Historic WWII-era bomber to land at Georgetown Airport for open house

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A historic World War II aircraft will be on display at the Georgetown Airport next week.

The B-29 Superfortress, a four-engine, propeller-driven heavy bomber, is one of only two aircraft of its kind still flying. Guests can view the bomber when it lands at the airport on April 25 during an open house event.

The Superfortress is one of the largest aircraft flown during World War II. At 141 feet wide and three stories tall, the plane was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing. It’s the only aircraft ever to drop nuclear weapons in combat.

County leaders say the Superfortress set to land at the airport is named Doc and features a painted image of the character from Disney’s “Snow White.”

According to the county, 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.

“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,” said Jim Taylor, Georgetown County Airport Manager. “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.”

Community members can view the aircraft on April 25 and 26; however, if interested in a closer look, tours will cost $10 per person or $20 per family.

Flight experiences will be offered on April 27 and start at $600. The experience will last roughly 90 minutes and includes a 30-minute ride. Proceeds will go toward keeping Doc flying and on the public circuit.

Organizers said there will be no other costs for the open house, which is part of S.C. Aviation Week and National County Government Month.

The open house will also feature a mix 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 Taylor. “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.”