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While walking through a popular tourist area near a temple, I chanced upon a man that obviously wasn't dressed warm enough for the day's weather. I have to admire his ability to tolerate the cold weather and hope he found someplace warm soon.
Had the pleasure of watching "DOC" fly into New Century Air Center yesterday for an airshow. No crowd! Very fortunate.
Doc is a B-29 Superfortress and one of 1,644 manufactured in Wichita during World War II. Since 1987 when Tony Mazzolini found Doc on sitting and rotting away in the Mojave Desert, plans have been in the works to restore the historic warbird to flying status to serve as a flying museum.
Over the past 15+ years, hundreds of volunteers have worked on Doc and the restoration project. Skilled workers and retirees from Wichita’s aviation industry, veterans, active duty military and others wanting to honor those who served, have spent tens of thousands of hours on Doc’s restoration. Countless individuals and organizations also made financial and in-kind contributions to keep the project going. Below is a brief timeline of Doc’s military service, the restoration effort and Doc’s current mission.
In March of 1945, B-29 No. 44-69972 (now known as Doc) was delivered to the U.S. Army. About five months later another B-29 was used to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, eventually leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
In July of 1951, Doc was assigned to radar calibration duty, along with a few other B-29s. The squadron was known as the Seven Dwarfs. In May of 1955, Doc was assigned to target-towing duty and in March a year later, Doc and the rest of its squadron became targets for bomb training at China Lake, California.
For 42 years, Doc sat in the Mojave Desert serving as a target for the U.S. Navy. In 1987, Tony Mazzolini found Doc and began plans to remove and eventually restore the B-29 warbird to flying status. It would take another 12 years before Mazzolini and his team would be able to take possession of the airplane from the U.S. government.
After more than a decade of contacting multiple government agencies and working with volunteers in the China Lake area, Tony took possession of the once target practice plane. A few months later in April of 1998, Tony and his team of volunteers towed Doc out of its 42 year resting place on the floor of the Mojave Desert.
After arranging for an inspection by an expert on aging Boeing aircraft, Mazzolini realized it would take extensive resources and specific expertise to return the Doc to flying condition. So the B-29 returned to Wichita in sections on flatbed trailers in May of 2000. Volunteers began the process of reassembling the B-29 and drew up plans to restore the historic warbird which was now sitting a few hundred feet from where it first rolled off the Boeing-Wichita assembly line some 50+ years before. Dedicated volunteers spent countless hours in the early stages of restoring the historic plane.
In February of 2013, a group of Wichita aviation enthusiasts & business leaders led by retired Spirit AeroSystems CEO Jeff Turner formed Doc’s Friends, a 501c3 non-profit board to manage the restoration project and help see it through to completion.
Doc's first flight after the restoration process was 2016.
Source: www.b29doc.com/docs-story/
I haven't shot any half-frame photos in a very long time. This EE-2 was sitting in my collection since 2013. I needed to replace the light seal due to deterioration.
It's loaded with some 100 ISO color film...images will be posted when I get my film processed.
The immensity of this "Big Bird" can only be appreciated by seeing it up close and personal. I had the pleasure of watching "DOC" fly into New Century Air Center yesterday for an airshow. No crowd! Very fortunate.
Doc is a B-29 Superfortress and one of 1,644 manufactured in Wichita during World War II. Since 1987 when Tony Mazzolini found Doc on sitting and rotting away in the Mojave Desert, plans have been in the works to restore the historic warbird to flying status to serve as a flying museum.
Over the past 15+ years, hundreds of volunteers have worked on Doc and the restoration project. Skilled workers and retirees from Wichita’s aviation industry, veterans, active duty military and others wanting to honor those who served, have spent tens of thousands of hours on Doc’s restoration. Countless individuals and organizations also made financial and in-kind contributions to keep the project going. Below is a brief timeline of Doc’s military service, the restoration effort and Doc’s current mission.
In March of 1945, B-29 No. 44-69972 (now known as Doc) was delivered to the U.S. Army. About five months later another B-29 was used to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, eventually leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
In July of 1951, Doc was assigned to radar calibration duty, along with a few other B-29s. The squadron was known as the Seven Dwarfs. In May of 1955, Doc was assigned to target-towing duty and in March a year later, Doc and the rest of its squadron became targets for bomb training at China Lake, California.
For 42 years, Doc sat in the Mojave Desert serving as a target for the U.S. Navy. In 1987, Tony Mazzolini found Doc and began plans to remove and eventually restore the B-29 warbird to flying status. It would take another 12 years before Mazzolini and his team would be able to take possession of the airplane from the U.S. government.
After more than a decade of contacting multiple government agencies and working with volunteers in the China Lake area, Tony took possession of the once target practice plane. A few months later in April of 1998, Tony and his team of volunteers towed Doc out of its 42 year resting place on the floor of the Mojave Desert.
