Great video man! Always awesome to see the crew working in their natural habitat. Interesting to hear the crew still working on getting used to the new engines. They put out a lot more power than the originals, which is awesome for safety, interesting for flying it. How'd you like that phenolic floor? Kinda different feel from wood or metal. Neils (for those who didn't notice the back of his flight suit) is the son of Vic & Fifi Agather. Vic is the one who brought the B-29 out of the desert and Fifi was his wife. The story is that he named the plane Fifi as an apology because he didn't tell her he was going to buy a B-29. :)
I donated $100 to this airplane as a child probably 10 to 15 years ago at the airshow in Midland, Tx. It was all the money I got from my grandparents for Christmas but i just wanted to see it fly! At the time it was grounded due to high restoration costs, glad my money went to good use!
TR, your comment made my day, and choked me up a bit, too. The love of planes like these coming from kids like you were, and that amazing donation, where you literally gave everything just to help keep this plane flying, is exactly what this whole warbirds thing is about.
While the CAF was based in Midland, TX, I helped out with an engine overhaul (dumb labor only), but my father was a crew chief on a B-29 flying off Tinian (not the A-bomb group). Post-war, many of the surplus B-29s were scrapped at Pyote Army Air Field in Pyote, TX. The CAF personnel had some great stories about finding old B-29 parts in odd places, including a nose section that was used as part of a greenhouse.
I don't think there could be something more cool than the ability to announce yourself as "Superfortress" to ATC. Thumbs up for keeping it in flying condition!
This is the best B-29 youtube video I have ever seen. I was a kid in San Diego during WWII and I can remember that it was a very serious time for everybody; warships in the harbor, camouflage nets over the Pacific Coast Highway, camouflaged buildings, military planes flying in formation daily, anti-aircraft guns along the shore, rows and rows of LCVP boats waiting to be shipped to the South Pacific, rationing at home.
Yes, indeed; the enemy would have made a special effort to pick them off. The enemy was desperate to keep our men from communicating with each other, e.g. calling for reinforcements, directing artillery fire, and such things. [Aug.2018 These two sentences appear to be a response to a comment that I can't now find. Puzzling.] In my old age, I've discovered that some combat veterans never told their stories to families. Never wanted to frighten their families or maybe never wanted to break into tears in front of their families. But some of them told me because I think they felt I really wanted to hear their stories.
My mom's parents were kids during the German occupation of Holland, and there's a few photos I've seen where German soldiers are walking around parts of my hometown that have barely changed at all, and every so often a cobblestone infront of a house would be replaced with a bronze or gold cobblestone with a name or two and a David star on it, indicating that Jewish-Dutch citizens used to live there. It's amazing.
TroubleTwo . . . We can learn much from history when we choose to . . . sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like with armed foreign soldiers in California. But my mind won't allow me to imagine such an event. Incidentally, I knew a car salesman who told me about visiting Holland and seeing the house in which he was born. It was 400 years old, he said; older than the USA. Yes, it was a stone house. Oh, I DID buy a car from him. :-)
That turret technology in 1942 is crazy. Always thought the Superfortress was so damn cool. This thing was such a monster for the time. What a beautiful piece of war history.
It wasn't that amazing though. That computer turret technology was a complete failure on the B-29. They had to remove all 3 of the computer turrets on all B-29s by February 1945 and they only had one turret in the tail and that was manned by a tail gunner with no computer. The B-29 raids in 1944 and up through February 1945 were a complete failure. Only in March 1945 without the computer turrets did they actually start successfully bombing Japan.
@@nogoodnameleft Partially. The turrets were removed for two reasons: first, there was not the significant air/air threat i.e. like Germany, anticipated. ( The B29 was designed for an ETO environment, contrary to some popular "histories".) Second and more important, LeMay changed tactics from high altitude daylight "precision" strikes to lower altitude night missions. The Japanese had essentially no real night fighters, or even radar directed AAA, thus no need for the weight of the turrets, gunners and ammunition. My Dad was an FE and he mentioned the crews were not enthusiastic about removing the guns, but it DID increase the TAS over the target, which was appreciated. Oh it wasn't 1942, it was actually in 1943 when the computer design and fire control system was operational...
B-29 Fifi is a very special plane to me. My grandfather was a tailgunner on B-29s during the Korean War. As a kid we would go to many airshows. In 1998 Fifi was at a local show and he was allowed to go back into the tail for the first time since flying combat missions during the war. I was approximately 11 yrs old at the time. But it was something special for me to be able to a B-29 finally in person and more importantly, to share in a very special moment with my grandfather who would pass two years later. My passion for aviation started with my grandfather as a child and influenced my aviation job in the military. Fast foward 22 years. For the first time since 1998 I once again got to see Fifi along with my girlfriend and her family at an airshow for the first time since that moment as a child. However, for this event they were not allowing plane access. I told the one of the crew about my grandfather and of our experience directly with Fifi that it had been on my bucket list since being a child to be able to go to my grandfather's position on the 29. They allowed me private access to the plane and specifically the tailgunners position. The only other person that was allowed access was a 94 yr old veteran waist gunner that flew on 29s in ww2. I am forever grateful for the crew and the Commemorative Air Force to have gone out of their way to finally allow me that special moment to not just see and have the experience of what he seen, but to also re-experience as an adult just a special moment that my grandfather and I had as a kid. I could spend another 22 years saying thanks and it wouldnt be enough. So anyone involved in Fifi or CAF reading this. I want to sincerely say thank you! Those 15 minutes are something I'll cherish for the rest of my life. -OIF Veteran and grandson of a B-29 Tailgunner.
Non stop all out war does that. If neither WWI or WWII had happened it would not have been achieved so quickly, and that probably would have been for the best. Technology is advancing faster than our sense to use (or not use) it.
I was just thinking of how I would fill my britches if I ever got to see that. I am not far from Nellis and also fought in our forever wars so I am no stranger to military aircraft, but this would be something different entirely. I am a history nerd.
...and to think very brave young men flew these hugely complicated aircraft often landing with extensive damage , with dead and dying on board. Most of them have passed now and the legacy they have left should never be forgotten.
My father was a navigator on these in WW2 flying missions over Japan. Amazing to see this video and gave me a greater appreciation for these men and my dad that flew missions. Thank you for the video!
My Uncle Albert was a Lieutenant and navigator on the "Good Deal" B29. He flew 29 successful bombing missions over Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. I believe they had to fly 25 missions. However, he told me the last few he flew were to drop leaflets from the air to the people of Japan to warn them that hell was coming. They could either heed the warning on the leaflets or not... Of course we all know what happened after that... He was also on the first Freedom Honor Flight to Washington DC when they started it. God Bless America! Show less
".. engineer still here.." That sounded funny until it gave me the chills when I thought of a combat situation when maybe the flight engineer suddenly wasn't still there. Those were brave guys. Thank you for the great video.
Lube The civvillians empowered the military, you can’t destroy the military without crippling their homefront. Given what was at stake, it was necessary.
Amazing history comes alive, A testament to designers and engineers who designed this plane before computers, those who built them and brave men who flew these in combat. Thank You volunteers!
A wartime crew would have had the bird in the air in 10 mins or less. On our LCAC's (Navy) we had about a 30 min checklist to get going in schools and training, but in the real world, we had the craft up and running and on cushion in less than 5 mins. I think it is incredible the amount of detail these men are showing in making sure the old bird is safe for flight for both its passengers and itself.
Thanks for this video. My father was a B29 side gunner in WWII. His plane's name was "Angel In Da Skies". He was a proud Army Air Force member. I took him on the DC Honor Flight in 2013 and he passed 5 months later. While he talked of his many flights over the years, this video finally gave me some insight into a little of what he experienced.
The guns for them were actually slung underneath, and remote controlled like all the B29 guns. Note the video explaining the side window locations for gunners.
From Japan to you.🇯🇵🕊 My grandfather told me that he saw a B-29 in the summer of 1945. There was a military garrison near where he lived, and the B-29s were flying in formation over it, but the Japanese were not able to do anything about it. Japan was short of materials and even the garrison had no ammunition. I hope the world will be free of war.
Hello. I am from the future, sadly, another war broke out. Putin's greed has invaded Ukraine. :( Peace must be kept, and Putin needs to be arrested. By the way, the B-29 was a cool plane, and a similar design was used for a passenger plane in the 1950s.
What memories this brought back to me. I was a B-29 Instructor Gunner in the 3513th Flying Training Squadron at Randolph AFB during the Korean "Conflict". I flew in all the gunner positions. My Instructor Pilot also allowed me to fly the Flight Engineer position until he was sure that I could handle it; then I got to fly it from the left (Aircraft Commander's) seat and shoot touch and go landings and take-offs until we were faily confident that I had a good chance to bring it in safely in case of an emergency. That sure made my job more interesting. I don't think any of the other I.P.'s did that for their crew. Our Instructor Flight Engineer could fly the Superfort about as well as anyone except my I.P. Thanks for posting this Video.
Hey Guns. How you doing. I was a B-52D,F,G,H Gunner (H-model Instructor). Later, a C-130 Flight Engineer. Wish the 52 had all that interior room, and viability the 29 had.
My primary experiences with the B-52 was investigating crashes. After I got my discharge, I got a degree in Aero Engineering and worked several years in a position that had crash investigation as one of the responsibilities. One of the crashes I investigated is on You Tube. It was one that ran out of fuel while on a 24 hr reflex mission. It had a failure in the Air Conditioning System and cockpit temperatures got high enough to crack the glass on instruments and cracked a windshield.
