Page 18 - Sept18T

Flying Back in Time
A flight in “Doc” – one of only two
airworthy B-29 bombers in the world.
“Ladders up; crew in position; 15-degree flaps; departure to the south. Superfortress Doc is ready for takeoff.”
I’m seated in the bombardier’s seat as Mark Novak, retired military pilot and today’s pilot-in command, completes his checklist just a few feet behind me. I tense with excitement as he calls up the McConnell Air Force Base tower for clearance. The
afternoon heat is intense within the B-29’s infamous all-glass nose, but I take little notice. I am too busy absorbing the number of dials and switches around me (the majority of which involve “bomb” in the label). I specifically note the Norden bombsight mere inches in front of my feet. The reality of this device’s purpose some 70 years ago is difficult for me to fathom. Even more difficult is imagining the thoughts and feelings that the occupant of this crucial seat would have felt preparing for takeoff.
16 • TWIN & TURBINE September 2018