Want to witness the ultimate tug-of-war competition, where it’s people vs. a 40-ton warbird? For the third year in a row, at the B-29 Doc Hangar (located at 1788 S. Airport Road), a benefit will be hosted to support student initiatives at the Education & Visitors Center in Wichita, Kansas.

The challenge is to see which team of 25 people can pull "Doc" the fastest. Doc is a restored B-29 aircraft, weighing about 80,000 pounds. Teams will race against the clock to pull Doc’s nearly 40 tons with 25 feet of rope. Time will be kept, as to how long it takes each team to pull the aircraft 25 feet.

The ultimate prize is given to the person who raises the most donations (a ride in Doc).

The History of Doc:

Doc, the historic B-29, was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps in March 1945. Five months later, these types of aircraft were used to drop two atomic bombs, eventually leading to Japan’s surrender at the end of WWII. In July 1951, Doc was assigned to radar calibration duty, along with some other B-29’s. The squadron was known as the ’Seven Dwarves’. In May 1955, Doc was assigned to target-towing duty, and a year later, Doc and the rest of its squadron became targets for bomb training at China Lake, California.

After 16 years of restoration, on July 17, 2016, the B-29 "Doc" roared back to flight. It has traveled to numerous air shows and now serves its mission as a flying tribute to the men and women who designed, built, maintained, and served in the B-29 Superfortress, protecting our freedoms. Retired aviation workers and countless other volunteers spent over 350,000 hours working to bring Doc back to life. The B-29 was known to be technologically ahead of its time. It was a high-altitude, long-range bomber that pushed the limits of science.

The Pull-a-Plane event is a family-friendly activity and is open to the public. Anyone is welcome to attend. Public admission is $10 per person, or $25 for a family (up to six people). The admission fee grants access to the Pull a Plane event at the Doc Hangar, where various STEM AVSED activities occur, including cockpit tours of the Doc.

Each team of 25 is requested to raise a minimum of $2,500 to help benefit education. The goal is to pull the restored Superfortress a distance of 25 feet, as fast as possible. Join in the fun and test your strength and speed against the competitors. You can join a team or create one. Either way, you will be benefitting the Wichita State University’s Technical Foundation and the B-29 Doc. Sign-up here.

There’s also an opportunity for a Kids’ Pull Event, where youth between the ages of 7 and 17 can sign up to pull a smaller aircraft. Children are not charged for participating in the Kids’ Pull Event. If you don’t want to participate in pulling, there are other volunteer opportunities available.

Event Schedule:

So grab your barbells, start working out, and recruit your friends and co-workers to see if you have what it takes to pull a warbird fortress 25 feet in record time!