My father spent time at Lackland, Randolph and Lowery in gunnery training then later in aircraft mechanics school. B 29s were his bird. been gone for 23 years, wish he could have seen videos like this.
Yup! :) Between FaceBook, reddit, twitter and Instagram, I got over a hundred title suggestions for this one, I took bits from my favorite suggestions, but yours was best and shaped the majority of the direction I went with the title! In other news: We're working on your episode slowly - the issue has been James is mostly through editing it on a different version of final cut than me, so he needs to finish it on his system; however he got a gig directing a series of commercials AND writing a script for a horror movie... So he's been slammed for the past few months.
+Eliot Williams ..When I saw the thumbnail I thought he filmed visiting the set of the Millennium Falcon. Anyway, I heard they made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
*THOSE ENGINES ARE MUSIC TO THE EARS...WHO KNEW IT TOOK SO MANY PEOPLE TO FLY THE SUPERFORTRESS...IT'S TOTALLY AMAZING, YOU GUYS ARE TRULY LEGENDS AND A TRIP WE WON'T SOON FORGET...THANKS TO FOREFLIGHT ,FLIGHTCHOPS AND ALL HIS SPONSORS AND THIS INCREDIBLE CREW FOR THIS AMAZING FLY ALONG, WOW...WE'RE ALL GOBSMAKED WITH THIS FANTASTIC BOMBER PLANE!!!*
Wow! This video left me speechless! My dad was a radio operator on a B-29 in the Korean War-he would have been so thrilled to see this. Thanks for a great job!
I sat and talked in the left seat with a veteran B-29 radio operator for an hour a few years back. FiFi was parked at PDK here in Atlanta. I parked my truck and just walked up to the plane. Another guy showed up and we just climbed aboard. Also self guided our own tours through Diamond Lil (B-24) and a Spanish built He-111. Was a great day. Was before those clowns ran into the buildings in NYC so there was ZERO security. Airshows on military bases were also quite different then. Park by the ramp and walk on in.
Wow, absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Such an emotional ride to see that incredible aircraft I found myself clapping during the video. :) WOOOHOOOOOO! Must be an ATC honor of a lifetime to call B-29 Superfortress. Your honor and respect for the craft and crew were evident throughout, well done. Thank you for posting, these 21 minutes made my day. Bravo, sir.
Watching the cooperation and communication of the crew was mesmerizing! I can't imagine the level of activity under combat conditions! The tasks and intensity of the flight engineer was just unbelievable. I can't imagine the learning curve of a Superfort crew.
i cant even imagine what it must have been like flying in this while getting shot at. the thunder of the turret guns blaring through the cabin, the rumble with every round fired and the amount of heat they must have generated.
I got to be a friend of Colonel John Misterly who was among one of the youngest navigator on the first B29's. His book, "Over And Under" goes into great detail about how scary flying the hump over the Himalayas Mountain range supplying the Flying Tigers. I did some excavation work for John and his wife 3 years ago, they both have past on...bless them Dear Lord... I am a 60yr old but I was like a little kid in Johns house listening to his true life accounts aboard the B29's involved in the firebombing of Japan cities. His craft was shot down, he spent quite a few days along in Japanese waters as he was separated from his crew while abandoning the sinking aircraft. He has several books out...what an amazing generation of inventors and airmen...the Great Generation..WOW...I will always be thankful
Это трудно себе представить, В-29 и внизу Гималаи❗ Или атака вражеских истребителей, которые насквозь простреливали этот самолёт❗Как можно человеку это выдержать?
My Uncle Albert was a Lieutenant and navigator on the "Good Deal" B29. He flew 29 successful bombing missions over Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. I believe they had to fly 25 missions. However, he told me the last few he flew were to drop leaflets from the air to the people of Japan to warn them that hell was coming. They could either heed the warning on the leaflets or not... Of course we all know what happened after that... He was also on the first Freedom Honor Flight to Washington DC when they started it. God Bless America!
My father was a B29 pilot, 444th Bomb Group. What's amazing to me is how young most of the air crews were. Dad was only 22 when he was discharged in November 1945. A 25 year old was considered to be the "old man" of a crew.
Thanks to Bose for getting us all on board! This is one of those videos that really shows the true value of RUclips (and the information superhighway in general). Amazing footage and edit. Thanks for sharing. :)
Awesome! Dad was combat camera and flew in these during the war, great to see what it was actually like. The only story I remember him telling was about the first person to use the latrine had to empty it after the flight. When someone on the crew finally gave in to the pressure the plane would actually tilt nose up ( remember it's a war story ) when all the rest of the crew headed towards the back of the plane to be next. There was a picture of FIFI in his stack of nose art photos, unfortunately I have no idea what happened to them.
Imagine being a pilot waiting for clearence, tuned to the tower frequency, and hearing "B-29 Superfortress is ready to go, requesting permission for takeoff"... XD
totally agree! on the flip side, given there's only 2 of these things left flying today ,and not that many more B17s/B24s etc, I'm always awestruck by the idea of literally 1000 of these things (with hundreds of fighter escorts in tow) rumbling overhead on their way to some far off target over Germany or Japan.
My Dad did many missions in this plane (Black Magic II) from Tinian. They had lots of issues with prop governers, would rarely make it back with all engines. Picked the plane up in nebraska, flew it to training in Texas, then flew it around the world over the Hymalayas !! they called it the Hump no kidding. He was 23. He said Iwo Jima saved his life 3 times. They would land there when they had problems. Long boring missions, then 30 mins of terror. They once found a chunk of Flack embeded in the tube that had come straight up thu all the racks of Bombs. Should have blown them out of the sky. (tube ran thru the bomb bay) it came up while doors were open cause it didnt hurt the doors, they were only open for a few moments while bombs were falling. He had mild PTSD and would wake up with nightmares.
Men like your Dad made this country what it is! The B29 was a technological marvel in its day rushed out of development for war your Dad was basically a test pilot. Hands down my favorite aircraft.
@@schfablarrie1 because men like his father went to war raised a family went to work all while struggling to make ends meet and never expected that the government would fill the role of Dad , bread winner and teacher! When faced with overwhelming odds in favor of failure people of that era worked harder to get what they wanted it was a source of pride! Today ideals have changed get rich quick are the words for the era and it doesn't matter who you hurt, lawsuits and scams are held in great esteem! And to say people of the past made this country great is just racist! Don't take into the fact black people help build this country don't take into the fact it was built by immigrants! That mentality washes away all the sacrifice and hard work of the people of the past and labels! That mentality is racist and bigoted!
Several years ago I got to sit in the captain's seat aboard FIFI when it was flown into Greenville, SC. What amazed me was the relative simplicity of the flight instrumentation. Even the throttle quadrants are fairly simple. It wasn't much more daunting than the instrument panel of my friend's Comanche 250. But then you look over your shoulder at the engineer's station and it's like "WHOA!". It looks like it's right out of the engine room of a battleship.
Imagining this...with the addition of up to 50+ fellow super fortresses plus an escort of mustangs and spitfires taking on flack fire at 2:30 in the morning after being in the air already for up to 60 minutes or more with a crew of young men in their 20’s and early 30’s and the level of anxiety with absolutely no where else to turn to hide the fear (no bunkers or holes to cover in). WWII Super-fortress pilots and crew will forever be my personal level of balls of steel men of men.
The fact that these were some of the first aircraft that could fly with only ONE engine out of four functioning is a testament to the “Flying Fortress” name. We’ve all heard the stories of these aircraft literally being “Swiss-cheesed” and making it home... Absolutely insane...what a workhorse...🙂
But...4,700 B-17s were shot down in Europe vs 3,600 B-24s. B-24s were truly the Flying Fortress, not the B-17s. B-17s have had a mammoth propaganda machine since 1935 when the military and government were overhyping them and claimed that they could sink warships 1,000 miles away from the U.S. coast. It turned out that that was a huge lie and B-17s were terrible anti-shipping and anti-submarine bombers while B-24s were the actually fantastic anti-shipping and anti-submarine bombers. B-24s also served very well in Europe like B-17s did...but 1,000 more B-17s were shot down than B-24s over Europe which shows that B-17s were not really Flying Fortresses.
Just came across this great video. My father was a B-29 flight engineer who flew 38 combat missions over Japan out of Saipan and Tinian and came home to tell about it. His aircraft was Wild Hair with Bugs Bunny as a part of the nose art. Fifi will be here in Florida in 3 weeks I am taking a ride. Amazing aircraft flown by some very brave young men back in the 40's and onward. These crew members who fly Fifi today are just amazing airmen !! Thanks for this.
