I Spent $1500 On A B29 Superfortress Flight - Was it Worth It?
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- Опубликовано: 3 фев 2024
- I took one of my most expensive ever flights to get the chance to fly on a Boeing B29 Superfortress. But was it worth it?
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Doc's permanent home is a hangar at Wichita's Eisenhower Regional Airport. When not on tour it as on display at its hanger and is available for tours. It took 10 years to restore by volunteers from Boeing employees and retirees. Doc was built here is Wichita and it was great to watch the progress of the restoration.
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We Wichitans love Doc!
Very cool ride on the B29. When are you going to fly on the B17, Flying Fortress?
But by definition, wouldn't any airport hosting a B-29 automatically become an INTERNATIONAL airport?
Very happy to have been one of the donors to help get Doc airworthy.
Very special video for me Noel as my dad was a B-29 Flight Engineer who flew 38 combat missions out of Tinian in the south Pacific over Japan and came back to tell about it. Dad passed at 95 years old 7 years ago but I have all of his medals and even an original leather flight jacket. We donated many things of his to the New England Air & Space Museum before moving to Florida, but the thing I will remember most is having the opportunity to fly on Fifi with my dad. The things he and the other young men and women endured during WWII are a testament to what has made our country great. Thanks for this Noel very special !
I was in the Army and deployed to Tinian in 93. I bet I walked along the same airstrips your dad took off from.
@@CRAZYHORSE19682003 - That is hallowed ground... The US is in the process of "reviving" parts of Tinian, for military use (once again).
Thank you to your Dad and the greatest generation ever who made the USA the greatest and best country in human history. Unfortunately the leftist media and the Democrats have made this no longer true.
That's too cool. Do you know which wing, bomb group, and squadron he was apart of?
Wow! That is such a super-cool story! In the late 70s FIFI was parked at Dee Howard in San Antonio undergoing maintenance. My dad was chief pilot for Dee Howard flying the Howard 500. Dee was also a close friend of his. One afternoon dad took me out to Dee Howard & just he & I walked & crawled around inside the B-29 for a while. When FIFI was ready to leave dad had arranged for me to ride during one of FIFIs post-maintenance flights around San Antonio! It was epic & unforgettable! Dad wasn't crazy about WWII aircraft, _but he knew I was,_ so it was really special he made the effort for me to get to do this.
1500 for the flight but the amazing experience, priceless. What a treat, and we get to experience it vicariously through you. You were like a big kid with that massive grin of yours throughout the flight. What a privilege to be on something so historical and fantastic and that they allow the public to experience it. More than worth the price tag in my opinion, especially being up the front. Thank you again for another wonderful video!
And 1500 is not a bad price for a ride in Doc. Especially when you consider the operating costs of a B-29 in the modern day.
The engines alone require an hour of maintenance for every 10 flight hours. Not to mention the fuel, 100/130 avgas that runs double-digits per gallon, very few airports supply it, and aircraft like Doc can slurp gallons on takeoff.
Yeah if they guarantee that front seat view then worth it. If not, too much lol
Noel: But was it worth it?
Me: Shut up and take my money!
Yes
Yes
Fifi is a reconstructed B29. The B29s were put in a “graveyard” & none were in flying condition, so they scavenged the planes for parts & built her from them. She was the ONLY flying B29 when they made the movie “The Enola Gay.” She was built by & for the CAF in Harlingen, Tx, but that collection was later moved (over huge outcry) somewhere else in Texas. Doc was found in 1987, but Fifi is older. I ❤ Fifi & saw her many times in Harlingen.
Doc is prettier
Fifi's home is Dallas Executive airport now.
Fifi was at Ft worth meacham. But they moved her to Dallas executive
Fifi visited Canada a few years ago
The one at The American Air Museum at Duxford flew there in 1980 from, I think, California, where it was long-term derelict. The Air Force retired the last B-29 in 1961.
I’ve flown on that as a kid! Someone donated a flight to me and it was awesome. Then I joined the Air Force as a Loadmaster years later.
$1500 seems like an absolute bargin for an experience like this!!!
Awesome video as always mate.