After arranging for an inspection by an expert on aging Boeing aircraft, Mazzolini realized it would take extensive resources and specific expertise to return the Doc to flying condition. So the B-29 returned to Wichita in sections on flatbed trailers in May of 2000. Volunteers began the process of reassembling the B-29 and drew up plans to restore the historic warbird which was now sitting a few hundred feet from where it first rolled off the Boeing-Wichita assembly line some 50+ years before. Dedicated volunteers spent countless hours in the early stages of restoring the historic plane.
In February of 2013, a group of Wichita aviation enthusiasts & business leaders led by retired Spirit AeroSystems CEO Jeff Turner formed Doc’s Friends, a 501c3 non-profit board to manage the restoration project and help see it through to completion.
Doc's first flight after the restoration process was 2016.
Source: www.b29doc.com/docs-story/
This P-51 D Mustang, known as Gunfighter, made a landing at the New Century AirCenter in Gardner Kansas for an upcoming weekend air show.
Gunfighter is one of the world’s most famous P-51s, having appeared on the airshow circuit and providing rides for over 35 years. The aircraft is a P-51 "D" model, serial number 44-73264. Of the approximately 15,000 P-51s produced in WWII, over 8,000 were “D” models. Today, only about 150 airworthy examples of Mustangs exist world-wide in museums, flying or under restoration.
Gunfighter was built in the Inglewood, California North American plant and accepted into the USAAF in March, 1945. That month, it was shipped to England, where it was assigned to the famous 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force. In July of 1945, after the War ended in Europe, it was returned to the U.S. and assigned to Olmstead Field in Pennsylvania. In 1947 it was transferred to the Air National Guard and it thereafter served with units in Wyoming, New Mexico, Illinois and Kentucky. In 1956 it was declared surplus and sold on the civilian market.
Today, Gunfighter is operated by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). The CAF is the largest operator of Historic Aircraft in the world with 160 aircraft and over 9,000 members. Gunfighter is restored in the colors of the 343rd Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, USAAF. The 55th Fighter Group was the first American Air Corp unit to become operational in Europe, first to fly over Berlin and was one of the units that provided top cover over the Invasion Beaches at Normandy on "D-Day", June 6th, 1944.
Gunfighter is powered by a Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. It is rated at 1,490 HP and has a displacement of 1650 cubic inches. Top speed is over 400 mph and ceiling is 41,000 feet. Gunfighter has been modified to include a second seat where the original radio gear and fuselage fuel tank were located. This is a perfect vantage point to enjoy the ride of a lifetime in a P-51!.
Maine's oldest lighthouse, The Portland Head Light. Situated on the spectacular shores of Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Was really difficult to get this in black and white because the mulch the leaves and the rose all looked similar to me in iPhone. Hope you can “see” it! HMT!
I wasn’t planning on taking photos on this specific afternoon so I didn’t bring my cameras. I then remembered why I bought my iPhone 14 Plus…video & still photo capabilities on demand. This area is a popular place for small dining spots and being it was a Saturday the shops were swamped with customers.
Beautiful, yet decaying curved ceiling in the entrance of an old clothing store. Circa 1920. NO processing, just natural beauty. Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
One of our stops during our PEI excursion.
Everyone says the same thing about this picturesque place, that when you wander down the streets lined with grand trees, brightly coloured heritage homes and you smell the salt sea on the breeze you feel transported back to a simpler time.
In Victoria-by-the-Sea, you may find yourself walking a tad slower and breathing a little deeper, this is the place to slow down and experience the relaxed pace of life in our quaint seaside village. The locals might wave to you and say hello as you stroll by – you needn’t be here long to feel right at home.
I’m thinking this means, “water intake” but still, it’s amusing. Posting a message in another language takes courage and I admire one’s effort. So, while amusing…hats off to the person who translated this.
This one is new. Hopefully she’ll bloom again next year. We recently moved from sunny and mostly dry FL where they thrived outside, to humid and damp chilly winters in GA where only 1/3 have bloomed this year. Maybe if I buy the plants that were grown locally I’ll have better luck than I’ve had with my FL hothouse orchids.
December 28, 2024
There is a famous temple in the Lukang Township (Lukang Mazu Temple
)and in the outlying areas of this temple are plenty of shops, restaurants and street vendors, as you see here.
Business must be slow for this fresh peanut salesman, because he’s reading a newspaper: “old school” news source…paper. But the street restaurant behind him seems to be bustling.
The area outside the temple is always busy on the weekends and there’s plenty to see, eat and shop for and for a photographer it’s a constant source of subject matter.
Enjoy.
iPhone 14 Plus & Adobe Lightroom
December 28, 2024
I quit smoking back in 1993, but I still love that fragrance when a cigarette is first lit: after that, I can’t stand the smell. Strange, right…or do other non-smokers feel the same way?
Still, I enjoy capturing other people smoke and I miss the camaraderie that smokers can have when taking a smoke break. Not enough to start smoking again though!
Enjoy