Very nice to watch this video. I always watch those engines with my heart in my mouth as they could burn through the wing so quickly, given their extensive use of magnesium. I was at home in Birmingham, Alabama when I heard the unmistakable sound of big radials thundering overhead. When I ran outside and saw Fifi passing over, I almost fell down. The P-51D Mustang escorting it was just a bit of icing on that cake. Told my wife I never thought in my life I would see a B-29 Superfortress fly by. I crawled all through her at the BHM airport, but just couldn't part with the $1600 to sit in the bombardier's nose position or even the $600 for an aft gunner's station in 2016. (Much of that is a tax deductible donation, though.) Nevertheless, Fifi and now Doc are such an amazing, living part of history. The USA spent 50 percent more on the B-29 development and construction than it did on the atomic bomb project, easily the two most expensive projects of World War Two. Those awful Wright R-3350 engines delayed the project by many months and never were entirely trustworthy until more development after the war ended. Pratt & Whitney radials would have done the job sooner and more reliably. Even many historians don't grasp that the B-29 and P-51 flying over Japan in 1944-1945 were essentially 5 years ahead of anything the Japanese could throw at them in any quantity. If you fly in the "Pacific Fighters" game, the Japanese fighters can barely reach the altitudes of the B-29's, they can scarcely keep up with he flight speed, and they are hounded by the 430 mph P-51 Mustangs for their trouble. Once the Mariana Islands fell, Japan's paper and wood cities were doomed.
Forgot to mention that the "new engines" other respondents mentioned were some of those improved, postwar models. I spoke with one of Fifi's pilots at length and he told me about those engines now mounted on Fifi. Definitely a step up from the WW2 era Wright R-3350's; more power and safety. Fifi was named for the wife(?) of the owner of this aircraft. Pretty sure Fifi was completed just before WW2 ended and served as a trainer before falling into disrepair. BTW, when General LeMay took over XXIst Army Air Force to recoup the full value of the B-29 investment, he had all the gun turrets except for the tail turret removed, along with some gunners. This allowed the aircraft to haul more bombs and/or fly faster. LeMay switched over from the American precision daylight bombing approach used against Germany to the British area night bombing approach. The B-29s were learning about the power of 100 mph "jet stream" at high altitude regularly encountered over Japan. It played havoc with high altitude flight and bombing accuracy. Presumably, LeMay figured it would be more effective to fly in at lower altitudes, using darkness to avoid most of the Japanese flak and fighters. It was indeed effective, even before the atomic bombs convinced the Emperor to yield.
+Samuel Thompson They're still Wright R-3350's, but they are what is called a "crate engine"; after the War, Pratt & Whitney and Wright started building engines that were more reliable and less powerful for the airline industry, specifically the DC-7 and the Lockheed Connie in the case of the R-3350. They would do things like make beefier conrods and thicker sidewalls to increase the durability of the engines, but at the sacrifice of performance (heavier conrods can't turn as fast as lighter ones, etc.). IIRC, the engines that FIFI eventually ended up with are old C-119 engines, which still have some hours left on them, and are way more reliable than the old -23's she started out with.
Kelly Pedron,thanks for those notes on the R3350's and certainly the changes after WW2 ended.Given the dire need during the war, it is still amazing that these engines actually took the aircraft out and back in most dangerous circumstances,things have certainly changed since that dreadful WW2.
Some years back, this plane flew over my house, near Camarillo, CA. I was outside, and just heard this deep rumbling in the distance. Looked out and saw a massive wing span in the distance slowly approaching. It was an awesome experience that I won't forget. I enjoyed seeing it's inner workings in this video!
great video! my father-in-law was a tail gunner on a B-29 out of Saipan. Name of the plane was Ramp Queen. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. pinned on by Gen. LeMay. has a few air medals also. a very good guy. S/Sgt Archie Hamrick. JDR
Once in a while, on my way home in the middle of the night I'll grab a burger and sit across the street from the open-air exhibit at the Boeing Museum of Flight. Amongst the aircraft there is a B-29 and a 787 and it dawned on me one night, that the fuselage of the B-29 could probably just be pushed through the cowling of the 787 engines.......which tripped me out for days.
Hard to imagine a bunch of 19 and 23 year olds were in charge of these things during one of the greatest wars ever. Those 19 and 23-year-olds were much different than the ones we have today.
@@deemwinchI love gen z But I can't help saying, Good luck for the rest of your life, it's a lonnnng way...enjoy,be happy, be free, enjoy. Love will get you through and Jesus will give you miracles if you need them and you believe. We invented Peace and Love which they turned into Peace and Percentage, (Oh yeah, go to Oshy) Yours is the most laid back generation. Party Hearty - I hope you never have to experience war like they did. Theres always some murrerr trying to provoke the start of another effing war.🎉Which invariably people like these guys have to go and finish it or it would have gone on forever. We wish you peace and love.
Absolutely amazing, and crazy to think that they'd sent up 19 year old kids into combat with a couple hundred hours up in those things. Heck they wouldn't let me fly a Navajo until I was 25 and had like 1500 hrs lol
My father flew the B-24 during WWII and the B-29 for the Korean War (I was born then). Thank you for this. I never have gotten to see either in person.
Fun fact about checklist - it was because of the demonstration flight crash of the FF in 1935, that pre-flight checklist was started. @ 3:40 this flight control checklist would have caught the simple human error that brought it down (elevator = free & correct - it was locked).
Well ya but, imagine the guys that were on the ground, in the heat, sleeping on the dirt with one eye open, eating out of a can and getting shot at! They just dropped bombs and went back home! Brave still but, nothing like those guys on the front line. Those guys were THE SHIT!!!!!
My dad was a pilot for a B29 Super Foretress. Never knew the challenge & responsibility . Unfortunately He did not wish to share most of his experiences. Wish I could tell him "thanks" for what those men & Women did for us in the 1940s.
@@stevensteven3417 what about the countless that he most likely saved? Same with u -ken f- degenerate there is plenty of reasons Hiroshima and other bombings happened, what about pearl harbor or the Rapings of Nanshing ehh? I'm not saying violence is the answer but is was nessesary and most likely saved lives
This is an awesome video! Thank you very much for putting all together. One of my best instructors in the Air Force, was an engineer on the 29s. He retired from the Air Force Civil Service in mid 1985. Taught me a lot about using COMMON SENSE.
Great video! I had the opportunity to be on board Fifi about 20 years ago. Its gpod to see her still doing what she was built to do. Wonderful aircraft!
Its a shame there only two left. I had the pleasure of visiting the other one. An airport near me is working on restoring a P-61 black widow. Great Video.
The other B-29 known as "Doc" became airworthy just this last fall after years of restoration, a friend of mine who lives in Wichita, Kansas where it was being restored has been sending me updates on Docs progress for the last year and a half.
How about just since the beginning of WW2? This things defense system was computer guided, had integrated targeting, and was controllable by as few as one man. It might as well have been a spaceship in comparison to the B-17.
What an awesome video! That FlightChop Tracker was hilarious! lol It was interesting to see how much movement was required with the Yoke in controlling the aircraft. Thanks for sharing!
steveo1kinevo --- Nice to see that you not only film your own flights but enjoy other airplane videos on youtube. I shouldn't really be surprised. Back in WWII it was guys your age who were bomber commanders. They would have been calling you, "The old man". With the greatest respect, of course. I'm looking forward to YOUR next video. I especially liked your video crossing the gulf and hope you never need that inflatable life boat.
As a pilot that would be very strange for another crew member (behind you no less) to work your throttles! And man the large amount control movement on the flight controls. Great video and crew coordination 👍🏻👍🏻
The pilot can control the throttles as well, just they usually let the engineer put them to full throttle, and it's his job to keep an eye on them. I think in this case they are just making sure he feels like he has something important to do, and they know they can always countermand him if he screws up. But it's easy enough to order "full throttle" or "half throttle". I was under the impression that was typical on large multi-engine aircraft with 3-man crews. But the pilots have throttles...located outboard, so there are actually three throttle levers, all connected to the same cable system. The captain uses his left hand for throttles and the co-pilot his right, opposite of normal. Except they usually just let the engineer do it, when it's not critical. Emphasizes him for the passengers, so they can have and idea who he is, etc. And the large control movements are typical. It's a big plane, and those are manual controls. You need a lot of mechanical leverage to move them. It's like an old semi-truck with manual steering; you need to have a big steering wheel and you need to have it geared low, so it spins 6 turns lock-to-lock, or it's be so stiff you can't ever move it. Especially in an aircraft, where you might have to control it in a dive or stall, or gusts of wind. Even in the A6M "Zero", the ailerons would get so stiff over 350mph or so that the pilot literally couldn't move them. In a big bomber, you'd almost never put in anything besides small, gradual control movements, so the huge amount of movement isn't a problem...helps keep things smooth, if anything.
Kel Harper - Thanks for that cool comment. I was first surprised by the range of stick movement for normal flight control. Then again, I can't imagine how much that leverage would be needed at high speed with a stuck trim tab on the elevator!
Incredible!!! We are the land of the free, only because of the brave. Thank You for keeping this history alive and thank you and massive respect for our armed forces and the aircraft builders that made the tooks.
Thanks for the great video. I wasn't there, during the war, being born in 1952, but I teared up a little, myself. I have thought the B29 was one of the best looking planes, if not THE best, since I first saw pictures of them. They had such great lines and the shiny skin. I look at them as being big works of art, though, probably, the most dangerous, to the enemy, plane of the war.
Excellent video, Steve - as always. You really captured the flight well, not only did I feel like I was right there with the crew, I felt quite a sense of familiarity. Even though the T6/Harvard is a far cry from Fifi, there are some similarities. I couldn't imagine having someone else at control of the throttles though! But a lot of that crew communication - especially between pilot and engineer - is usually going on in my head :)
Makes me want to cry. This plane is 80 years old + now. B29 led to death of many and many died in them. Such a powerfull tool of war. Such a majestic plane, so big... and there are only two of them left now... I salute to all who have been in service on them. I salute to all that sadly died in air raids to them. I wish i could fly in one of them...
