Doc Cleared For Passenger Flights

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The FAA has cleared Doc, one of two flying B-29s, for passenger flights and they’ll start at the Heavy Bomber Weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 20. Doc will be at AirVenture 2018 but so far no ride program has been announced. The big bomber has been on the airshow circuit for more than a year but only as a performer. Operators of such aircraft typically offer rides as a revenue generator for keeping the thirsty and maintenance-heavy warbird in the air. Until Thursday, the FAA insisted that only mission-critical crew be on board but finally approved the Living History Flight Experience program proposed by Doc’s Friends, the organization that owns and operates the aircraft.

The flight experience includes attendance at a crew briefing and a discussion of the historical role the aircraft type played in the Second World War and Cold War. Passengers then board the plane for the engine start and runup before taking off on a 30-minute flight. Ticket packages in Madison range from $600 to $1500. The low end of the range will get one of six seats in the rear of the fuselage and $1500 buys the bombardier’s seat in the glass nose of the iconic aircraft.

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