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  • B-29 Doc

    I have been following this plane for quite a few years now after I found out about it. This month there is a great article about it in Air & Space magazine. Actually this month's magazine has quite a few excellent articles. Back to the plane as it made it's first flight in July after 16 years of restoration out at the old Boeing facility in Wichita. We now have two flying B-29s Doc and FiFi. During her restoration they had people helping out who built her in 1944 including one woman who did much of the rivet work on the front half of the plane. She is now 92 years old.

    http://www.b-29doc.com/

    Last edited by tbm3fan; 01 Oct 16,, 21:39.

  • #2
    Cockpit footage during take off and landing of first flight. For those who are into warbirds this really sends chills up the spine.

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    • #3
      Where she was resting when found

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      • #4
        Speaking of 92 years old I happened to be in a nursing home up in Santa Rosa on Wednesday. I had the chance to do an eye exam on a man who I had seen before in an Army uniform several times standing ram rod straight in the hallways. Turns out he served in the 101st Airborne and landed behind Normandy on June 6th. He served from 1942-1956 and was also in the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment in Korea. He made 82 jumps in his 14 years and is turning 91 on Nov. 25 this year. He is about 5'11" tall and still slim and fits his uniform. His wife has since passed away and his memory is on the short side as he told me how many jumps and how old he will be quite a few times.

        Nonetheless, we had a great time talking to each other. I did ask what he did when he got out of the Army and he told me he went to work in the Officer's Club at a base in Bangor, Maine. Now his brother, a Marine, always said he wasn't smart as no one jumps out of a perfectly good plane. This from a 1st Marine Division marine who landed at Guadalcanal and older. I told him that if he was still around officers and serving them drinks then maybe his brother was right about not being smart. He paused and then said that maybe I was right, LOL.

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        • #5
          CBS news morning

          http://www.b-29doc.com/2016/11/22/in...m-nov-13-2016/

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          • #6
            This video of air shots is great.

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            • #7
              My oldest brother actually did the prop balancing on DOC a few months ago, just before her first flight; in the background, that's my brother in the green shorts (on the ground), and my nephew in the brown shorts (on the ladder) doing the balancing:



              He is currently the Flight Engineer on the only other B-29 flying, FIFI, on her annual tour around the States; when they stopped over here in Modesto, I was able to get a personal tour of the aircraft.
              "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

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              • #8
                Doesn't belong here:

                Does anyone have a documentary video or know of a book that covers B-1 development.
                It is really hard to find something on the topic. I am interested to understand what was the thinking behind it. Why B-1A got replace with B-1B. What are the differences between the two.

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                • #9
                  Off the top of my head they gave up mach 2 capability to simplify air intakes and lessen radar cross section.

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                  • #10
                    i just found it always odd that B1 was develop to replace B52 and B2 to replace B1; yet all three remained in the service
                    And with the new bomber going into development, they still plan to maintain the elder trio, but with B1 moving to a non-nuclear role

                    I understand that there weren't many B2 as its unit cost skyrocketed to about ~$1B. But that is a consequence of the low rate and not other way around and I understand that B52 role evolved from a 'dumb bomber' to a ALCM platform.

                    To put my question differently: had the Cold War continued, would have B52 been retired indefinitely and replaced by a larger fleet of B2 and B1s.

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