Blue Sky The turrets in the B29 were remote operated. Improved the crew’s safety that way compared to the B17 and B24. Tail gunner was the only one not remotely operated.
Had an uncle who flew B-17’s and B-29’s. The army sent him to India. He got sick there and died in Calcutta. He is buried at the Punchbowl national cemetery in Hawaii
I was fortunate to ride in the FiFi 3 months later at the World War 2 Air Show near me. Was even more privileged to fly with a World War 2 Vet who refueled these planes during the war. By far, one of the best experiences of my life.
the plane that dropped Fat man (Mk-3 nuclear bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki) was Bockscar, a specialized "Silverplate" B-29 modified for the fitting of the Little Boy and and MK-3 Fatman bomb. Enola Gay, the plane that dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima was also a modified B-29, These "Silverplate" variants had there turrets removed to remove weight for the massive load of the MK-3 Bomb and Little Boy bomb. (Little Boy being 9700 Ibs and Fat Man being 10,300 Ibs)
Thank you for taking us along with you on that ride. I admired, with a sunny disposition, the amazing view from the cockpit. Then I realized...it's for the guidance of bombs, not the benefit of the crew. It was a flying tomb, delivering death also, to others. Greatest respect to all our airmen and veterans - war is hell, and we must not romanticize so that we forget what they went through.💜
Well, as massive as it might be, it could not withstand Flak 88 AA fire. WW2 has a certain "romantic feel" to it and it's a fascinating topic, but we should never forget the millions who lost their lives in it.
Watching this made me emotional. Its so beautiful. I wish more than anything that there would be more than just 2 that are flightworthy. Its a masterpiece. Such an important part of History. I am happy there are some good men out there still looking after her.
As a B-24 fan I feel your pain. I wished there were more than 2 B-24s that were flightworthy also. These B-17s keep getting lost sadly and there are many more of them that are airworthy than B-29s and B-24s combined.
Thanks, my dad was a tail gunner on a 29. Back in the 1980s , I took him to a tank gunnery simulator at the Armor School. He immediately adapted to the main gun controls and was hitting targets out to 4000. Seems the Cadillac Gauge controls on the tank were very similar to those on the 29.
my 95 year old grandfather was a b-29 mechanic during the end of the war he lives on the east coast so getting him to California or Kansas or where ever the flights are would be incredible especially someone who remembers more about those days that what happened yesterday or the day before
Great video man! Always awesome to see the crew working in their natural habitat. Interesting to hear the crew still working on getting used to the new engines. They put out a lot more power than the originals, which is awesome for safety, interesting for flying it.
How'd you like that phenolic floor? Kinda different feel from wood or metal.
Neils (for those who didn't notice the back of his flight suit) is the son of Vic & Fifi Agather. Vic is the one who brought the B-29 out of the desert and Fifi was his wife. The story is that he named the plane Fifi as an apology because he didn't tell her he was going to buy a B-29. :)
That's an awesome story! Thanks for sharing!
Even still, I bet the couch had a blanket and pillow on it that night!
FlightChops you know what I was thinking, u have to buy an RV for yourself, just think how many cool videos u can make🤔🤔😂😂
Anthony Bellotti bv
Chris Trott 9
I donated $100 to this airplane as a child probably 10 to 15 years ago at the airshow in Midland, Tx. It was all the money I got from my grandparents for Christmas but i just wanted to see it fly! At the time it was grounded due to high restoration costs, glad my money went to good use!
T R that's awesome!
TR, your comment made my day, and choked me up a bit, too. The love of planes like these coming from kids like you were, and that amazing donation, where you literally gave everything just to help keep this plane flying, is exactly what this whole warbirds thing is about.
While the CAF was based in Midland, TX, I helped out with an engine overhaul (dumb labor only), but my father was a crew chief on a B-29 flying off Tinian (not the A-bomb group). Post-war, many of the surplus B-29s were scrapped at Pyote Army Air Field in Pyote, TX. The CAF personnel had some great stories about finding old B-29 parts in odd places, including a nose section that was used as part of a greenhouse.
you should get a ride in it.
Thanks!
I don't think there could be something more cool than the ability to announce yourself as "Superfortress" to ATC. Thumbs up for keeping it in flying condition!
This is the best B-29 youtube video I have ever seen. I was a kid in San Diego during WWII and I can remember that it was a very serious time for everybody; warships in the harbor, camouflage nets over the Pacific Coast Highway, camouflaged buildings, military planes flying in formation daily, anti-aircraft guns along the shore, rows and rows of LCVP boats waiting to be shipped to the South Pacific, rationing at home.
+nemo227 - glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for sharing your story - can't imagine what it must have been like during WWII
Yes, indeed; the enemy would have made a special effort to pick them off. The enemy was desperate to keep our men from communicating with each other, e.g. calling for reinforcements, directing artillery fire, and such things. [Aug.2018 These two sentences appear to be a response to a comment that I can't now find. Puzzling.]
In my old age, I've discovered that some combat veterans never told their stories to families. Never wanted to frighten their families or maybe never wanted to break into tears in front of their families. But some of them told me because I think they felt I really wanted to hear their stories.
My mom's parents were kids during the German occupation of Holland, and there's a few photos I've seen where German soldiers are walking around parts of my hometown that have barely changed at all, and every so often a cobblestone infront of a house would be replaced with a bronze or gold cobblestone with a name or two and a David star on it, indicating that Jewish-Dutch citizens used to live there. It's amazing.
TroubleTwo . . . We can learn much from history when we choose to . . . sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like with armed foreign soldiers in California. But my mind won't allow me to imagine such an event.
Incidentally, I knew a car salesman who told me about visiting Holland and seeing the house in which he was born. It was 400 years old, he said; older than the USA. Yes, it was a stone house. Oh, I DID buy a car from him. :-)
My Father was a flight engineer on a 29 during the war. Heard some stories and this video pulls some things together for me thanks.
That turret technology in 1942 is crazy. Always thought the Superfortress was so damn cool. This thing was such a monster for the time. What a beautiful piece of war history.
It wasn't that amazing though. That computer turret technology was a complete failure on the B-29. They had to remove all 3 of the computer turrets on all B-29s by February 1945 and they only had one turret in the tail and that was manned by a tail gunner with no computer. The B-29 raids in 1944 and up through February 1945 were a complete failure. Only in March 1945 without the computer turrets did they actually start successfully bombing Japan.
@@nogoodnameleft Partially. The turrets were removed for two reasons: first, there was not the significant air/air threat i.e. like Germany, anticipated. ( The B29 was designed for an ETO environment, contrary to some popular "histories".)
Second and more important, LeMay changed tactics from high altitude daylight "precision" strikes to lower altitude night missions. The Japanese had essentially no real night fighters, or even radar directed AAA, thus no need for the weight of the turrets, gunners and ammunition.
My Dad was an FE and he mentioned the crews were not enthusiastic about removing the guns, but it DID increase the TAS over the target, which was appreciated.
Oh it wasn't 1942, it was actually in 1943 when the computer design and fire control system was operational...
@@grumblesa10 Right on...I like the B-29s. They got the job done and very well.
@@grumblesa10 How much weight did they save from that?
@AuschwitzSoccerRef.Look up the "Rape of Nanking"
Aha, Imagine being an Air Traffic Controller then hearing the Callsign "B-29 Superfortress", that would probably make my day.
like an old man in public, your old famous airplane gets priority one attention. (:
Lewis Bartmess "Sir, this is Tower, stay off the radio this is not for pranks"
'whaaa??'
*B-29 Does a 500ft fly by*
........." Clear to land "
Lewis Bartmess 0:10 they habe a fan in a war plane.... thats just wierd
budi matuwi no its not
yes that is for hot and scary situations.
B-29 Fifi is a very special plane to me. My grandfather was a tailgunner on B-29s during the Korean War. As a kid we would go to many airshows. In 1998 Fifi was at a local show and he was allowed to go back into the tail for the first time since flying combat missions during the war. I was approximately 11 yrs old at the time. But it was something special for me to be able to a B-29 finally in person and more importantly, to share in a very special moment with my grandfather who would pass two years later. My passion for aviation started with my grandfather as a child and influenced my aviation job in the military. Fast foward 22 years. For the first time since 1998 I once again got to see Fifi along with my girlfriend and her family at an airshow for the first time since that moment as a child. However, for this event they were not allowing plane access. I told the one of the crew about my grandfather and of our experience directly with Fifi that it had been on my bucket list since being a child to be able to go to my grandfather's position on the 29. They allowed me private access to the plane and specifically the tailgunners position. The only other person that was allowed access was a 94 yr old veteran waist gunner that flew on 29s in ww2. I am forever grateful for the crew and the Commemorative Air Force to have gone out of their way to finally allow me that special moment to not just see and have the experience of what he seen, but to also re-experience as an adult just a special moment that my grandfather and I had as a kid. I could spend another 22 years saying thanks and it wouldnt be enough. So anyone involved in Fifi or CAF reading this. I want to sincerely say thank you! Those 15 minutes are something I'll cherish for the rest of my life.
-OIF Veteran and grandson of a B-29 Tailgunner.
If your Grandfather was stationed on Tinian he may have known my father who was there during the Korean war. He flew on a B-29 named Razin Hell.
