Off-Road in a B-29....

One of two hundred, fifty B-29 Superfortresses that were flown out to China Lake in 1956, this one was retrieved by volunteers from an organization known as The United States Aviation Museum in 1998.  Note the use of the bulldozer and of the large tractor in towing the aircraft.

The obsolete aircraft were left out on the gunnery range to be used as ground targets-the Commemorative Air Force's Fifi was one of this batch.

The aircraft in the photo was towed from the China Lake Naval Weapons Station to nearby Inyokern Airport. The original plan was to restore it to flying condition at Inyokern, but Boeing made an offer that could not be refused-namely that they would dismantle and truck the aircraft (known as "Doc", because the Disney character was painted on the nose of the airplane) to its plant in Wichita, Kansas, where state-of-the-art facilities could be utilized for the restoration.

Most of the restoration is complete, but Boeing wound up needing the space.  So, the aircraft is being stored at an aviation museum in Kansas while attempts are made to locate another restoration facility.

Photo by Scott Schwartz.