The R-3350's used in the B-29's were quite temperamental, and almost as many B-29's were lost to accidents as enemy action (usually engine fires). The Commemorative Air Force's contribution to keeping the B-29's flying was obtaining FAA approval for exchanging parts on the engines with parts from 1950's airliners that were powered by later, much more reliable variants of the Wright R-3350. Doc has benefitted from this, as has the CAF's own B-29, FiFi.
My Dad was a B-29 Flight Engineer and was based on Tinian island during WWII. He had many many stories from the war, but this video really puts you where he was. Thank you !!
When I was a kid, used to build plastic models of these old planes and peek out the windows of the half built fuselage, to imagine how it looked to be on board the real thing.
Many thanks for the video. My father was a radar bombadier on B29s towards the end of WW2 and then flew 24 missions during Korean War.
Your video gives a new respect for the guys that few in the plane during the war
Hello Noel, here is one for you, not B29 but B17 related. My Great Grandfather killed by B17 that crash landed near Great Ashfield USAF base in Suffolk in 1944. USAF paid my Great Grandmother a pension from 1944 until 1983. I managed to get a copy of the accident report via a guy that worked on the Saturn rocket from USAF records held in San Francisco, what a story !
I got to visit FiFi. My grandfather flew 14 missions as a gunner. They let me check out everything - but, I was only a couple of weeks out of surgery and was having trouble getting around. But I still got to sit where my grandfather would've sat in his B-29, to include a great picture taken from outside the plane and I'm inside, looking out bubble window for the left gunner holding up a picture of my grandfather. Great video!
As a 60s born kid, I had Airfix models hanging from my ceiling with catgut.
My Dad used to build them and paint them.
Lancaster, Mosquito, Flying Fortress, Super Fortress, Pam Am Chinook, Mustang & a Spitfire.
As only a few miles from RAF Cosford I’ve seen all but Super Fortress fly over.
Great video 👍🏻
Few years ago, I was home for the weekend from college and they happened to have a B-25 there giving rides. One of my favorite experiences ever. Really put things into perspective how fortunate we are that I got to do that for fun as a 22 year-old kid, where as 70 years earlier, people my age were in the exact same plane over the Pacific, praying not to get shot down during their mission.
The Super Guppy that crossed the path on this flight is in a way the "grand child" of the B-29. The B-29 was developed into a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter/Boeing 337 Stratocruiser which was the base aircraft in which the Guppies were developed.
And the Super Guppies were critical in the formation of Airbus. They were replaced by the Belugas.
You flew right over my house! Thanks for taking this journey for us, what an incredible experience. Its always a thrill during EAA to hear the rumbles of those piston engines and see that silver bird flying right overhead!
Two years ago the B-29 was on tour and came to my local airport, when i found out it was coming i knew i had to fly in it. i worked so hard to try and get $700 to buy a ticket to fly in the back of it. I was 15 years old and did so much yard work and eventually lucked out and found a old avionic at a antique place and bought it for $2 and sold it for $500! that got me to the $700 with 2 weeks left till the B-29 came to my airport. I bought the ticket then waited. The day came and the weather was bad and they cancelled all the B-29 flights… I was super upset and still wanted to fly and they said i could go to Sun N Fun and fly in it if i wanted to. I took that offer and 2-3 weeks later i’m down at Sun N Fun flying in the B-29! That plane is absolutely amazing and was so worth the money and struggles. Getting to look out the tail while flying was like nothing i’ve ever done, Getting to stick my hand out the window at cruising speeds was absolutely amazing. The crew on the bomber were fantastic and wanted everyone to have a amazing experience. Eventually once we landed we could crawl through the tunnel to the cockpit and see everything up there and sit in the pilots seat. Flying in Doc was a amazing experience and i would recommend anyone and everyone to try and fly in it!
As cool as the plane is I could not climb into such a small space. Just watching your video I felt claustrophobic. No loo review. Once in a lifetime dream come true. Thank you for sharing this piece of history.
My husband is at Naval OCS , afterwards going to naval flight school , this is the best idea of a graduation gift 🥹 I didn’t know it was even possible to buy tickets .
Now your talking, I love the B-29 and I watched them restore Doc to Airworthiness. It’s a beautiful sight to see and know that there is two airworthy B-29’s flying today.