I still cant believe we went from canvas and wood, single engine planes to these massive bombers in like 40 years
More like 20! Super impressive
Non stop all out war does that. If neither WWI or WWII had happened it would not have been achieved so quickly, and that probably would have been for the best. Technology is advancing faster than our sense to use (or not use) it.
Yup then went from first object in space to man on the moon in even 12 years
@William Yang-Goodwin “ *WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY* ” -Patrick Star
Yea we also went from conventional bombs to atomic nuclear bombs within 5 years after the war started.
Saw a b29 flying over my house because I live near Oshkosh and it was the coolest thing ever. I love seeing the past be brought to life
Bomb bay opens
@@namedless casually pulls out my anti aircraft cannon obviously
@@tobak35 probaly eaa but i didnt know tgat they did b29s this year
@@useless3796 it wasn’t this year
I was just thinking of how I would fill my britches if I ever got to see that. I am not far from Nellis and also fought in our forever wars so I am no stranger to military aircraft, but this would be something different entirely. I am a history nerd.
...and to think very brave young men flew these hugely complicated aircraft often landing with extensive damage , with dead and dying on board. Most of them have passed now and the legacy they have left should never be forgotten.
My father was a navigator on these in WW2 flying missions over Japan. Amazing to see this video and gave me a greater appreciation for these men and my dad that flew missions. Thank you for the video!
My Uncle Albert was a Lieutenant and navigator on the "Good Deal" B29. He flew 29 successful bombing missions over Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. I believe they had to fly 25 missions. However, he told me the last few he flew were to drop leaflets from the air to the people of Japan to warn them that hell was coming. They could either heed the warning on the leaflets or not... Of course we all know what happened after that... He was also on the first Freedom Honor Flight to Washington DC when they started it. God Bless America!
Show less
Thank you for your Dad's service.
Last time these things flew over Japan things got a little….
*H O T*
".. engineer still here.." That sounded funny until it gave me the chills when I thought of a combat situation when maybe the flight engineer suddenly wasn't still there. Those were brave guys. Thank you for the great video.
Very true. WW2 was a scary time man. Those men had balls of steel to fly over those Nazi bastards and drop hell on them.
Those were murdering devils you mean.
@@nateashimself4570 The airmen were bastards. No honour in terror bombing dense civilian population centers.
Lube The civvillians empowered the military, you can’t destroy the military without crippling their homefront. Given what was at stake, it was necessary.
@@whackyjinak4978 Did you seriously just try and justify bombing women and children...
Amazing history comes alive, A testament to designers and engineers who designed this plane before computers, those who built them and brave men who flew these in combat. Thank You volunteers!
A wartime crew would have had the bird in the air in 10 mins or less. On our LCAC's (Navy) we had about a 30 min checklist to get going in schools and training, but in the real world, we had the craft up and running and on cushion in less than 5 mins. I think it is incredible the amount of detail these men are showing in making sure the old bird is safe for flight for both its passengers and itself.
I actually thought that this is the cockpit of the Millennium falcon.
Same
No shit star wars just copies ww2 vehicles and weapons for everything
The XWING is the NAVY's Douglas A-1 Skyraider, google it, and also check the white helmet and exhaust stains on fuselage
+1
yep me too
Thanks for this video. My father was a B29 side gunner in WWII. His plane's name was "Angel In Da Skies". He was a proud Army Air Force member. I took him on the DC Honor Flight in 2013 and he passed 5 months later. While he talked of his many flights over the years, this video finally gave me some insight into a little of what he experienced.
PackFan2323 yeah ne too.my dad plane name is Angel in da hood
Your father was a god amongst men :)
lean ripped stop
B29 SIDE gunner?
The guns for them were actually slung underneath, and remote controlled like all the B29 guns. Note the video explaining the side window locations for gunners.
From Japan to you.🇯🇵🕊
My grandfather told me that he saw a B-29 in the summer of 1945. There was a military garrison near where he lived, and the B-29s were flying in formation over it, but the Japanese were not able to do anything about it. Japan was short of materials and even the garrison had no ammunition.
I hope the world will be free of war.
Hello. I am from the future, sadly, another war broke out. Putin's greed has invaded Ukraine. :(
Peace must be kept, and Putin needs to be arrested.
By the way, the B-29 was a cool plane, and a similar design was used for a passenger plane in the 1950s.
@@thatguyalex2835 Putin said its a Military Operation
@@johnnysins8205 Putin said a lot of things, not very clearly or very justifiable
@@johnnysins8205 and he is a chronic liar.
Japanese dude #1: "Ah,shit. It's B29."
Japanese dude #2: "Meh.Only one."
Are we just gonna ignore the facts that he looks like captain price
Edit: Thank you for the likes haha
I'm glad I didn't need to go far for this comment, 2 seconds in and that's all I could think of
FACTS i was saying the same thing!
bravo 6 going IFR
I thought the same thing as well
@@windowsxseven atis
What memories this brought back to me. I was a B-29 Instructor Gunner in the 3513th Flying Training Squadron at Randolph AFB during the Korean "Conflict". I flew in all the gunner positions. My Instructor Pilot also allowed me to fly the Flight Engineer position until he was sure that I could handle it; then I got to fly it from the left (Aircraft Commander's) seat and shoot touch and go landings and take-offs until we were faily confident that I had a good chance to bring it in safely in case of an emergency. That sure made my job more interesting. I don't think any of the other I.P.'s did that for their crew. Our Instructor Flight Engineer could fly the Superfort about as well as anyone except my I.P. Thanks for posting this Video.
That is quite the story. I did not know that the B-29 was involved in the Korean "conflict." Did the B-29 make actual bombing runs during this war?
Hey Guns. How you doing. I was a B-52D,F,G,H Gunner (H-model Instructor). Later, a C-130 Flight Engineer. Wish the 52 had all that interior room, and viability the 29 had.
My primary experiences with the B-52 was investigating crashes. After I got my discharge, I got a degree in Aero Engineering and worked several years in a position that had crash investigation as one of the responsibilities. One of the crashes I investigated is on You Tube. It was one that ran out of fuel while on a 24 hr reflex mission. It had a failure in the Air Conditioning System and cockpit temperatures got high enough to crack the glass on instruments and cracked a windshield.
My father spent time at Lackland, Randolph and Lowery in gunnery training then later in aircraft mechanics school. B 29s were his bird. been gone for 23 years, wish he could have seen videos like this.
I heard they had to curtail B-29 operations in Korea due to the MIG threat, which they hadn't expected. The MIGs could easily intercept the B-29.
Never made the Millennium Falcon connection until now.
That title looks strangely familiar. Nice one.
Yup! :) Between FaceBook, reddit, twitter and Instagram, I got over a hundred title suggestions for this one, I took bits from my favorite suggestions, but yours was best and shaped the majority of the direction I went with the title! In other news: We're working on your episode slowly - the issue has been James is mostly through editing it on a different version of final cut than me, so he needs to finish it on his system; however he got a gig directing a series of commercials AND writing a script for a horror movie... So he's been slammed for the past few months.
FlightChops congrats to James. I guess that's the price of success.
+Eliot Williams ..When I saw the thumbnail I thought he filmed visiting the set of the Millennium Falcon.
Anyway, I heard they made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
Of course a lot of WWII German aircraft did the same... He 111 various Dornier and others ...
Like the Germans, the TIE fighters all had faceted canopies as well. Which is appropriate given who the bad guys are.
*THOSE ENGINES ARE MUSIC TO THE EARS...WHO KNEW IT TOOK SO MANY PEOPLE TO FLY THE SUPERFORTRESS...IT'S TOTALLY AMAZING, YOU GUYS ARE TRULY LEGENDS AND A TRIP WE WON'T SOON FORGET...THANKS TO FOREFLIGHT ,FLIGHTCHOPS AND ALL HIS SPONSORS AND THIS INCREDIBLE CREW FOR THIS AMAZING FLY ALONG, WOW...WE'RE ALL GOBSMAKED WITH THIS FANTASTIC BOMBER PLANE!!!*
why you all caps doe?
Wow! This video left me speechless! My dad was a radio operator on a B-29 in the Korean War-he would have been so thrilled to see this. Thanks for a great job!
+butch otey - glad it resonated with you
I sat and talked in the left seat with a veteran B-29 radio operator for an hour a few years back. FiFi was parked at PDK here in Atlanta. I parked my truck and just walked up to the plane. Another guy showed up and we just climbed aboard. Also self guided our own tours through Diamond Lil (B-24) and a Spanish built He-111. Was a great day. Was before those clowns ran into the buildings in NYC so there was ZERO security. Airshows on military bases were also quite different then. Park by the ramp and walk on in.
was with the airplane from 83 to 90. Lots of memories in Harlingen. 20 years with the CAF . Tailwinds . John K.
Very impressive video! I felt like I was there!
+TAOFLEDERMAUS - appreciated! That was the goal - glad you felt you were on board!
Well done! Bravo!
dang man, your everywhere!
I don't want to imagine what the ships and the fleet had to endure in the Pacific until the heavyweights arrived
That will forever be the coolest cockpit EVER. No wonder Millennium Falcon borrowed its design.
God it would suck to be shot at thou in there
Gave me the goosebumps. How those young WWII crews managed to operate in these amazing flying machines tight compartments.
Josefa Bola these B-29s were spacious compared to the small space the crews had in the B-17 Flying Fortresses.
Imagine the first bombers held up by canvas and matchsticks, flying and targeting while being shot at.
