Thu, Jun 08, 2006
"Fifi" Grounded For Engine Woes
There will be no "Fifi" at Oshkosh this year. For the second
year in a row, mechanical problems have put the Commemorative Air
Force's B-29 Superfortress "Fifi" back in the hangar, cutting short
the big World War II bomber's airshow appearance schedule and
forcing CAF to cancel its scheduled flight to EAA AirVenture
2006.
After corrosion in the giant aircraft's wing
structure sidelined "Fifi" last year, this time around
it appears engine problems are the cause for the no-show.
CAF maintenance personnel have examined the problem and the
repair timeline, and regretfully informed EAA that the airplane
would not be able to be part of the "Big Bomber Reunion" at EAA
AirVenture 2006, a once-in-a-generation gathering of the Allied
Forces' heavy bombers of World War II.
The B-29 Superfortress -- the aircraft type that dropped atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- was the first American
pressurized bomber to entire service. The complex aircraft had a
reputation for being prone to trouble when they were new off the
Boeing line... so you can imagine how 60 years of service add to
that.
"We're disappointed, of course, that 'Fifi' will not join us for
AirVenture 2006, but EAA certainly understands the complexities of
flying and maintaining historic warbird aircraft, especially one as
valuable as the CAF's B-29," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and
AirVenture chairman.
"We are pleased that the CAF will be bringing its B-24 'Diamond
Lil' to be part of the Big Bomber Reunion, which is still a
gathering of aircraft that you'll see no place else but Oshkosh,"
Poberezny added.
According to the CAF, "Diamond Lil" is the world's oldest flying
four-engine aircraft, having been in continual service since before
World War II. It will join the British Lancaster bomber and a
significant number of B-17s and B-25 on the AirVenture flight
line.
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