Wichita Warbird Weekend showcases World War II bombers, other military aircraft

Known as the Air Capital of the World where many World War II-era and other military aircraft were built, Wichita is finally playing host to a warbird weekend, which are popular living history commemorations that showcase planes that helped turn the tide for the Allies during WWII.

Doc’s Friends — A Wichita group that rescued a B-29 Superfortress from a desert junkyard and restored it to one of two airworthy B-29 bombers — has partnered with the Experimental Aircraft Association to hold the Wichita Warbird Weekend on July 2-5.

The featured WW II warbirds will be the B-29 Doc and the EEA’s B-25H Mitchell Berlin Express, which will be open for ground and cockpit tours when not in the air giving flight rides. The two bombers will be joined by other military aircraft including a T-28 Trojan trainer, a T-6 Texan trainer, a Boeing PT-13 Stearman trainer and a Cessna 0-1 Bird Dog observation aircraft, according to Josh Wells, Doc’s Friends general manager and executive director. A third WW II-era bomber, a B-17 Aluminum Overcast, was originally scheduled to participate in the event but will not be available because of mechanical issues, Wells said.

The 42,000-square-foot B-29 Doc Hangar, Education and Visitors Center, at the city’s Eisenhower National Airport, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Friday, July 2, through Monday, July 5, for visitors to see the planes and talk to individuals knowledgeable about them. Tour prices are $10 per person or $20 for a family of five. Flight rides are also part of the weekend, but Doc’s flights are already sold out. Remaining flight rides on the B-25 cost $360-$400.

The Wichita Warbird Weekend is the largest event Doc’s Friends has staged since moving into its permanent hangar in March 2019, said Wells.

Given Wichita’s history and that of Doc’s, it’s finally time that a warbird weekend came to Wichita, said Wells in a phone conversation from a Mojave Desert aircraft boneyard where he was in search of replacement parts for Doc.

“We do these things all over the country so we want to make sure that we’re celebrating our heritage here in Wichita, offering warbird enthusiasts an opportunity come see some pretty unique airplanes,” Wells said.

“As the Air Capital of the World, we should be showcasing our warbird (Doc) and bringing in other airplanes one weekend during the year so people can see them … and enjoy listening to people tell the warbirds’ stories. It’s important that we continue that legacy and talking about the Greatest Generation plus the people who continue to maintain these planes. We want people to get up close and touch a piece of history and learn about the technology that helped win the war.”

Fully restored to airworthiness since 2016, Doc has been flying all over the country to be showcased in various airshows and similar warbird weekends, so the Wichita Warbird Weekend is a good opportunity to see the plane in its home base during the popular summer airshow season.

So far in 2021, Doc has added 50 flight hours, Wells said, and it’s expected to put on a total of 120 for the season.

Participating in airshows and warbird weekends helps generate revenue to keep the plane airworthy, after more than 15 years and tens of thousands of volunteer hours — drawing from Wichita’s unique talent pool of retired military and current and retired aviation workers — were spent to restore the plane, which rolled off a Boeing assembly line in March 1945. It costs $4,000 an hour in fuel alone to fly the plane.

The EEA’s B-25 H Mitchell also is a restored plane. According to the EEA’s website, the medium-sized bomber was produced in Inglewood, California, in 1943 and went through various owners and companies. It even was reportedly modified to be an executive plane, operated for American heiress Barbara Hutton. The plane flew in the 1970 movie “Catch 22” as the Berlin Express, which is the name the plane still bears. According to the website, it took EEA Museum volunteers 10 years to restore her.

The B-25 arrived in Wichita earlier this week, Wells said, and once the warbird weekend is over, both Doc and the Berlin Express will leave Wichita to jointly participate in a St. Louis airshow July 8-11.

During July, Doc will go on to make appearances in Terra Haute, Indiana; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Kalamazoo, Michigan, and then Oshkosh, Wisconsin to participate in the EEA’s AirVenture Airshow July 26-Aug. 1, billed as America’s biggest airshow.

Also during the July 4th weekend, Doc will do a flyover as part of another Independence Day celebration in Wichita. It’s scheduled to do a flyover at around 8 p.m. Saturday, July 3, as part of the free Let Freedom Sing patriotic celebration at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 600 N. Greenwich.

Wichita Warbird Weekend

What: a living history commemoration of World War II-era bombers and other military aircraft with static displays and flight rides available on the B-29 Superfortress Doc and the B-25 H Mitchell Berlin Express

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Monday, July 2-5

Where: Doc’s Hangar, Education and Visitors Center at Eisenhower National Airport

Cost: $10 per person or $20 for a family of five for tours of the planes. Flight rides on Doc are sold out; remaining flight rides for the B-25 range from $360-$400.

More info: b29doc.com

This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 3:53 AM.