B29 FiFi Flew Over Today

[Greenleaf]

I subcribe to "Flight Jurnal" and don't always set down to read it. It has the latest about what planes are restored /crashes etc. Have not heard word about B17 Aluminum Overcast. I see this one often along with B17 Texas Raders. I just love the bright aluminum planes!!!



There has always been a rivalry between the 4th FG and the 56FG

That makes for some good reading guys!!



My favorite picture of all the WWII would have to be the pic taken of the airfied @ the meeting of fighter group commanders in Europe. It has some P38's P51's and a couple of 47's including Dave Shillings 47 Hairless Joe. Of special interest is the fact that Col. Hub Zemkie flew a P38 to the meeting!



-S



Good stuff guys! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hohn]

I saw a B-29 in Denver. I think it was owned by the Confederate Air Force. There's also one on display at the Pima Air Museum here in Tucson. I was impressed with the max altitude (somewhere close to 40K) and airspeed of the B-29.



Cool

I got to work on the CAF B-29 when I was stationed in Abilene. I enlisted in the AF after living in Midland (home of the CAF), and we knew the people who were storing some of the CAF planes on their ranch (Mabee ranch north of MIdland- huge spread).



So when I went home to Midland to visit, they thought I maybe could help with mu AF skills-- it was a blast.

 

[Boomer II]

FiFi was at Addison airport many years ago when I had a shop there. They flew right over my place as I was off the South end of the runway, very impressive, I love the sound of a radial engine.

 

[Greenleaf]

Picture of FiFi (finally)

 

[SOOT]

Been There Done That

I volunteered at the CAF HQ, in Midland, TX a couple of weekends and cleaned the liberator and worked on FIFI's #3 engine. After that we drug her out and ran all four engines up while on the tarmac . talk about power :--) later after she went for a quick pattern around the runway, i was standing in front of her while they again ran the engines up. I stood there and watched the pebbles on the cement jump up and down from the vibration. it was awesome! Oo.

Maybe ya'll can hit my mom up for some pics . she got some great ones while the engines were cranking and spitting lots of smoke. She even road on a cross country flight accros the rockies on FIFI, lucky gal .

If you ever get a chance to see one of the CAF's airshows, take advantage of it and go. also don't be afraid to donate while there, those old planes take lots of $ to keep going.

-Forrest

 

[SOOT]

Been There Done That

I volunteered at the CAF HQ, in Midland, TX a couple of weekends and cleaned the liberator and worked on FIFI's #3 engine. After that we drug her out and ran all four engines up while on the tarmac . talk about power :--) Later after she went for a quick pattern around the airport, i was standing in front of her while they again ran the engines up. I stood there and watched the pebbles on the cement jump up and down from the vibration. it was awesome! Oo.

Maybe ya'll can hit my mom up for some pics . she got some great ones while the engines were cranking and spitting lots of smoke. She even road on a cross country flight accros the rockies on FIFI, lucky gal .

If you ever get a chance to see one of the CAF's airshows, take advantage of it and go. also don't be afraid to donate while there, those old planes take lots of $ to keep going.

-Forrest

 

[Not Guilty]

I got to fly in FiFi!!! Flew from Seattle to Spokane on FiFi with Diamond Lil as escort about 3 years ago. Talk about a rush!!! Flew with the windows open and I even got to fly left seat! When we landed in Spokane, those of us just riding came in standing up so we could see better. They just greased 'er right in. Will dig out some photos so i can post them.



Karen

 

[Greenleaf]

My Dad went up in Dimond Lil The B24 (right?) cause they were giving rides. I went into the B29 and spoke with the crew, many of which flew these planes over the Pacific Islands many years back.



-S

 

[mike r]

My dad flew with the 315th in the south Pacific in the "Whiskey Raider". Man I've heard all the stories growing up. My father still attends his yearly AF reunion and he is 78 years old. The entire bunch still keep in touch through the year. He was interviewed about five years ago for one of the history channels documentaries on the B-29. I have the tapes from the interviews and the airing episodes. If you guys have some photos, e-mail some to me if you can, he'd love to see them.

 

[jkalchik]

So I'm heating my lunch in the microwave and I hear this deafening loud low roumble roar over top the school and bee-line it out to the front of the bus garage and I'm looking up at the belly of one of the most impressive airplanes from the Big War... ... . Boeing B29 Superfortress on it's final aproach into our fair city, Mansfield Ohio Oo.



...



The B29 "Box's Car" which dropped the second bomb is just south of here in Dayton.

VERY, VERY COOL!



One minor nit... ... The B29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki is "Bach's Car", not "Box's Car". IIRC, the plane commander's name was Bach, and I don't remember his first name.

 

[michigandon]

We recently lost the Yankee Air Museum due to a fire about a week ago. Luckily, the B-25 crew happened to be on site and managed to save all of the aircraft except two. This was somepalce that I had been meaning to visiti for quite a while. Guess it's too late now.



http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1097403595299010.xml?aanews?NEY



http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1097505866114441.xml?aanews?NEY



http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-2/109759229523350.xml?aanews?NEY



http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-10/10976788797020.xml?aanews?NEA



http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1098110459234850.xml?aanews?NEY

 

[loncray]

A nit on your nit - it was Bock's Car, named for Frederick Bock.

 

[jkalchik]

A nit on your nit - it was Bock's Car, named for Frederick Bock.

Thank you for the nit, on my nit! Obviously got the spelling wrong, but I knew it wasn't _Box's_!

 

[Jengle]

There is another one, undergoing restoration, now, sitting in a full hangar, and open to the public, in the New England Air Museum in Hartford, CT. This one is Jack's Hack. Can't get in it, but can walk around it and get a feel for the sheer size of the beast. The rest of the museum smells like an old hangar should, with the fuel and hydraulic fluid smells. Nirvana!

 

[Andy Perreault]

Boeing off-duty employees, retirees, and volunteers are restoring a B29 at the Boeing plant in Wichita. Here's a link: http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/b29/

Andy

 

[Greenleaf]

Jengle, I have heard of "Jack's" plane. Maybe I'll visit the web site if they have one.



Thanks guys for correcting my mistake. I knew it was Bock's Car. I had misspelled it. I'm a big fan of the "round motor" and get down to Dayton as often as I can to salvitate over them. I can stand under "Bock's Car" and study that cut away of a 2,200 HP Wright Cyclone R-3350 for hours. Needless to say my wife hates these trips.



Maybe they can set up an arts/crafts shop in the museum.



If you guys want to study a BOMB'ed "round motor" check out the air racer "Rare Bear" F8F-Bearcat. (Right?) I don't think he is using the R-3350 though. That would be too small of an engine for him. I'm thinking he is operating on nitrus. You otta see that airframe twist when he opens her up!! He put her up at the last airshow I attended.



Any of you guys live out there in the Van Nys (spelling) area see this thing???? There are many fighters out that way. Fighter Rebuilders is one shop I recall.



Scott

 

[AfterBurner]

You got it right... Rare Bear. Set the propeller driven world speed record. I believe 529mph or so. As props get within reach Mach 1 they drastically loose efficiency, so we probably won't see much faster. Amazing plane she is though. Love the sound of those radials screamin! Oo.

 

[crobertson1]

Wow, I'm amazed FiFi is still flying around. That's great. It must have been 25 years ago or so that I saw her at an airshow here in Denver.

My house is at the top of mtn here in Colorado and a couple of years ago, a P-51 went screaming through the canyon in front of the house. I thought I was halucinating. It was quite a site. It was gone before I could even react.

Craig