Neat Video ...

[UGLY OLDS]

Can't remember where I found this BUT it is NEAT ...     Kinda long but NEAT  

Bob ....  

http://www.warhistoryonline.com/whotube-2/tube-fly-boeing-b-29-superfortress-b-29-flight-procedure-combat-crew-functioning-2.html

[kb426]

I watched that. Very enjoyable.

[wayne petty]

the guy who owned the big boat i worked on was a B29 pilot during the war..

he told me of some of his exploits..  his DFC..  said he crashed 2 B29s.. first one lost 3 engines on take off .. they dumped the bombs and the ditched it in the ocean just off the beach..  second lost plane.. they actually got it back and and lost all power on landing.. he had his feet on the dashboard and was pulling back on the yoke trying to get it to flare.. but that ended up with a crash also..   just after making a bombing run.. smoke filled the cockpit..  the flight commander called for everybody to bail out..  he looked out the window and they were still over japan.. he got the wire cutters from the radio guy and found the source of the smoke and started cutting wires into that box until it stopped smoking..  they flew back without electrical power by following other planes.. boeing staff had not known what was causing the loss of quite a few aircraft .. the box was the voltage regulator for the generator on engine 3.  he said they offered him a medal.. he refused it.. said.. i was just trying to save us..  saved many other crews when boeing figured out what caused the problem.  they did not have any others make it back before that..

he did get in trouble.. on one flight.. he and the bombadier set the bomb rack to hold 1 bomb.. their flight path after their bomb run was over the imperi al pala ce..   they put it in the courtyard.. he was read the riot act.. moved to camera ships... solo missions over japan.. ended up flying the camera ship after the bombs were dropped.. he had about 50 photographs taken that day by private cameras on board..  somebody got in his storage and they vanished..   he said he had ended up in bombers for an unlikely reason..  he grew up in colorado springs working in gold mines as a kid..  learned to play poker .. the flight training staff at the fighter school had a game running.. cleaning out training pilots pay.. but he was better and cleaned out the base staff also.. so they booted him out of fighters.. and into a twin engine high performance bomber.. B25 B26.. i don't recall.. that only lasted a til the end of the first fully manned training flight.   in  flighter school.. the did high speed passes and barrel rolls as they finished the training flight.. so at the end of the flight he told the crew to strap in and hang on... . yep.. he did a 1 G wing over or barrel roll.. the crew said they would never fly with him again.. the aircraft crew chief had him arrested. . he was taken before the base commander.. said. you should spend the next 20 years in prison for ruining war material. that was a brand new plane. and it will never fly again..  you had knocked every rivet loose.. but instead you are being transferred to B29.s  as the commander  continued.. prior to you ruining that aircraft.. i was training my ground crews on wooden mockups.. now they have a real airplane to train the ground crews on that will never fly so it won't kill any crews if they mess up...  

just thought i would add to the B29 info..

[papastoyss]

The twin engine high performance bomber you mentioned was a B 26 Maurader. My dad was a tail gunner in one.It was also known as the widowmaker, it had a much higher takeoff & landing speed than pilots were used too & many crashed. It was used in Europe mainly for attacking bridges, rail lines & supply depots.The only thing my dad (rip) would ever say was "There were many times I didn't think I was coming home". Thank goodness he was a crack shot!

[jaybee]

Some of you have probably seen this, but it's a great video. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/b29-frozen.html

The Kee Bird was a B29 which landed hard on Greenland and was abandoned for several decades. These are amazing machines and the show goes into a lot of the specifics. Unfortunately as in our garages one moment of inattention resulted in disaster. The bird was burned to the ground while doing taxi tests immediately before they intended to attempt flying off the ice.

[Carnut]

Really cool video. Thanks.

the Kee Bird story was a crying shame.

There's another B-29 being restored to flying condition here in Wichita.

http://b-29doc.com/

My last couple of years working at Boeing I walked past Doc everyday on the way to my office in the Wichita Experimental Flight Hanger.

Latest news on Doc is first flight expected in Spring 2015.