Exoress Delivers b-17 was a hell of a plane
As a blackhawk Crew Chief I love hearing this kind of crew coordination
Thanks for your service!
F-15 crew chief here!
Ex CH47 Flight Engineer here.
Ex astronaut 5 star general king of spain and $50 million dollar lottery winner here
Wow, absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Such an emotional ride to see that incredible aircraft I found myself clapping during the video. :) WOOOHOOOOOO!
Must be an ATC honor of a lifetime to call B-29 Superfortress.
Your honor and respect for the craft and crew were evident throughout, well done. Thank you for posting, these 21 minutes made my day. Bravo, sir.
thanks so much for this great comment!
Sitting in the B-29: Wow, this plane is Amazing!
*looks back*
Is that Messerschmidt bf109 supposed to be there?!
except that the B29's didn't fly in europe
@@oceano3118 ok I correct: *Is that Mitsubishi A6M supposed to be there?!*
Maybe it's a Ki-61? Common mistake.
; )
why do i hear boss music?
They actually flew one or two for propaganda purposes.
Watching the cooperation and communication of the crew was mesmerizing! I can't imagine the level of activity under combat conditions! The tasks and intensity of the flight engineer was just unbelievable. I can't imagine the learning curve of a Superfort crew.
i cant even imagine what it must have been like flying in this while getting shot at. the thunder of the turret guns blaring through the cabin, the rumble with every round fired and the amount of heat they must have generated.
CreatingtheReaper crazy
And they did not have Bose noise cancelling headsets in those days
Not to mention flying in close formation with dozens of other B29.
Heat wasn't a problem, these guys flew so high up they needed special suits to not freeze to death, and often times it was barely enough
CreatingtheReaper incase u did not know these planes nick names were "flying fortress" becausw they would come back with holes and missing parts.
Have you ever seen a plane land that soft? Those pilots are skilled!
I got to be a friend of Colonel John Misterly who was among one of the youngest navigator on the first B29's. His book, "Over And Under" goes into great detail about how scary flying the hump over the Himalayas Mountain range supplying the Flying Tigers. I did some excavation work for John and his wife 3 years ago, they both have past on...bless them Dear Lord... I am a 60yr old but I was like a little kid in Johns house listening to his true life accounts aboard the B29's involved in the firebombing of Japan cities. His craft was shot down, he spent quite a few days along in Japanese waters as he was separated from his crew while abandoning the sinking aircraft. He has several books out...what an amazing generation of inventors and airmen...the Great Generation..WOW...I will always be thankful
Это трудно себе представить, В-29 и внизу Гималаи❗ Или атака вражеских истребителей, которые насквозь простреливали этот самолёт❗Как можно человеку это выдержать?
My Uncle Albert was a Lieutenant and navigator on the "Good Deal" B29. He flew 29 successful bombing missions over Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. I believe they had to fly 25 missions. However, he told me the last few he flew were to drop leaflets from the air to the people of Japan to warn them that hell was coming. They could either heed the warning on the leaflets or not... Of course we all know what happened after that... He was also on the first Freedom Honor Flight to Washington DC when they started it. God Bless America!
*55,000 Silver Lions repair cost intensifies*
Good one, your comment made me smile
SteamedBunGaming I get it
:DDDDD yes, wt life :D
SteamedBunGaming that’s for the tu 4
нужно больше золота.
My father was a B29 pilot, 444th Bomb Group. What's amazing to me is how young most of the air crews were. Dad was only 22 when he was discharged in November 1945. A 25 year old was considered to be the "old man" of a crew.
Thanks to Bose for getting us all on board! This is one of those videos that really shows the true value of RUclips (and the information superhighway in general). Amazing footage and edit. Thanks for sharing. :)
+strangersound - awesome comment, and agreed, it is liberating to be able to share this stuff the way we want to with no tv industry gatekeepers
Indeed. Thanks, again. Enjoyed the ride. :)
FlightChops word
"Information Superhighway" is a term I haven't heard in a long time!
"A Space Shuttle of the day" -- probably the best description of what B-29 was back in 1940s...
Awesome! Dad was combat camera and flew in these during the war, great to see what it was actually like.
The only story I remember him telling was about the first person to use the latrine had to empty it after the flight. When someone on the crew finally gave in to the pressure the plane would actually tilt nose up ( remember it's a war story ) when all the rest of the crew headed towards the back of the plane to be next.
There was a picture of FIFI in his stack of nose art photos, unfortunately I have no idea what happened to them.
my grand father was a master gunner on the B29, I had the chance to explore one once at an air show with him. incredible plane
Imagine being a pilot waiting for clearence, tuned to the tower frequency, and hearing "B-29 Superfortress is ready to go, requesting permission for takeoff"... XD
Personally, it would make my day ^^
totally agree! on the flip side, given there's only 2 of these things left flying today ,and not that many more B17s/B24s etc, I'm always awestruck by the idea of literally 1000 of these things (with hundreds of fighter escorts in tow) rumbling overhead on their way to some far off target over Germany or Japan.
First time I flew to OshKosh, I got cleared to land “behind the Trimotor,” and followed him all the way in. Truly an amazing event.
Probably about the same feeling as one gets when you hear the same thing about the An-225.
My Dad did many missions in this plane (Black Magic II) from Tinian. They had lots of issues with prop governers, would rarely make it back with all engines. Picked the plane up in nebraska, flew it to training in Texas, then flew it around the world over the Hymalayas !! they called it the Hump no kidding. He was 23. He said Iwo Jima saved his life 3 times. They would land there when they had problems. Long boring missions, then 30 mins of terror. They once found a chunk of Flack embeded in the tube that had come straight up thu all the racks of Bombs. Should have blown them out of the sky. (tube ran thru the bomb bay) it came up while doors were open cause it didnt hurt the doors, they were only open for a few moments while bombs were falling. He had mild PTSD and would wake up with nightmares.
When men were men...now they need a fkn safe space...
Men like your Dad made this country what it is! The B29 was a technological marvel in its day rushed out of development for war your Dad was basically a test pilot. Hands down my favorite aircraft.
Shit id have nightmares too
@@davidbutera5985 y
@@schfablarrie1 because men like his father went to war raised a family went to work all while struggling to make ends meet and never expected that the government would fill the role of Dad , bread winner and teacher! When faced with overwhelming odds in favor of failure people of that era worked harder to get what they wanted it was a source of pride! Today ideals have changed get rich quick are the words for the era and it doesn't matter who you hurt, lawsuits and scams are held in great esteem! And to say people of the past made this country great is just racist! Don't take into the fact black people help build this country don't take into the fact it was built by immigrants! That mentality washes away all the sacrifice and hard work of the people of the past and labels! That mentality is racist and bigoted!
Several years ago I got to sit in the captain's seat aboard FIFI when it was flown into Greenville, SC. What amazed me was the relative simplicity of the flight instrumentation. Even the throttle quadrants are fairly simple. It wasn't much more daunting than the instrument panel of my friend's Comanche 250. But then you look over your shoulder at the engineer's station and it's like "WHOA!". It looks like it's right out of the engine room of a battleship.
The engineer does the lion's share of watching instuments.
Imagining this...with the addition of up to 50+ fellow super fortresses plus an escort of mustangs and spitfires taking on flack fire at 2:30 in the morning after being in the air already for up to 60 minutes or more with a crew of young men in their 20’s and early 30’s and the level of anxiety with absolutely no where else to turn to hide the fear (no bunkers or holes to cover in). WWII Super-fortress pilots and crew will forever be my personal level of balls of steel men of men.
The fact that these were some of the first aircraft that could fly with only ONE engine out of four functioning is a testament to the “Flying Fortress” name.
We’ve all heard the stories of these aircraft literally being “Swiss-cheesed” and making it home...
Absolutely insane...what a workhorse...🙂
This is a B29 Super Fort, which didn't see action in Europe. I think you're thinking of the B17.
But...4,700 B-17s were shot down in Europe vs 3,600 B-24s. B-24s were truly the Flying Fortress, not the B-17s. B-17s have had a mammoth propaganda machine since 1935 when the military and government were overhyping them and claimed that they could sink warships 1,000 miles away from the U.S. coast. It turned out that that was a huge lie and B-17s were terrible anti-shipping and anti-submarine bombers while B-24s were the actually fantastic anti-shipping and anti-submarine bombers. B-24s also served very well in Europe like B-17s did...but 1,000 more B-17s were shot down than B-24s over Europe which shows that B-17s were not really Flying Fortresses.
i wonder how many germans just thought they were missing or calculating wrong lol!
@@horsemumbler1uhh what?
He is thinking of the b17s but the b29 definetly saw action in eroupe
@@garyslayton8340 they did not? at least not during WW2
11:32
What the last Pringle in the can sees:
I definitely LOL'd at that one.
Thank you! My Tea came out of my nose thanks to you
Omg
hahahaha
😂😂😂😂
"I don't know if I said this already but passengers are clear to move around"
"Roger, they already are"
Just came across this great video. My father was a B-29 flight engineer who flew 38 combat missions over Japan out of Saipan and Tinian and came home to tell about it. His aircraft was Wild Hair with Bugs Bunny as a part of the nose art. Fifi will be here in Florida in 3 weeks I am taking a ride. Amazing aircraft flown by some very brave young men back in the 40's and onward. These crew members who fly Fifi today are just amazing airmen !! Thanks for this.
