Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Flying slice of history visits Ventura County: One of only two still flying World War II era B-29's

The B-29 Superfortress named "Doc" is visiting Camarillo Airport through Sunday, and is open for tours.
Lance Orozco
/
KCLU
The B-29 Superfortress bomber named "Doc" is visiting Camarillo Airport through Sunday, and is open for tours.

More than 3000 B-29's were built. They were used in World War II, and the Korean War

A flying slice of history is visiting Ventura County. A World War II era B-29 Superfortress bomber is at Camarillo Airport, and is open for tours.

It’s a massive flying museum. The B-29 named “DOC” is silver aluminum, with four propeller engines, and a 141 foot wingspan.

Sean Elliott is a volunteer who flies the plane for B-29 Doc, the non-profit which owns the aircraft.

"It's an incredible honor and privilege to make sure this airplane gets around coast to coast, and shares its stories," said Elliott. "They built 3,900 and some B-29's at four factories during World War II. This is one of two left in the world that still flies." 

"DOC" is one of only two still flying B-29's in the world.
Lance Orozco
/
KCLU
"DOC" is one of only two still flying B-29's in the world.

B-29's were used in both World War II, and in the Korean War. In the modern era, they are perhaps best known as the planes which dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Commemorative Air Force Museum is hosting the visit. The Camarillo museum’s Kathy Newhard says you can see the B-29 and the museum’s plane collection at the same time.

She talks about what the museum offers to the community. "To keep aviation history alive, and to educate, inspire, and honor all of that era," said Newhard.

The museum features a number of World War II and Korean War aircraft, including a Hellcat fighter, a B-25 bomber, and a British Spitfire fighter and a Japanese Zero fighter.

The B-29 will be at Camarillo Airport through Sunday. Tickets for the museum and the plane tours are available at the museum.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.