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I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to see and tour this old bird.
"Fifi" was built in July of 1945, and never saw combat. She was recovered from the China Lake proving ground in 1971, where she had been wasting away in the blazing desert heat as a gunnery target. The CAF had been looking for a B-29 for its fleet, and after negotiating with the Navy to buy the plane, managed to bring her back to flying condition in an astounding nine months. In 2006, due to problems with the original Wright R-3350-57AM engines (which were always problematic and had a tendency to overheat and catch fire) "Fifi" was grounded and fitted with new engines built from parts that were used in the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar and the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. This project cost a total of 3-million dollars. "Fifi" returned to the sky in 2010. Each of the four 18 cylinder engines is rated at 2,000 hp, and each one has a name: Ingrid, Mitzi, Rita, and Betty.
A couple of interesting facts about the B-29, according to one CAF volunteer I spoke with:
-During WWII, the B-29 was so technologically advanced that the unit cost of one plane was as much as a navy destroyer.
-The total cost of B-29 design, development, and production was more than the entire cost of the Manhattan Project, exceeding it by about 1 billion dollars.
The B-29's price tag isn't too hard to fathom when you consider that it was the first USAAF bomber with pressurized crew compartments, and it had radar. Also, the plane was equipped with the state of the art General Electric Central Fire Control system. This system allowed one gunner to remotely operate multiple turrets. Targeting of enemy aircraft was achieved using five advanced gun scopes located throughout the fuselage to relay data about the distance and position of enemy aircraft to corresponding analog computers, which would factor airspeed, temperature, lead, gravity, and humidity for accurate aiming.
*I have heard that there is another B-29 which has just finished undergoing restoration to flying condition.
"Fifi" was built in July of 1945, and never saw combat. She was recovered from the China Lake proving ground in 1971, where she had been wasting away in the blazing desert heat as a gunnery target. The CAF had been looking for a B-29 for its fleet, and after negotiating with the Navy to buy the plane, managed to bring her back to flying condition in an astounding nine months. In 2006, due to problems with the original Wright R-3350-57AM engines (which were always problematic and had a tendency to overheat and catch fire) "Fifi" was grounded and fitted with new engines built from parts that were used in the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar and the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. This project cost a total of 3-million dollars. "Fifi" returned to the sky in 2010. Each of the four 18 cylinder engines is rated at 2,000 hp, and each one has a name: Ingrid, Mitzi, Rita, and Betty.
A couple of interesting facts about the B-29, according to one CAF volunteer I spoke with:
-During WWII, the B-29 was so technologically advanced that the unit cost of one plane was as much as a navy destroyer.
-The total cost of B-29 design, development, and production was more than the entire cost of the Manhattan Project, exceeding it by about 1 billion dollars.
The B-29's price tag isn't too hard to fathom when you consider that it was the first USAAF bomber with pressurized crew compartments, and it had radar. Also, the plane was equipped with the state of the art General Electric Central Fire Control system. This system allowed one gunner to remotely operate multiple turrets. Targeting of enemy aircraft was achieved using five advanced gun scopes located throughout the fuselage to relay data about the distance and position of enemy aircraft to corresponding analog computers, which would factor airspeed, temperature, lead, gravity, and humidity for accurate aiming.
*I have heard that there is another B-29 which has just finished undergoing restoration to flying condition.
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 720px
File Size 128.8 kB
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