OMG, this aircraft has a special place in my heart - my grandfather was one of the first flight instructors on the B-29s during World War II. I got to tour "FIFI," the only other airworthy B-29, at the Salt Lake City airport but I didn't have the wallet for a flight at the time. Thank you for showing us what it would have been like - no AC and all!
Absolutely worth it Noel. Great report! I took my son to see "Fifi" 20 years ago at the Boise airport. We took the onboard ground tour and were inside when they had to start an engine up for a test run. My 8 year old son's eyes got pretty wide when they started it up. A lot quieter than I expected though. 30 years ago my dad and I went to a ground display of a B-24 and B-17 in Wenatchee, Washington. It was really cool to listen to him talk about both of them as he had been a flight engineer on both in WW2. Also warned me not to stand directly in back of them as they started up as the old radials spit out some oil... he was right!
That is the best seat in the house for sure. The other one, FiFi is here in Dallas and flies out of Dallas Executive occasionally. My office is under the final and when she flies overhead the entire building shakes and rumbles. I like to pull up foreflight when they're doing maneuvers and run out to catch them passing overhead. Hope I get to fly on one someday
Is the CAF in Dallas now?
@@kbf6434 I've only been here for just over a year but it seems like its been here the entire time I have. I've seen Fifi and a few others on multiple occasions parked outside the hanger there. Addison airport just a bit north also has some cool aircraft in a small museum.
@@kbf6434 Yes
@@conorb7872hey just wondering,I’d FIFI damaged?Because I think I saw a video about how the right gear either almost collapsed or did collapse.Can you please tell me if this is true?thank you
@Over_Aviation i haven't been over there in a while so i can't say, unfortunately. Hopefully she's alright
The engines on Doc apparently have been swapped out for lower power units with easier replaceable parts according to the crew I met when it visited my local airport. They are not super or turbocharged and are suffient for the low level flight Doc takes to tour the US. I’m sure with the big power engines it originally had takeoff would have been a cinch.
The engines on doc and Fifi are a modified newer more reliable 3350 which actually make more power than the original engines… safety first!!!
@@donmeyer1621 weird. The story I got on the ramp was the original engines in “Doc” according to the guys I talked to on maintenance crew were Pratt and Whit R-4360 (being a late production plane apparently) and made 4300hp. They switched to the A-1 Skyraider engines (3350s) due to parts availability and lack of turbo or superchargers making maintenance intervals and reliability better at a cost of power.
I commented about being able to see the turbine wheels in the exhaust on the engines and was told that was not what I thought it was and got the story about the engine swaps. I asked about the high altitude flight and they said they didn’t need the forced induction engines since they just fly from airport to airport at sub 15k feet and also that they do not pressurize the cabin. I thought it was cool the engines they had in there make that much power without the use of turbo or superchargers.
The R-3350--B29 has an internal supercharger. It does not have the original power recovery turbines (there were 3 on each engine).
I remember back in the 1980s when we had an airfare in my hometown. Somehow the airfare coordinated a simultaneous flyby of a B-17, a B-29 (Back when only FiFi was the only one) and a B-52. I remember the coordination was pretty immense as the B-17 couldn't go fast enough and the B-52 couldn't go slow enough. But they managed to get it all worked out to meet at the center.
I'm not even an av geek and I think it was TOTALLY worth it. What a thrill. Well done!
Suggest you try the Lancaster located at the museum in Hamilton, Ontario. It is also one of only two flying in the World. The other is in the UK. Flights are $3500 (Canadian Dollars)
I took a flight on the Lancaster in Hamilton and it was an incredible experience. The noise from those 4 engines when the throttles were advanced to takeoff power was something that I will never forget.
Hear and see it many times during the summer flying over Toronto.
It’s BOMB-BA-DEER on the B29, BOMB-BAR-DEE-EH on the CRJ across the tarmac.
I was able to take a ride during Sea Fair in Seattle years ago. My favorite aviation experience. The B-29 will forever be stamped into history for several reasons including the bomb that helped end WWII
There’s another Lancaster that’s currently being restored in Windsor Ontario, idk if it will why again though
A bucket list item if ever there was one. How cool!!!! You are cool, Noel.
