A visit with Fifi.

centash · Aug 15, 2018

No, not an old girlfriend, but Fifi the 73 year old B 29 bomber that was in a local airport for a few days. She was in the circuit as I pulled into the airport and we were able to tour the cockpit and bomb bay. Well worth a 90 minute drive for a chance in a lifetime, but a ride at some 1500 dollars was beyond my budget.Great crew to talk to as well.
Ben

FLOLDFORD · Aug 15, 2018

$1500 Is a lot of money but if it ever comes to Florida I'm going to have to think really hard about it. That ride would be a chance of a lifetime for me. Years ago I had the pleasure of sitting in the campground at the Sun n Fun Flyin here in Florida and listen to a B 29 pilot tell stories of his missions over Japan. He also had a scrapbook full of pictures he shared with us.

Crazy Horse · Aug 15, 2018

Great post ...... for those that like to read, a link below will bring you up to date on this particular B29 ...... and a footnote at the end says there are 26 still in existence but only two flying. Certainly an interesting story, this one showed up at the very end of WWII and likely saw no war service.
B 29 Fifi info

Billy Shafer · Aug 15, 2018

I used to fly in TBM 401 SL. If you think tractors eat money. Try one of those old aircraft. That 1500.00 will get eaten up real quick.

centash · Aug 15, 2018

Yes, they said 10000 dollars per hour operating cost....even in it's somewhat detuned condition. Yikes!
Ben

FLOLDFORD · Aug 15, 2018

Billy I've got a lot of bootleg hours in old aircraft. About 20 in a Stearman with a 450 PW in it and around 10 or so in a AT 6 and a few hours in the right seat of a Twin Beach The best was the hour I spent in a two place Mustang back 20 years ago. I've been away from aviation for quite a few years but I would love to get back in it but the cost is like you said more than my budget will allow. I've had the pleasure of flying with one of the best air show pilots in the US over the years and he's still a good friend of mine. If you get time Google a fellow by the name of Elliot Cross. He taught me more about flying than any pilot I ever met. He taught me that just about any aircraft could be rolled as long as you maintain positive G's. He made me a believer in that one evening when he rolled a Grumman Goose with 4 of us sitting in the back! And by the way he showed me how to ski a Stearman across a lake.

kcm.MN · Aug 15, 2018

Guess I missed my chance. When in USAF, there was an air show on base. Had a chance to ride in a B-17 (IIRC), but didn't want to spend the $350 to do so. They said the rides had been at full capacity. Besides, I always liked smaller planes better.

My favorite ride was in an Alon Aircoupe. It hadn't been restored, so there were screws rattling all over the place. Looked and sounded like it would fall apart any moment.

Hay hay hay · Aug 15, 2018

That aircraft is a testament to American education system and our ingenuity. The ability to convert assembly lines to make aircraft by the hundreds is what won the war. The bravery of our solders was critical, but they could not have done it without the brilliant engineering know-how to give them the weapons (guns, aircraft and ships) they needed to win. The next time you hear someone say education is unimportant...tell them about the B29 and how it was built almost overnight in mass production.

NIK OWEN · Aug 15, 2018

YOU BY NOW, KNOW ME & PLANES...WUZ IN CAF YRS, GOT 2 RIDE HER, MIDLAND TO HARLINGEN, AF TER MDL SHOW...SHE LOST AN ENG @ LUBBOCK, DID AA LITTLE TO HELP ENGINE CHANGE...PILOT FOR OUR TEST FLITE WUZ CARTER MCGREGOR, WHO FLEW THE FIRST, AND LAST, MISSION OVER JAPAN...HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED, OF GOD,IN AVIATION...HOPE OLFORD GETS BACK IN, MAYBE IN AIRCOUPE, WHICH I GOT MY LIC IN, 68...BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED...

showcrop · Aug 15, 2018

I saw one some 15 years ago fly over when I was out in the field. I wasn't running anything at the time so I heard that low pitched rumble that they make for awhile before it came into view flying low. It had the bright yellow tail of the Confederate Air Force. I went home and looked it up and saw that they had been up in Maine the day before and were scheduled in NH the following day so their path was right over me. A few years ago while in FL I went to the Kissimmee airport and saw the Precious Metal 3200 HP P-51 Mustang, as they were preparing it to go to AZ to race. It burned up while heading out there though.

steve706 · Aug 15, 2018

If you liked that, I?m surprised you didn?t use to hang around Sky Harbour, closer to home and more variety. Lot of hardware went through there, they were the top warbird refinishers in North America before the owner disappeared.

