Thu, Jul 08, 2010
FAA Deems FIFI is Airworthy. Phase I Flight Testing Can
Begin
On Tues. July 6, 2010, the FAA issued an Airworthiness
Certificate allowing the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) B-29
Superfortress crew to begin Phase I flight-testing. The tests will
begin in the afternoon on Friday July 9th and continue through
Saturday, July 10th. During these test flights, the B-29
crewmembers will be required to depart Midland International
Airport for unpopulated areas. Upon returning from the flights, the
crew will need to dismantle areas of the aircraft in order to
review the aircraft's performance and safety.
On Monday July 12, the B-29 will be in flight for crew training.
This is the perfect opportunity for community members to join the
CAF in celebrating FIFI's return to flight. During these training
exercises the B-29 crew will be performing "touch-and-gos" at
Midland International Airport.
The CAF Airpower Museum will open its doors at 0700 on Monday July
12 for visitors who would like to get a front row seat for FIFI's
pre-flight preparations and flight. Visitors to the museum will be
ushered to the main hangar for an up-close view of the crew
preparing this massive bomber for flight. Once FIFI begins to head
for the runways, visitors will be escorted to a prime viewing area,
to witness the B-29's crew training.
The B-29 was originally fitted with the Wright R-3350-57AM
engine, which had a less-than-desirable reputation since its
inception. True to this reputation, FIFI has experienced
numerous problems with her engines in the 30-plus years she has
been flying with the CAF. Following the discovery of metal
shavings in the engine oil, the B-29/B-24 Squadron held a lengthy
series of meetings with CAF personnel and experts in the field of
aircraft restoration and the decision was made to not fly the plane
again until it could be fitted with engines that are a custom built
combination of the R-3350-95W and R-3350-26WD engines. The refit
required reworking the engine mounts and some of the engine
cowling, making it a lengthy undertaking.
When the Commemorative Air Force (then Confederate Air Force) began
searching for a B-29 for its collection of historical military
aircraft, World War II had been over for 21 years. The
Superfortresses that helped end it had long since yielded to new
generations of jet-powered strategic bombers and vanished.
According to the United States Air Force, no B-29s remained in
inventory, even at storage or disposal depots. But the CAF colonels
had faith and it paid off.
In 1971, a pilot reported sighting a number of what might have
been B-29s in the California desert near China Lake. The CAF
learned the aircraft were indeed Superfortresses that had been
parked at a Navy weapons center for 17 years. They had been used
for gunnery targets and abused by heat, sand and vandals. After
much negotiation, paperwork and a painstaking process of
elimination to find the best survivor, the CAF added B-29
SN44-62070 to its fleet. That was just the beginning of the task.
The complete restoration to CAF standards of airworthiness was a
long and expensive project involving more than three years of
fund-raising and hard work. Late in 1974, the CAF's B-29 was
christened FIFI and joined the other World War II fighters and
bombers to preserve the memories and teach lessons of mankind's
greatest war.
More News
Chaff Thin, narrow metallic reflectors of various lengths and frequency responses, used to reflect radar energy. These reflectors, when dropped from aircraft and allowed to drift d>[...]
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947. I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding>[...]
“Teaming up with the EAA and Berlin Express for this event in Cincinnati will give warbird fans a unique opportunity to see the aircraft that helped defend freedom and gave t>[...]
Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot>[...]
Aero Linx: The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission was created by the 1935 Legislature to oversee the development of aviation in the state. The Comm>[...]