My eyes teared up watching this video. As Americans, most of us anyways, we hold a special place in our heart for our veterans those still here and those that passed. Your obvious profound appreciation of our military and its history is so inspiring. You may not be a citizen of the United States...yet, but I can tell you I would be so proud to call you and your family my fellow Americans. I say this mindful of the fact that you are a proud Briton, and so should you be, but as a dual citizen myself I never found my patriotism to both my countries be diminished in anyway. I miss and am proud of my grandfather who fought in the British Army in Tobruk and Italy and my maternal grandfather who fought and was severely injured as a sgt in the US Army in the Pacific in Leyte Island Philippines R.I.P.
Neither us Brits or you guys would be where we are without the other, our grandparents on both sides of the pond (along with many others) sacrificed so much to get us where we are today. I truly appreciate everyone who’s given up so much for our freedom regardless of which nationality they were.
This is the coolest thing I have watched on utube in a while. I have seen these older planes in museum but I had no idea that there was any that could still fly.
"... pretend to be a fighter pilot"
Honey, thats a bomber
Beat me to it
That’s the magic of pretending.
Bless your heart Honey Trek.
"a little airshow thing at oshkosh" 😂
I got to fly in the B17 "Nine-O-Nines" a few years before she sadly crashed. One of the most amazing experiences in my life. Truly incredible. Great video
Awesome, Noel! Timing w/this video is impeccable. (*cough*Masters of the Air*cough*) I sent this to a friend thinking he'd enjoy it, and he shot back a photo of him standing in front of THAT plane. A work of art, and truly an experience indeed. Cheers, mate!
The EAA museum at Oshkosh is awesome. I went during the off season and it was great. WWII aircraft are my favorites, especially the big bombers!
That was always one of my favorite field trips as a kid.
Awesome flight - a piece of history - can't imagine the bravery of the folks who flew them over the skies of Germany facing flak and fighters.
B-29s did not see active service in Europe
A few unarmed versions did though appear in the UK as a propegenda tool
@@Trek001 The B17 then :(
I watched Masters Of The Air - harrowing to have flown like a sitting duck.
@@Trek001 you are quite correct, sir
Hey Noel love the videos. Im from the Appleton Area and work at the airport. I had the privilege of fueling the B29 this year. Nice to see you had a good time. Safe flying.
Both Fifi and Doc will be at Appleton in July 2024
Just to see Noel in heaven; with that smile on his face and drooling like a baby was an empathetic experience for the rest of us who can only dream of this. Having built the model kit which I hung from my bedroom ceiling 50 years ago, I have always been in love with the beautiful beast and I enjoyed every second of Noel's 'trip'.
I've never seen a grown man look so excited and happy....😂
Well......
Every video of yours always bring back great personal memories. Whether it’s travel, experiences, or just thoughts of my bucket list, you do a great job! This video brings back fond memories of being a co-pilot on a B-17 and B-24.
Glad you like them!
Thanks Noel. Really puts into context what those men went through, so brave. Fabulous video as always. Buying my ticket for your London presentation this week cheers
Great vlog as always! I am happy for you that you got to fly in a B-29. Keep up the good work. Be safe!
This was simply superb Noel. Really enjoyable video… would love to see you experience more ultra-vintage aircraft! Stay well and keep up the great work.
Well, I'm jealous. To be able to have a ride in a piece of aviation history is a once in a lifetime event. Hope you had fun.
Thanks for taking us on a trip into that piece of history. Great video and congrats on reaching 500k subscribers!
That was a very enjoyable, very good video, Noel! Thank you! Created not just professionally, but with heart-felt enthusiasm! Very well done!
Noel, thank you so much for this video. Doc and Fifi are such treasures. This is an epic review. You made my year
Glad you enjoyed it!
Noel... Appleton and Oshkosh is my stomping ground.... yes the EAA fly in is overwhelming.. glad you enjoyed your trip short but one of a few who have flown on those.. glad you enjoyed Northeast wisconsin.. you do awesome work on these videos.. enjoy them alot.. thanks for doing this look at history
The bombardier 'drops his load' immediately after refusing to do a loo review. Thanks Noel - I missed that first time through. Good job I'd just swallowed my mouthful of tea.
epic video, Noel. one of the best ever. what an experience it must have been--your facial expressions and beaming smiles said it all! nicely done and cheers!