I can't believe this wonderful machine was designed almost 80 years ago
And too it wasnt developed by americans it was developed by foreign scientists. America alone cant do anything
Bruh what are you on about this is made by Americans even the Russians thought it was a good plane and stole a few and made their own
Wow
Shelloriser why do you feel the need to say that?
Someone got a bit patriotic
Very nice to watch this video. I always watch those engines with my heart in my mouth as they could burn through the wing so quickly, given their extensive use of magnesium. I was at home in Birmingham, Alabama when I heard the unmistakable sound of big radials thundering overhead. When I ran outside and saw Fifi passing over, I almost fell down. The P-51D Mustang escorting it was just a bit of icing on that cake. Told my wife I never thought in my life I would see a B-29 Superfortress fly by. I crawled all through her at the BHM airport, but just couldn't part with the $1600 to sit in the bombardier's nose position or even the $600 for an aft gunner's station in 2016. (Much of that is a tax deductible donation, though.) Nevertheless, Fifi and now Doc are such an amazing, living part of history. The USA spent 50 percent more on the B-29 development and construction than it did on the atomic bomb project, easily the two most expensive projects of World War Two. Those awful Wright R-3350 engines delayed the project by many months and never were entirely trustworthy until more development after the war ended. Pratt & Whitney radials would have done the job sooner and more reliably. Even many historians don't grasp that the B-29 and P-51 flying over Japan in 1944-1945 were essentially 5 years ahead of anything the Japanese could throw at them in any quantity. If you fly in the "Pacific Fighters" game, the Japanese fighters can barely reach the altitudes of the B-29's, they can scarcely keep up with he flight speed, and they are hounded by the 430 mph P-51 Mustangs for their trouble. Once the Mariana Islands fell, Japan's paper and wood cities were doomed.
+Samuel Thompson - thanks for sharing so much awesome detail Samuel!
Forgot to mention that the "new engines" other respondents mentioned were some of those improved, postwar models. I spoke with one of Fifi's pilots at length and he told me about those engines now mounted on Fifi. Definitely a step up from the WW2 era Wright R-3350's; more power and safety. Fifi was named for the wife(?) of the owner of this aircraft. Pretty sure Fifi was completed just before WW2 ended and served as a trainer before falling into disrepair.
BTW, when General LeMay took over XXIst Army Air Force to recoup the full value of the B-29 investment, he had all the gun turrets except for the tail turret removed, along with some gunners. This allowed the aircraft to haul more bombs and/or fly faster. LeMay switched over from the American precision daylight bombing approach used against Germany to the British area night bombing approach. The B-29s were learning about the power of 100 mph "jet stream" at high altitude regularly encountered over Japan. It played havoc with high altitude flight and bombing accuracy. Presumably, LeMay figured it would be more effective to fly in at lower altitudes, using darkness to avoid most of the Japanese flak and fighters. It was indeed effective, even before the atomic bombs convinced the Emperor to yield.
+Samuel Thompson They're still Wright R-3350's, but they are what is called a "crate engine"; after the War, Pratt & Whitney and Wright started building engines that were more reliable and less powerful for the airline industry, specifically the DC-7 and the Lockheed Connie in the case of the R-3350. They would do things like make beefier conrods and thicker sidewalls to increase the durability of the engines, but at the sacrifice of performance (heavier conrods can't turn as fast as lighter ones, etc.). IIRC, the engines that FIFI eventually ended up with are old C-119 engines, which still have some hours left on them, and are way more reliable than the old -23's she started out with.
Kelly Pedron,thanks for those notes on the R3350's and certainly the changes after WW2 ended.Given the dire need during the war, it is still amazing that these engines actually took the aircraft out and back in most dangerous circumstances,things have certainly changed since that dreadful WW2.
Mr. Thompson, if FIFI had that effect, you really need to go to Airventure in Oshkosh, WI. It's at the end of July every summer. www.airventure.org
Some years back, this plane flew over my house, near Camarillo, CA. I was outside, and just heard this deep rumbling in the distance. Looked out and saw a massive wing span in the distance slowly approaching. It was an awesome experience that I won't forget. I enjoyed seeing it's inner workings in this video!
where do you live (county, i'm not creepy i swear)
@@person5476 Ventura County. There are CAF planes based at the local airport, CMA. I'm sure it was flying from there.
great video! my father-in-law was a tail gunner on a B-29 out of Saipan. Name of the plane was Ramp Queen. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. pinned on by Gen. LeMay. has a few air medals also. a very good guy. S/Sgt Archie Hamrick. JDR
"Superfotress 529B, wondering if we can make a flyby today?"
Is there any acceptable answer to this question other than "Yes"?
Yep, "No" would also be an acceptable answer
@@GaiusCaligula234 I'm sorry but I don't think were reading the same thing, might want to evaluate your answer again
There would be no other acceptable answer for this majestic machine. Sad we don't have more of them flying.
@@GaiusCaligula234 Only Caligula could be cruel enough to say such a thing! But you are fated for a gruesome end. Guards! Praetorians! Seize him! 👎
I know this probably won't get seen but I toured this plane when it came to my home airport Ktys it is a truly great plane
Once in a while, on my way home in the middle of the night I'll grab a burger and sit across the street from the open-air exhibit at the Boeing Museum of Flight. Amongst the aircraft there is a B-29 and a 787 and it dawned on me one night, that the fuselage of the B-29 could probably just be pushed through the cowling of the 787 engines.......which tripped me out for days.
Wha?! Wow!
Hard to imagine a bunch of 19 and 23 year olds were in charge of these things during one of the greatest wars ever. Those 19 and 23-year-olds were much different than the ones we have today.
Ok boomer
@@deemwinchI love gen z
But I can't help saying,
Good luck for the rest of your life, it's a lonnnng way...enjoy,be happy, be free, enjoy.
Love will get you through and Jesus will give you miracles if you need them and you believe. We invented Peace and Love which they turned into Peace and Percentage,
(Oh yeah, go to Oshy)
Yours is the most laid back generation.
Party Hearty - I hope you never have to experience war like they did. Theres always some murrerr trying to provoke the start of another effing war.🎉Which invariably people like these guys have to go and finish it or it would have gone on forever.
We wish you peace and love.
@@deemwinchYes, boomers both handled aircraft like this at 20 and knew which outhouse to use.
My father was 22 and flew 29s , 25s 24s and c 47s
They must have college which puts them at 22 + 2 years training and flight experience is my guess ..
Incredible. This plane was a marvel of thechnology
Absolutely amazing, and crazy to think that they'd sent up 19 year old kids into combat with a couple hundred hours up in those things. Heck they wouldn't let me fly a Navajo until I was 25 and had like 1500 hrs lol
+Chad - I know, right?!
Chad I bet the First alien invasion it'll be just like that again.
I read somewhere in WW2 training and operational accidents killed more air crew than enemy action.
Love seeing FiFi when she comes to Dallas during the wings over Dallas air show
My father flew the B-24 during WWII and the B-29 for the Korean War (I was born then). Thank you for this. I never have gotten to see either in person.
some say they are still marking off a checklist to this day
check ✔
This made me smile (:
michael lister
which "some say" ? 🙄 Lame.
Fun fact about checklist - it was because of the demonstration flight crash of the FF in 1935, that pre-flight checklist was started. @ 3:40 this flight control checklist would have caught the simple human error that brought it down (elevator = free & correct - it was locked).
LOL :D
I flew in FiFi yesterday, in the rear section. What an incredible experience. Thanks for posting this!
Imagine! Guys used to fly these things under fire! Awesome video! A tribute to those that had to do it for real.
Well ya but, imagine the guys that were on the ground, in the heat, sleeping on the dirt with one eye open, eating out of a can and getting shot at! They just dropped bombs and went back home! Brave still but, nothing like those guys on the front line. Those guys were THE SHIT!!!!!
@@shaneb1313 The per capita losses of air forces in war are always much higher than those of the infantry.
It is obvious the cockpit of the B-29 was the inspiration for the cockpit in the Millennium Falcon.
This crew of veterans flying this old bomber is truly a beautiful sight
I nearly put a hole in my screen hitting that like button. Thanks for sharing this experience!
My dad was a pilot for a B29 Super Foretress. Never knew the challenge & responsibility . Unfortunately
He did not wish to share most of his experiences. Wish I could tell him "thanks" for what those men & Women did for us in the 1940s.
Don't worry, billwatson. Your father is in a peaceful realm and he knows of your love and appreciation. Bless you.
You mean like firebomb women and children, i m sure he got a couple hundred. He is now in the same peaceful realm where his victims went.
Bombing women and chidren? Id bet he was responsible for thousands of childrens lives. Am not suprised he didnt talk much about it.
@@stevensteven3417 what about the countless that he most likely saved? Same with u -ken f- degenerate there is plenty of reasons Hiroshima and other bombings happened, what about pearl harbor or the Rapings of Nanshing ehh? I'm not saying violence is the answer but is was nessesary and most likely saved lives
@@stevensteven3417 weak trolling from the left
FiFi! It visited my local airport when I was a kid. Got to go on board. That was a great experience as a kid.
This is an awesome video! Thank you very much for putting all together. One of my best instructors in the Air Force, was an engineer on the 29s. He retired from the Air Force Civil Service in mid 1985. Taught me a lot about using COMMON SENSE.
Happy to share, glad you enjoyed it!
There's a well oiled machine on this craft. It's called the fight crew.
