Tatge

from East Wichita News-WestSide Story - February 2-23

Directory of Wichita Area Churches

Continued from Page 17

Then there is the history of the plane and all the B-29 Superfortress plains. The four-engine, propeller-driven heavy bomber from Boeing played an essential role in World War II and the Korean War. It was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing but also was good for low-altitude night incendiary bombing runs. The United States Army used it to drop naval mines to blockade Japan. And it was a B-29 that dropped the nuclear bombs on Japan that effectively ended World War II.

“It’s easy to think about the past and the young men who flew this things. These guys flew across the ocean long range, going for hours on end. They were just kids, 19- and 20-year-old kids,” Tatge said. “The pilot in charge is probably 25, and they call him ‘the old man.’”

Tatge said that years ago, he was at an airport in Orange County, Calif., where a B-25 is housed. Some of the World

War II pilots who flew that type of plane would often show up to talk with visitors about it.

“I asked one of the guys how they did it, and he said, ‘We just didn’t know any better.’”

Knowing the history of the B-29, and the background of all the folks who volunteers to fly and maintain Doc, keeps Tatge very aware of the privilege he has to be one of the pilots.

“It’s a huge honor to be a part of this thing,” he said.

Tatge started flying right after school at the age of 18, and got his pilot’s license in 1983. He has worked as a flight instructor, test pilot, flight safety instructor, airline pilot, and even gave tours in the Grand Canyon.

Some customers were a bit uncertain about the Grand Canyon flights.

“I was 26 but looked 16,” Tatge said with a laugh. “They would ask, ‘How long have you been flying?’ And I would say, ‘Counting today?’”

Being a pilot is not as glamorous as the media often makes it out to be.

“It’s a hard life. You give so much,” he said.

Once you get that rush, however, it is hard to get rid of it.

“My very first flight was in a Stearman in 1977 in Aspen. It kind of gets you hooked,” Tatge said.

He paused when asked what his favorite plane is to fly.

“They all have a niche, a purpose. The old Learjets were a lot of fun. They were my first jet. Citations are great airplanes,” he said. “Flying Doc, it doesn’t compare. It’s a whole different ballgame. Mostly, it’s flying a piece of history.”

People who come to see Doc often have an emotional reaction or connection. Tatge said the lines to see the cockpit are often long.

One time in St. Joseph, Mo., a family was visiting Doc. The patriarch was an old crew member. He went on a ride and got to sit in his old seat, 66 years after he had been a crew member, Tatge said. The man passed away two weeks later.

“The memories, that this plane brings out, the nostalgia – people are drawn to it, the beauty of it, the sound of the engines,” Tatge said. “I still pinch myself, wondering how I got into it.”

These photos give an idea of where Scott Tatge sits as co-pilot of Doc, and what his view of the controls and the outside world looks like.