You need to visit the USAF museum in Dayton Ohio on the Wright Patterson AFB.
Have Bockcar there.
Been there. I was at school/college in Pikeville KY back in 2002/03 as a scholarship pupil from Northern Ireland (I was what the US calls a 'returner' in my early Forties). One day the pysch prof turns round and asks me if I want to go to Dayton tomorrow because they had a spare seat on the bus. He'd drop me off with his brother John who was an aviation nut and John would take me up to Wright-Patterson and also to see the Wright Brothers' graves in Dayton Cemetery. Well, we decided that it would be nice to see the Presidential aircraft which were in another hanger but that required the production of identification before you were allowed on the bus to cross the base. That produced my first real do-what!! moment in the US. The queue for the bus was short enough and all papers were being inspected. John went for his identification but before he could hand it over, both he and I were waved straight through!!! The two behind us had to produce!!! It was worth it because I wasn't so much interested in the Presidential aircraft as in the XB-70 and the SR-71 which were stored in the same hanger.
Great video the B-29 is a awesome aircraft.
One small correction the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Bockscar dropped the second over Nagasaki. It was also built for the US Army (the Air Force was founded after WWII).
The equipment the bombardier uses was the Norden Bomb sight which was similar to the Manhattan project to develop and was seen as critical to the war effort. It was also a real marvel able to be fairly accurate in the right conditions.
If you like military aircraft I would highly recommend the National Museum of the US Air Force it is on Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio and admission is free.
Worth every penny. Thank you for taking us along.
Awesome video man! I’m one of those that is more inclined to airliners but this plane and a few others are making me consider flying these more and learn them in depth! Keep up
Imagine being in that thing when a flak shell rips the entire back half off. Props to whoever flew these.
At Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome they do WWI era air shows and you can ride in a 1929 biplane! I’ve done it, awesome experience!
Wow! Awesome video. What an experience. Thanks for raising awareness of these rare planes and doing something to keep them flying.
Oh Noel I’m so happy for you! You looked so excited. Thanks for taking us with you.
Imagine rushing through that tunnel during combat. Just wow!
That would have been epic. My great uncle was a tail gunner in Lancaster bombers in WW2. The Lancaster my uncle flew in is on display at the Australian war memorial
Well done Noel! 1500.00 is a drop in the bucket for those priceless memories! Thanks for taking us along ❤️🙏
I don't think I've ever seen you so giddy! Looks amazing and thanks for bringing us along!
What an amazing plane! Thank you for this video Noel!! Greetings from the Netherlands!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
"Oshkosh, small air show". You're joking. Busiest airport in the world that week.
Thank you for taking us along for the flight.
You just did what I have always dreamed of doing! So happy for you!
In the 90s I was so lucky being invited by Lufthansa on a tour over my Town to celebrate 70 years of Italy-Germany commercial flights. I flew on a Junkers Ju-52 (Tante Ju) completely refurbished and perfectly airworthy. Useless to say, this " once in a lifetime" experience was awesome!!
You got to see the Yankee Lady. That flies out of our local airport (Willow Run) and is a piece from the Yankee Air Museum. You really should come and take a look!
I second this, I love having the Yankee Lady in my Backyard
@@chaseb4988 x3. I live west of A2 and enjoy the flyovers during warmer weather.
I used to volunteer with Doc, glad you were able to fly on it! Love your videos as always.
Thanks a million for the ride! 👍👍
Fantastic. Well done Noel 😊
Glad you enjoyed it
Top channel top man.
@7:33. When the Soviets copied the B-29 into the Tu-4 one of things they did not copy was the fan cage. In fact if there's a cockpit shot of Soviet equipment, and I can't immediately type it, I look for the fans. If they're not caged ... it's Soviet. They didn't man rate their equipment, they manly rated their equipment.
