I read and watched the videos you posted awhile ago.
I was all thru FIFI a few years ago, made me cry. It was near sixty years ago, that I volunteered to be a crew member on one of those. When you are young and STUPID you do stupid things.
I could not pass the physical for pilot training so they offered me a chance to go along anyway, never figured that out. Flying B-29s was always at the least, an adventure and most times terrifying death cheaters, there was no such thing as "routine flight".
So, you DID always know the exact location of the on-board fire extinguishers at all times during every flight and you DID have a planned hasty exit out the nearest escape hatch?? ;-)
So, you DID always know the exact location of the on-board fire extinguishers at all times during every flight and you DID have a planned hasty exit out the nearest escape hatch?? ;-)
You well know the answer to that one.
I actually lost more friends to accidents and crashes than were shot down over Korea.
The day I volunteered for Combat Crew training was a bad day. As I was walking in to sign in, everyone came running out, so I joined them, and watched a B-29 on fire during a touch and go. She blew in one hell of a ball of fire, that was my first hint that I was indeed stupid.
August 5, 2010 —It’s been a long, challenging effort, but Thursday morning (August 5) it all paid off for the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) as its Boeing B-29 Superfortress FIFI returned to flight for the first time since 2004. After more than four years of work, FIFI lifted off the runway at Midland, Texas, just before 9 a.m. for a 39-minute flight.
“It is an emotional day at the CAF for our volunteer-members and staff,” said President Stephan Brown. “There were more than a few tears of joy shed by those who have worked over these past few years to see FIFI fly again. Today is a new beginning for this historic warbird.
“Thanks to the dedication of our members and the support of Jim Cavanaugh, the B-29 can once again return to telling the stories of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.”
Paul Stojkov, CAF Colonel and one of the B-29 pilots, exclaimed, “She ran like a top. It’s a very special day. A lot of us have been waiting for this for four and a half years. We have to thank everyone involved for their help in getting her to this point.”
The CAF Airpower Museum, located near Midland International Airport, will be open to the public at 7 a.m. this Saturday, August 7, as FIFI’s crew makes pre- flight preparations and its first public flight.
“Saturday is the perfect opportunity for our community to come out to the CAF and see FIFI fly,” said CAF President Stephan Brown. “Throughout the morning, the B-29 crew will be completing the required crew training that includes ‘touch and gos.’ It will be quite a show.”
At AirVenture last week, the CAF announced the “Red, White, and Loud Tour,” featuring pilot/entertainer Aaron Tippin and the glamorous warbird at various stops around the country, starting with the Rocky Mountain Fly-In in Denver August 28-29. Also planned is a visit to AirVenture next year - FIFI’s first appearance at Oshkosh in more than a decade.