversary of Sun n' Fun, the CAF expects maintenance to be completed by Oshkosh this summer.