I hope those B29’s stay in service for as long as possible. One can imagine hundreds of them taking off at once during WW2, must’ve been a sight (and nervousness) to see them all flying in formation during its time
Wow! What an awesome experience! I would have loved to do something like that but, as my body is no longer up to ladder climbing, it’s a no go. Your excitement on the flight was infectious - found myself smiling with you! Thank you for sharing experiences like this with all of us. It allows us to experience them too, which means the world to people like me who have disabilities that make doing them ourselves impossible. I can’t wait to see what other adventures you’ve had 🥰.
The Commemorative Air Force is a fantastic organization. What an experience.
My uncle was an air mechanic in the war in the Pacific. We’d drop him off at CAF in Harlingen & come back to find him covered in grease because he was “helping out.” He loved it!
I often think of old time military people as being, what I call, 'military thin.' My dad was extra skinny while in the reserves...and even just as someone born in the late 30s. Seems like a lot of military men used to be super skinny. (I guess 'fresh military' could be skinny these days, too, after bootcamp and such). Thought of this as you crawled through this machine!
I think it was also due to everyman smoking. The genetics from my slender father, a WWII pilot, did not result in the reed-thin look. I am rather pudgy. He smoked, I didn't.
There's something to this. My dad did smoke and I also recall a lot of photos of skinny military guys somewhere...maybe in a group of men 'at the bottom' if you will. He would not have been a pilot, per se.@@jkoysza1
I grew up in Appleton! The first flights I took out of there were on Air Wisconsin planes that only held around 20 passengers, back in the 1970's. I'm cracking up that they've added 'International' to their name! 🤣
What an extra treat to see this! I spend the week at the Airventure every year and always admire Doc and FiFi. What an amazing view you had! Like all big-scale events you learn to navigate them better with each visit so it becomes less overwhelming.
I like all the notices on the aircraft that says 'Experimental'
Just FAA B.S.
@@sophiejaysstuff4026 These aircraft were not built to carry paying passengers. The passengers need to know. A special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category is issued to operate an aircraft that does not have a type certificate or does not conform to its type certificate and is in a condition for safe operation.
@@kenpierce9466 "The passengers need to know". The plane is not airworthy?
I can't think of a better way to spend $1500
The glee on your face and in your voice said it all of this cool as experience thanks for sharing 😊😊😊
This has to be the BEST video yet. Wow! What an experience you got! The whole video, just Wow, with a smile on my face. Thank you for letting us experience the beautiful view and ride with you! 🤩🤩🤩
Glad you enjoyed it!
A little tiny air show. Oshcosh. 🤪
You forgot the price per mile ;) I bet it would be set a personal record
Have to say I'm stoked to have stumbled upon your channel. I never knew I even cared about any of this stuff you share! That's a sign of a very solid vlogger!
Glad you enjoy it!
This is your best one yet!!! Way to go Noel !!
I know some of the crew on Fifi in the CAF. If you want to volunteer and join the CAF you'll get to help keep these awesome war birds flying.
"There is a little tiny airshow thing at Oshkosh." Buddy Oshkosh is the biggest airshow on earth lol 😆
What an amazing plane and video. You were positively glowing with happiness, good to see.
Really cool experience Noel! Thank you for taking us along!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I cannot believe you cut the takeoff. Why would you do that? we all want to hear the amazing sound of those Wright cyclone engines but no you just had to put in some God awful music 😡
Amazing!! Those engines - music to my ears
Noel. Can't remember seeing you so giddy with joy! So glad you were able to experience a flight on this beautiful bird. Worth every cent.
I honestly have tears watching this. Seriously, this ride so touched my heart. Thank you Noel for sharing this. ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow, wow, wow...that was a fantastic experience. Thank you, Noel, for taking us along!!
While riding in the nose is certainly the best spot for epic out-the-window visuals, I was more excited about watching all the in "in-cockpit" action between the pilots and the flight engineer. Thus, I chose the Pilot Observer seat, right behind the pilots and facing the flight engineer. From that location you get the entire view of all the action.
Very cool.! You replied to my comment about doing a combat landing in a c-17 in Syria in 2017, military aviation will always be an interest.! Keep up the great work Noel.!
This is how I felt in 1969 as a young airman in Iceland. As airman-of-the month, I got to ride in an F-102 fighter jet (2-seat trainer version). Besides the fabulous Icelandic scenery from above, I was impressed by how the after-burner-boosted plane fairly leapt off the runway on takeoff.