Doc and FIFI side by side on the warbird ramp at Sun N Fun 2026

The only two airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortresses on Earth, Doc and FIFI, were parked wingtip to wingtip on the warbird ramp at Sun N Fun 2026 in Lakeland, Florida. The four-day joint appearance culminated in a Saturday formation flyby — the first time both aircraft have flown together at this show. Out of the nearly 4,000 B-29s built, these are the last two still flying.

Why Doc and FIFI Together Is a Historic Event

For decades after World War II, zero B-29s flew. The type that had been the most expensive weapons program of the war — more costly than the Manhattan Project — was cut up for scrap at Davis-Monthan by the hundreds.

FIFI was recovered from the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in 1971, where she had been used as a missile target in the Mojave Desert. The Commemorative Air Force (then called the Confederate Air Force) flew her out in 1974. For roughly 35 years afterward, FIFI was the only flying B-29 in the world.

Doc returned to the sky in 2016 after a restoration that consumed more than 300,000 volunteer hours, led by Tony Mazzolini and the Doc’s Friends organization out of Wichita. Doc had also spent decades in the Mojave as a radar calibration target.

Two survivors. Out of nearly four thousand.

The Scale of a B-29 Up Close

Photographs and video do not convey the size of these aircraft. The specifications:

Wingspan: 141 feet
Fuselage length: 99 feet
Vertical stabilizer height: nearly 28 feet
Propeller diameter: over 16 feet across on each of the four Wright R-3350 engines

Each of those 18-cylinder twin-row radials produces 2,200 horsepower. With two airplanes parked side by side, that is eight engines and 16 propeller blades taller than most adults.

The Saturday Formation Flyby

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, both crews began start-up. Eight Wright R-3350s fired in sequence across both aircraft — the prime, the slow prop turn, the bark, the cloud of blue smoke, and the deep growl that only large radials produce.

Doc taxied out first, with FIFI following. Doc rolled for takeoff, lifted off, and settled into a gentle climb. FIFI followed about a minute later. The two aircraft joined up west of the field and returned to fly the length of the airshow line together at roughly 600 feet AGL — Doc on the right, FIFI on the left.

The crowd went silent during the pass. A B-29 veteran in a khaki cap stood at attention as the aircraft flew by. After the formation pass, both aircraft performed individual passes, landed in sequence, and taxied back to the warbird ramp.

Walking Through FIFI

The Commemorative Air Force ran paid walkthrough tours of FIFI during the event. The route takes visitors through the forward pressurized cabin, across the communication tunnel over the bomb bay, to the rear pressurized cabin, the gunner positions, and the bombardier station in the nose.

The tunnel — the only way the crew could move between the pressurized sections in flight — is tight, dark, and lined with small windows looking down into the bomb bay. It is the physical reality of what 18- to 20-year-old crews lived with at 25,000 feet over the Pacific.

Keeping Two B-29s Flying

Marcus, a crew chief with the Commemorative Air Force for over 20 years, explained the core maintenance challenge: Wright R-3350 parts are no longer manufactured. Magnetos, starters, cylinders — everything is scavenged, fabricated, or carefully preserved.

The Doc’s Friends and CAF organizations share parts, knowledge, and volunteer expertise. In Marcus’s words, they are competitors only on paper — in practice, they keep each other in the sky.

Ray, a Doc’s Friends crew chief of 12 years, described the emotional significance of arriving at Lakeland: “It felt like family showing up. We have been the only ones for a while. Now there is two of us.”

Where to See Doc and FIFI Next

The next major opportunity to see both aircraft together is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in July 2026. Both B-29s are tentatively scheduled to appear.

For ride flights and tour stops during the season:

Doc operates out of Wichita, Kansas — schedules via the Doc’s Friends website
FIFI operates out of Dallas, Texas — schedules via the Commemorative Air Force Air Power History Tour

Ride flights are available on both aircraft for a fee.

Key Takeaways

Doc and FIFI are the only two airworthy B-29 Superfortresses in the world, out of nearly 4,000 built.
The two aircraft flew a formation pass at Sun N Fun 2026 on Saturday at approximately 600 feet AGL — the first time they have flown together at this show.
FIFI was recovered in 1971 and returned to flight in 1974; Doc returned to flight in 2016 after 300,000+ volunteer hours.
Both organizations (Doc’s Friends and the Commemorative Air Force) share parts and expertise because Wright R-3350 components are no longer manufactured.
The next expected joint appearance is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in July 2026, schedule and weather permitting.