One of the last two B-29 Superfortress airplanes still flying will be on site at the Georgetown Airport this month.
The four-engine, propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown during World War II, will land in Georgetown on April 25 and remain through an Airport open house event on Saturday, April 27. The open house will also feature a static aircraft display and will be the first public event hosted by the airport since before the pandemic. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The open house will also feature a variety of other historic and otherwise interesting aircraft, including a P-51 Mustang, a Pilatus P-3 painted in Swiss military colors, an L-18 Piper Cub, a Focke-Wulf P-149 and Sherpa Air’s current Dash 8-300ER.
“We’re still receiving confirmations on planes that are coming,” said Jim Taylor, Georgetown County Airport Manager. “But potentially we have a T-28, which is a monstrous single-engine Korean War aircraft, two T-34s and possibly a special treat from our friends in Charleston. There might be either a flyover at noon or a massive, massive airplane landing on our runway. We’re still putting the finishing touches on.”
The B-29 is still likely to be the main attraction, due to both its size and rarity. At 141 feet wide and three stories tall, the Superfortress is one of the largest aircraft flown during World War II and was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing. It is the only aircraft ever to drop nuclear weapons in combat. The one that will be on display at the Georgetown Airport is named Doc and features a painted image of the character from Disney’s “Snow White” by the same name.
Doc rolled off the Boeing assembly line in 1945 and after World War II was part of a non-combat squadron known as the Seven Dwarves. It later was used as a target for bomb training in California and sat in the Mojave Desert for 42 years before being removed in 1998 and painstakingly restored by volunteers. It started flying again in 2016.
Members of the public can view Doc April 25 and 26. For those interested in a closer look, tours are $10 per person or $20 per family. On April 27, flight experiences with Doc will be offered starting at $600. The experience lasts about 90 minutes and includes a 30-minute ride. The proceeds all go toward keeping Doc flying and on the public circuit.
“Each one of those engines is 2,200 horsepower, consuming about 100 gallons of fuel per hour per engine – and there’s four of them, so just the fuel bill alone is incredible,” Taylor said. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience. When else are you ever going to get a chance to jump in a 1945 B-29 and fly over the coastline.”
There will be no other fees for anything at the open house. Taylor said the event is family friendly and will appeal to people of all ages.
“I want to attract the young and the young at heart,” he said. “I want to see kids coming into the airport and getting all excited about airplanes instead of playing video games. Then maybe at a young age they start thinking about the future. Aviation is an incredible career path. And I want to see the young at heart. People who are 50, 60, 70, 80 years old and who have a love for aviation so that when an airplane flies by, they always have to look up at the sky to see what kind it is. That’s the audience I really want to come out and be a part of this event.”
The open house will be part of the celebration of both S.C. Aviation Week and National County Government Month. Aviation week is April 21-27 and is dedicated to promoting airports and the state’s aviation industry by highlighting the impacts of our airports across the state and related businesses. National County Government Month takes place each April and recognizes and celebrates the many services that counties provide to residents.