FIFI Flies Again

[jesse]

This is not a true propliner, but it is related to the Boeing B-377 and the C-97 Stratofreighter. Perthaps an Uncle.....




To our friends who may not understand the passion we feel for planes and particularly planes from WWII, this is Fifi. It is the only flying B-29 Strato Fortress in the world. This is one of the combat airplanes that flew from Iwo Jima, Saipan, Tinian islands to bomb Japan and help win the war. It was usually escorted by P-51 Mustangs to protect her from enemy fighters, but many thousands of planes and aircrews were lost fighting for our country.



We have completely rebuilt this aircraft and those powerful prop engines to bring Fifi back to life. It took years to accomplish, many thousands of donated dollars and thousands of hours of work by many unpaid volunteers to make this happen so that everyone can share this important part of our history. This is a unique flying museum.

If you get a chance to see her at an air show, don't pass up the chance. You are watching history and she is the only one left out of thousands. This is truly a rare aircraft. Enjoy the video. Click below.


vimeo.com/17388627

[sunny9850]

Hi Jesse,

thanks for sharing. A great video of a wonderful airplane. I have worked a bit with the Planes of Fame guys when the 262 was still there, and have done a bit of work with the CAF at Camarillo ....but nothing could be as monumental as keeping a B-29 in the air. Outstanding job and a great big thank you to everyone involved for keeping history alive.

And with Memorial Day just around to corner... a big thank you to all the veterans for their service.

Cheers
Stefan

[garryrussell]

Beautiful...thanks for sharing that

Garry

[trebor716]

Fifi's not the only B-29 in the world. it's the only airworthy B-29 in the world, but it's one of 2 B-29's in existence. the other is in the smithsonian. Enola Gay.


great find. I have this old VHS called Warplanes. made in the 1980s and it shows Fifi in there flying.

[sunny9850]

The MoF in Seattle also has a crew working on a B-29....but that will only be a static display aircraft. FiFi is the only one flying as Jesse pointed out in his opening post. The Castle AFB museum also has one on static display and I believe just around the corner at March AFB is another one....so a few more than 2 survivors.

www.museumofflight.org/akcho-awards

[pilotchuck]

Nice vedio.

The Pima Air Museum in Tuscon has one too. Quite a treat to have seen it.

Here is the link to the museum showing the plane in its hanger.
www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=27

I've seen the one at Castle and the one in the Smithsonian.

It's worth a trip to Tuscon if only to go to this museum. Lot's of classice militarty props. Hallowed ground to say the least.

[johnl]

There's another B-29 in the UK, at IWM Duxford. She's a non-flyer now, but her 1980 arrival can be seen at:-

www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DqPgz3P8q1VM

[capflyer]

May 26, 2011 14:23:03 GMT -5 trebor716 said:

Fifi's not the only B-29 in the world. it's the only airworthy B-29 in the world, but it's one of 2 B-29's in existence. the other is in the smithsonian. Enola Gay.


great find. I have this old VHS called Warplanes. made in the 1980s and it shows Fifi in there flying.

Sorry to beat a dead horse here, but as was mentioned before, Jesse correctly stated that FiFi is the only FLYING B-29 right now (BTW, she's in the NE right now doing some airshows. Did Andrews last weekend, and is going to another airshow at I believe Frederick, MD, this weekend).

As for surviving B-29's, there's quite a few more than 2.

Here's a good list -
www.warbirdregistry.org/b29registry/b29registry.html

[bob-bgan005]

A side note about Fifi.

Sometime around the late 1990's to the early 2000s, Fifi stopped at Cincinnati Lunken Airport (KLUK). It was on display and allowing people to go inside for a fee (for gas money). A friend and I were in line to go inside and we were the next to go in. They checked and found that 2 more could fit into to listen to the lecture. A fellow motioned for us but a man and a little boy were walking by in an area where they were not supposed to be. The man took his son and jumped the line ahead of us and went in. This made me a little angry!

After that group got off and it was our turn, I got happy! We were the first on and I sat in the pilots seat, my friend sat in the co-pilots seat and the fellow who gave the lecture was next to me. Best seats in the aircraft! Back where the man and boy would have been, it was dark and you could not see much.
After we got off the A/C, I looked for the man to thank him for jumping the line, but never found him.

Bob

PS: Darn, they disconnected the batteries so I could not start her!

[ashaman]

Looks new, that old lady. Man what would I not pay for a ride, even a small one. May not be a propLINER, but is a piece of history that returns in its element, no doubt. VERY nice clip.

[capflyer]

Sabato, come over to the US to one of her tour stops, and you'll be able to take a ride, including DVD of the flight. One of the last things they did before putting her back in the air was installing HD-quality video in the airplane to be part of the flight experience and from the demo I saw, those who take the flight will have something to cherish forever.

www.cafb29b24.org - Mouse over the "Book a Flight" link to see what stops are offering rides.

[Lockheed]

This is not a true propliner, but it is related to the Boeing B-377 and the C-97 Stratofreighter. Perthaps an Uncle.....

Well.....it's got props and nice lines, so it's a PROPLINER to me. And.....it did its job back a "few years" ago. Not only an Uncle, but GREAT UNCLE.

[ashaman]

Should I ever go over the pond (41 years old and still never got out of Italy's borders... unless you count the Vatican ), I'll do my level best to book a flight on her.

[simondix]

May 28, 2011 6:29:17 GMT -5 ashaman said:

Should I ever go over the pond (41 years old and still never got out of Italy's borders... unless you count the Vatican ), I'll do my level best to book a flight on her.

There is still time. I did not start travelling abroad, except for a couple of booze cruises and a long weekend in Amsterdam, until I was 49. Been to India, Sri Lanka and Cyprus now. Possibly Africa next. Would like to do America but SWMBO is not that keen. Go ahead and do it. You will not regret it.

[jesse]

;DCome on over. As the old Motel Six commercial says, "We'll leave a light on for you".

Jesse