B29
 

Off topic ,but very interesting,
tomorrow ,sunday morning at 8 am in Whichita kansas the B29 Doc will make its first flight after restoration,the worlds second only flying B29.
there is a live link to the flight.http://www.b-29doc.com/firstflight
Lawrie

Re: B29
 

'DOC'

Did you know that more money was expended on the B-29 Project than on the Manhattan Project?


http://i1.wp.com/www.b-29doc.com/wp-...fit=1024%2C603

Re: B29
 

Had the same result though,
I sure wish I could be over to watch.
Lawrie

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I live right next to the old Wichita Airport (where the B29 is located). I'll watch for you Lawrie! I never personaly worked on Doc, but had a lot of friends that did.

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I sure hope they glue the vertical stab and rudder on that thing before they crank-up to go. I can't imagine why it's not visible in the pic. DD

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Yes, I just have to work out the time difference and get up to watch,
looks like about 11 pm tonight
Lawrie

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I actually have a piece of that airplane.

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Hi Everyone, TonyM, we're hangin' here. What bit of that historic machine do you have?

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Jeff, He probably has the vertical stab and rudder that DD refers to...;)
Ken

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KGS, Yeah, well, I've see the Vert Stab on that beast's sister, in the Air & Space in downtown decades ago, and that just plain don't fit in anybody's garage that I know of! Including a Mr. Hendrick who lives in NC, who pretty much has unlimited space. Easier to store a Space Shuttle than just a vert section of the tail on that one.

Anyone can see the photo has the tail-less, stealth version of the B-29ab! Sheesh!

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See the center door piece in the hanger door? That's what that center upper door is for.

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Equipped with "vertical stab and rudder""....

http://i0.wp.com/www.b-29doc.com/wp-...fit=1024%2C683
http://i2.wp.com/www.b-29doc.com/wp-...fit=1024%2C683

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The other B-29, "Fifi", will be in Oshkosh for the EAA show, the last week in July.

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Boy, I wish it were something dramatic and impressive like a propeller or an instrument, but it is not. When they began the resto, the sponsors were giving away pieces of Doc's discarded aluminum skin to donors and others. A friend from Kansas was involved some how and he sent me a piece of Doc as a gift. A piece of Doc's aluminum with the AAF serial number and the Boeing logo.

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In 1979 I flew a C-5 for display at Tennessee Aviation Days at Mc Ghee-Tyson, I believe. Wally Schirra came out from Base Ops and asked for a cockpit tour, which I was happy to provide. He said he once thought the B-29 was a huge aircraft and he laughed at how small it seemed under our wing.
Everything is relative.

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back in 1970/71 I was in the Navy in Charleston SC and lived near the air base there, we were right under the runway takeoff direction and that plane is HUGE and when it flew over everything in the house shook!!. Took my Dad to an air base open house and he just stood there and marveled about its size, at the time two C141's were parked under the wings of it

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Here's a valiant effort to recover another B-29. Made me cry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpR2S_gu5I8

Lonnie

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I missed seeing FiFi about 30 years ago when it was in town, but made sure to see her a couple of weeks ago when it was again in South Bend. I booked a flight in the navigator's seat, the same as my dad trained in. Very memorable.
I'm glad to see there will be another one of these very important airplanes in flight soon for many to enjoy. :)

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Well Lawrie, what do you think of that? Pretty impressive, I might say so myself.

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that is sooo good,well worth me staying up till 12.45 am.
Lawrie