Doc has been certified to carry passengers

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 07/17/2018 at 09:45 • Filed to: wingspan, planelopnik

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But if you want a ride, be prepared to shell out some good old US American dollars.

O ne of only two airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortresses flying today, Doc took its second first flight in 2016 after a lengthy restoration. Since then, the sleek silver bomber has appeared on the air show circuit, but the FAA only allowed mission-critical flight crew on board. However, a recent decision by the aviation governing body will allow passengers to fly on the iconic WWII and Korean War bomber for the first time at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in Madison, WI . Passengers will learn about the history of the Superfortress and take part in a simulated mission briefing. P rices for the 30-minute flight start $600 for one of six seats in the rear of the aircraft, while $1, 500 gets you a seat up front in the bombardier’s position. The m oney raised by these flights will go towards the continued restoration and maintenance of this flying piece of history.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 09:55

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I got excited by this until I saw the prices .

Can’t blame them though, they can’t carry many people and it’s big $$ to keep Doc flying.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 09:56

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So I actually saw one of these bombers (not sure if it was this one specifically) take off this weekend in Waukesha, WI. We were on our boat on a lake near the airport and it flew fairly low over the lake. It was pretty cool to see. Now that I read this I assume it was headed to Madison and probably on to Oshkosh next week.

3point8isgreat > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 09:57

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I just saw it flying around on Sunday.  Saw it out of the corner of my eye and thought it was just a large commercial plane landing at the airport (was very close to ICT).  Then I got a better look and started getting a bit excited.  It kept doing flights around town and got to see it a few more times.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 09:57

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That's not as expensive as I would've thought.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 10:01

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Aluminum skinned planes make me very happy.

HnnNNNNNNNN

djmt1 > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 10:06

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Being at the RAF flypast got me thinking about how sad it is that so few vintage bombers are left in the world let alone being airworthy. I know they weren't exactly the hero planes of the last century but they are still stunning pieces of engineering.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > WilliamsSW 07/17/2018 at 10:13

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If it takes 7 people, that’s only $5100 per 30 minute flight. I can’t imagine there’s much profit from that due to fuel cost. I would totally do this if I had $500 free.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 10:13

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What’s up, Doc? Can we rock?

(With bonus Young Shaq appearance)

That second verse...almost nobody raps that fast. Nuts.

ttyymmnn > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 07/17/2018 at 10:16

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Well, if you saw a B-29, it was either FiFi or Doc . Boeing built nearly 4,000 of them but there are only two still airworthy. FiFi is scheduled to be in Janesville, WI this weekend then on to Oshkosh. Doc will be in Madison this weekend. Not sure if Oshkosh is next, but it would make sense.

ttyymmnn > 3point8isgreat 07/17/2018 at 10:18

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It’s a big bird. Now picture 400 of them in the air at once. Can you even imagine the sound it must have made?

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 07/17/2018 at 10:18

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No, but still more than I could afford.

ttyymmnn > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 07/17/2018 at 10:20

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Indeed.

Bo Knows > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 10:21

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Bombardier position or bust. That would be a lot of fun

ttyymmnn > djmt1 07/17/2018 at 10:23

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There was no nostalgia over them at the end of the war. They were just so much aluminum to be melted down for more airplanes. Out of 3,317 Hawker Typhoons, only one complete aircraft exists  in a museum.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 10:23

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It was a silver 4 engine bomber, I think it was a B29, but I’m not all that knowledgeable about aircraft. But considering both of those are in Wisconsin right now it would make sense.

ttyymmnn > Bo Knows 07/17/2018 at 10:25

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ttyymmnn > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 07/17/2018 at 10:26

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If it was silver and had four engines it could have been nothing else. 

WilliamsSW > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 07/17/2018 at 10:52

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There are 9 seats total - there are 2 more in the cockpit at $ 1200, so 7500 in total.

I would think this more than covers fuel costs - usually the reason they sell seats is as a fundraiser to keep it flying. 