Great video! I had the opportunity to be on board Fifi about 20 years ago. Its gpod to see her still doing what she was built to do. Wonderful aircraft!
0:01 “bravo six, going dark”
"Who's on the plane?"
*Just some old comrades*
Its a shame there only two left. I had the pleasure of visiting the other one. An airport near me is working on restoring a P-61 black widow. Great Video.
The other B-29 known as "Doc" became airworthy just this last fall after years of restoration, a friend of mine who lives in Wichita, Kansas where it was being restored has been sending me updates on Docs progress for the last year and a half.
Odd, I saw this one about 3 years ago. Must have been fifi then.
I think he said their are only two in flying condition in the beginning of the video. Probably more in museums...
There are quite a few still in existence; Enola Gay herself is on display at the Smithsonian.
Just wondering why are there only 2 left?
Never appreciated how technologically advanced these were for their time until i saw this.
Uh, well they've clearly been updated in the Avionics Department.....
VancouverCanucksRock No...
@ Are you blind?
The development of the B-29 has cost more than the entire Manhattan Project
I'm always amazed by the leaps of technology between WW1 and WW2.
Think about 20 years after ww2 as well. 1965 some crazy leaps and bounds from ww2
How about just since the beginning of WW2?
This things defense system was computer guided, had integrated targeting, and was controllable by as few as one man. It might as well have been a spaceship in comparison to the B-17.
What an awesome video! That FlightChop Tracker was hilarious! lol It was interesting to see how much movement was required with the Yoke in controlling the aircraft. Thanks for sharing!
I thought the same thing - HUGE control inputs for just normal turns.
FlightChops that's what I was thinking. he was making what looked like huge inputs.
Bigger movements = more leverage.
steveo1kinevo --- Nice to see that you not only film your own flights but enjoy other airplane videos on youtube. I shouldn't really be surprised. Back in WWII it was guys your age who were bomber commanders. They would have been calling you, "The old man". With the greatest respect, of course. I'm looking forward to YOUR next video. I especially liked your video crossing the gulf and hope you never need that inflatable life boat.
Yep, no hydraulics for flight controls here. At least hyd leaks was not that much a problem like they are today in FBW aircrafts.
As a pilot that would be very strange for another crew member (behind you no less) to work your throttles! And man the large amount control movement on the flight controls. Great video and crew coordination 👍🏻👍🏻
The pilot can control the throttles as well, just they usually let the engineer put them to full throttle, and it's his job to keep an eye on them. I think in this case they are just making sure he feels like he has something important to do, and they know they can always countermand him if he screws up. But it's easy enough to order "full throttle" or "half throttle". I was under the impression that was typical on large multi-engine aircraft with 3-man crews. But the pilots have throttles...located outboard, so there are actually three throttle levers, all connected to the same cable system. The captain uses his left hand for throttles and the co-pilot his right, opposite of normal. Except they usually just let the engineer do it, when it's not critical. Emphasizes him for the passengers, so they can have and idea who he is, etc.
And the large control movements are typical. It's a big plane, and those are manual controls. You need a lot of mechanical leverage to move them. It's like an old semi-truck with manual steering; you need to have a big steering wheel and you need to have it geared low, so it spins 6 turns lock-to-lock, or it's be so stiff you can't ever move it. Especially in an aircraft, where you might have to control it in a dive or stall, or gusts of wind. Even in the A6M "Zero", the ailerons would get so stiff over 350mph or so that the pilot literally couldn't move them. In a big bomber, you'd almost never put in anything besides small, gradual control movements, so the huge amount of movement isn't a problem...helps keep things smooth, if anything.
Kel Harper - Thanks for that cool comment. I was first surprised by the range of stick movement for normal flight control. Then again, I can't imagine how much that leverage would be needed at high speed with a stuck trim tab on the elevator!
Ask any old Flight engineer they loved controlling the engines.
Incredible!!! We are the land of the free, only because of the brave. Thank You for keeping this history alive and thank you and massive respect for our armed forces and the aircraft builders that made the tooks.
Thanks for the great video. I wasn't there, during the war, being born in 1952, but I teared up a little, myself. I have thought the B29 was one of the best looking planes, if not THE best, since I first saw pictures of them. They had such great lines and the shiny skin. I look at them as being big works of art, though, probably, the most dangerous, to the enemy, plane of the war.
This was absolutely fun! Thanks for putting us right there. As an aside, the ATC sounded like a total babe!
Imma Undacova What does ATC stand for?
Still an amazing aircraft 75 years. Great, great video!
Excellent video, Steve - as always. You really captured the flight well, not only did I feel like I was right there with the crew, I felt quite a sense of familiarity. Even though the T6/Harvard is a far cry from Fifi, there are some similarities. I couldn't imagine having someone else at control of the throttles though! But a lot of that crew communication - especially between pilot and engineer - is usually going on in my head :)
Thanks Aaron! Looking forward to joining you guys as a Harvard pilot with CH2A!
Makes me want to cry. This plane is 80 years old + now.
B29 led to death of many and many died in them. Such a powerfull tool of war. Such a majestic plane, so big... and there are only two of them left now...
I salute to all who have been in service on them. I salute to all that sadly died in air raids to them. I wish i could fly in one of them...
I bet the tail gunner was a lonely man in that big bird..
Ro'ber Harpane' just like fighter pilots.
I think the brothers in the turret are more lonely...
But he had to be the most important keeping those fighters away
Blue Sky The turrets in the B29 were remote operated. Improved the crew’s safety that way compared to the B17 and B24. Tail gunner was the only one not remotely operated.
Hey guys I think I see a Stuka....
Had an uncle who flew B-17’s and B-29’s. The army sent him to India. He got sick there and died in Calcutta. He is buried at the Punchbowl national cemetery in Hawaii
Wow ... Awesome video (with envy too)! What a beautiful bird and a great crew keeping it flying!
I was fortunate to ride in the FiFi 3 months later at the World War 2 Air Show near me. Was even more privileged to fly with a World War 2 Vet who refueled these planes during the war. By far, one of the best experiences of my life.
the plane that dropped Fat man (Mk-3 nuclear bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki) was Bockscar, a specialized "Silverplate" B-29 modified for the fitting of the Little Boy and and MK-3 Fatman bomb. Enola Gay, the plane that dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima was also a modified B-29, These "Silverplate" variants had there turrets removed to remove weight for the massive load of the MK-3 Bomb and Little Boy bomb. (Little Boy being 9700 Ibs and Fat Man being 10,300 Ibs)
“Boxcar”
For some weird reason ever since building the Monogram model of the B-29 as a kid, I've wanted to climb through the tunnel.
This guy looks like a post war captain price
John McAleese
Copied
Maybe it is him? Didn’t he time travel to appear in multiple different (game) conflicts throughout the 20th and 21st century? :-D
Thank you for taking us along with you on that ride.
I admired, with a sunny disposition, the amazing view from the cockpit.
Then I realized...it's for the guidance of bombs, not the benefit of the crew.
It was a flying tomb, delivering death also, to others.
Greatest respect to all our airmen and veterans - war is hell, and we must not romanticize so that we forget what they went through.💜
Well, as massive as it might be, it could not withstand Flak 88 AA fire.
WW2 has a certain "romantic feel" to it and it's a fascinating topic, but we should never forget the millions who lost their lives in it.
Thank you for making video.
My dad used to be airman Tail Gunner on this great big plane.
Watching this made me emotional. Its so beautiful. I wish more than anything that there would be more than just 2 that are flightworthy. Its a masterpiece. Such an important part of History. I am happy there are some good men out there still looking after her.
As a B-24 fan I feel your pain. I wished there were more than 2 B-24s that were flightworthy also. These B-17s keep getting lost sadly and there are many more of them that are airworthy than B-29s and B-24s combined.
@@nogoodnameleft
As an a-36 fan
I wish there was more than 1 at all
Very immersive style of filming, its almost if I was there with you. Thanks for uploading.
Also thanks for not adding any music during the flight.
Glad you enjoyed it
Amazing piece of history and engineering. Much respect for the crew. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, my dad was a tail gunner on a 29. Back in the 1980s , I took him to a tank gunnery simulator at the Armor School. He immediately adapted to the main gun controls and was hitting targets out to 4000. Seems the Cadillac Gauge controls on the tank were very similar to those on the 29.
I was thinking that cockpit really got millenium falcon vibes.
Ahahahahah likewise I thought 😂
It’s actually the inspiration, I saw it a few weeks ago at an air show and they told us that
The millenium falcon cockpit was based off of the b29!
George Lucas based his og SW trilogy off of WW2 action films so it makes sense.
Man, what a treat. I think I'd have spent the entire flight in that tail position though. Wow!
JP
Fuquay joseph+
Damn Right brother.
Everyone gangsta until it starts flying toward Japan.
*achievement unlocked: reach 500 likes.*
Good one :DD or until he finds the nuclear bomb inside ready to be dropped.. :D
Everyone gangsta until German's interceptors started flying on the rear
@@alfredct602 The B-29 was able to cruise at much higher altitudes than what most interceptors could accomplish due to its pressurized cabin.
I thought B-29s were deployed to the Pacific. Perhaps Japanese interceptors.
Jose Ayala Japan IS in the Pacific.
my 95 year old grandfather was a b-29 mechanic during the end of the war he lives on the east coast so getting him to California or Kansas or where ever the flights are would be incredible especially someone who remembers more about those days that what happened yesterday or the day before