The B-29 bomber’s mirrored surface reflects more than just the blue sky above it and the runway beneath. Doc, as this particular plane is known, hadn’t flown in 60 years. Its polished skin reflects the surroundings, sure, but it also reflects a man’s dreams, a community’s effort, lives lost, and wars won. For it to fly again for the first time in six decades mere feet from where the B-29 was originally assembled is a great example of the persistence needed to restore anything. Rescued from the Mojave Desert, Doc flew again from Wichita’s McConnell Air Force Base because of the blood, sweat, tears, and sheer determination of a large group of enthusiasts inclined to preserve the greatest generation’s history.
Boeing broke all the molds with the B-29 Superfortress, the…