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 10:56

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I took a look, and there’s nothing up on Docs website yet for Airventure. Will be interesting to see if they’re able to do it next week, too. The EAA can be a little goofy on “ competition”, but I would think they would allow it and that the Madison weekend is a test run for the bigger show.

TheRealBicycleBuck > WilliamsSW 07/17/2018 at 11:02

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Fifi burns 400 gal/hr. More during takeoff. To be conservative, estimate 200 gallons of AvGas for half an hour. At $4.50/gal, that’s $900 just in fuel. When you add in wear & tear, maintenance, tires, etc., they estimate Fifi costs $10,000/hr to operate. From Tested :

What kind of money are we talking about to keep FIFI in the air? Pilgrim - Fuel, staff, insurance, wear and tear on tires, and other direct operating costs come out to around $10,000 an hour. Pardon - Last year we had a record gross income of $2.2 million. Every bit of the net income goes back into the airplane either in maintenance or operating expense. You mentioned fuel. How much AvGas does FIFI burn on a typical flight? Pilgrim - We generally burn around 400 gallons an hour.

All of my dreams of owning a B-29 just flew out the window.

atfsgeoff > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 11:06

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Do you get a discount if you’re short and can fit in the tailgunner position??

ttyymmnn > atfsgeoff 07/17/2018 at 11:06

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No idea, but you can ask. 

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 11:19

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I know Boeing wants a competitor to the Airbus A220, but this doesn’t seem like a good choice

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 11:21

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Me too, but I wouldn't expect to be able to afford a ride in it.

ttyymmnn > For Sweden 07/17/2018 at 11:29

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Get Zodiac to design the seats and you might be surprised how many pax you can fit  inside.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/17/2018 at 11:41

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Fifi burns 400 gal/hr.

Cost aside, my mind goes back to WWII and thinking about how much fuel they would have needed to keep up the bombing missions over Japan. The logistics alone are incredible. We tend to focus on the feats of the fighting men , but my god, the logistics and support that made it happen are mind boggling.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 12:06

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There are some B-17's that would like a word with you. Scrolling through the wikipedia list of surviving B-17's , there are at least a few airworthy copies in polished aluminum.

john28ryr88 > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 12:54

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Agreed. Got to sit in that position in the Nine-O-Nine (Collings Foundation’s B-17) for a flight and it was amazing.

Shot from my position flying over the New Jersey coastline.  the nice thing is you get to move around to all locations (except ball turret :)

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 13:28

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As they say, an army marches on its stomach.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 13:48

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Come late September (if we hold schedule) you’ll be able to visit the plane in its new home!

ttyymmnn > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 07/17/2018 at 14:17

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Can’t wait to see it!

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 07/17/2018 at 14:26

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Touché.

facw > Bo Knows 07/17/2018 at 15:57

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Really, seems like a better deal to spend $1500 on that than $600 on the base seat. 

Bo Knows > facw 07/17/2018 at 17:13

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I agree. If I had only $1,500 to spend on something like this and it came down to B-29 nose seat or P-51/other fighter , I’m not sure I could make a decision.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 20:47

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It would enter service two years late. 

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 07/17/2018 at 20:49

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$1500 for a seat in the nose. I’d do it. Really, you only live once.

When I was a fresh young engineer at the big D, our employee magazine had an ad in the back for a one way flight on the Concorde to London for $1000. It was a good deal, but I had no money.  I wish I had fund the money now. 

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 07/17/2018 at 21:47

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That’s how I feel about vacations etc. My oldest’s favorite soccer team is Dortmund, and they are playing Liverpool this weekend in Charlotte. So we said what the hell and bought tickets, flying up there on Saturday afternoon. It’s expensive, but it will be a fantastic experience.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 07/18/2018 at 17:43

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Awesome parents doing awesome things. 

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 07/18/2018 at 18:09

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Well, we try. I remember something you wrote here once about paying for experiences,  not things. It resonated with me.