David Snipes · Aug 15, 2018

Pretty cool. My dad was a Chief Gunnery Officer in a B-29 during the Korean war. He wasn't really an officer. He was a Sergeant. He had the top viewing bubble just behind the pilot's cabin. He would decide which gunner commanded which guns during an attack. A gunner could remotely control more than one gun turret to aim at an attacking aircraft.

centash · Aug 15, 2018

Yeah, did see a few go through there....nicest one was a P 51 that made a few low level passes at high speed as he was leaving...wow!
Ben

centash · Aug 15, 2018

Also, that's where I got my PPL. Fifi leaves for London tomorrow....
Ben

Steve@Advance · Aug 15, 2018

Wow! I'd love to get to crawl around inside that!

About all I could afford to do though, sure couldn't pay the price, but would be tempting!

37chief · Aug 15, 2018

Looks like you had a good time. Ever since my Navy days I have always liked those old planes with radial engines. In mechanics school we had Sky Raider planes we practice starting. In the fleet, another school with P2V's. Another big twin radial engine plane, with two jet engines. I was assigned to a Patrol squadron. We had 12 P5M sea planes. Water only landing. The planes had two R3350 engines I really didn't appreciate at the time being able to fly in those planes, but glad I did. Then every thing came to an end. We got 12 new planes. Lockheed Electra turbo prop P3'S. About every year I hear B17's fly over from the Miramar air show in S. Calif. I hear them long before I can see them. The good old days. Stan

Ande · Aug 15, 2018

Thanks for the link, sure enjoyed

Ande · Aug 15, 2018

Enjoyed your post.

sunsettractor · Aug 16, 2018

A Beautiful Bird, Been following FIFI since She came back to Life.
Thank You for sharing these pictures, Very Envious!! Tom

James Howell · Aug 16, 2018

My uncle was a pilot in the B29s during the Korean conflict.

My father briefly flew as a bombardier in the B29s after WW2.

Beautiful airplane.

Thanks for sharing your photos with us.

JLG · Aug 16, 2018

It was in my town for 2 days last summer. When it flew over you knew it! Awesome plane. We went out on a Sunday and watched it take off.

JF in MI · Aug 16, 2018

Not many folks know that, in the beginning, pilots did not want to fly the B29; too big, dangerous, etc. Paul Tibbets came up with an interesting way to get them "over" their fears.
WASPs

Blackhole49 · Aug 16, 2018

Several years ago my youngest son and I went to an air show at Oakland International Airport (MI). They were giving rides in a Ford Tri Motor. The guy in line in front of us told the women selling tickets that $32 was way too much to pay. I gladly handed over the $64. Quite an experience.

1948CaseVAI · Aug 16, 2018

I am blessed to be in Wichita where Doc, restored B29, lives. I walk and ride my bike at a county park in the traffic pattern of the Wichita airport so get a real good view of Doc, at about 400 feet AGL, on final at least twice a month. Love to hear those engines coming up behind me, but sure thankful I never heard those engines coming in anger!

One interesting addition to Doc is that they have installed a container and outlet pipe in the tail so they can distribute ashes of those who wish to be scattered by a B29. They also have done at least one burial fly-over for an old B29 crew member.

https://www.b29doc.com/

caterpillar guy · Aug 16, 2018

I was going to say, 1500 would probably just about pay for the fuel for one demonstration flight. Never was around planes,boats or ships. Always thought all three would consume large quantities of fuel do do much, from the way I have heard people talk, that do have them.

centash · Aug 16, 2018

Pressurized tube that connects the cockpit to the aft compartments. Looks claustrophobic even on the ground.
Ben

steve706 · Aug 16, 2018

There were quite a few low level passes over the years out there because the aircraft would be over the lake before anyone had a chance to complain to TC. The two best were a FG-1D we did that made a pass up the main taxiway below hanger height and cleared the hydro wires on Airport road by 5 feet. The other one was also the fastest, an ex USN pilot flying a Citation 2 passed 15-20 feet over our hangers at full throttle, the trailer park people down the road called the OPP on the guy.

K Effective · Aug 16, 2018

Thanks for evoking the memories, had a friend who was a crew chief for a P-51, starting in Africa on up through France and into Germany, six years at war. One plane, two pilots, a few bumps along the way. Came home to farm and wrench for the IH truck shop. He entered through the Minnesota Air Guard and remained a supported of their collection at the Airport in St. Paul, MN, including a restored P-51.

Barely keeping my stuff together right now, thinking about that great man and so many like him who served to make our lives possible.

docmirror · Aug 16, 2018

Fifi lives not far from me, and I used to have my plane hangared in the same big bay. I was lucky enough to do a little work on some wiring and got a short test ride a number of years ago. It is LOUD. Not only the cost, but the time involved by dozens of people to keep it in the air is a real testament.

Hundreds of man-hours per year to keep it flying. Parts are getting very hard to source for several systems, and once something critical is missing will ground the plane for weeks, or months until a suitable adaption is found.

A visit with Fifi.

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