Travis AFB B-29 42-65281

[APG85]

Anyone have photo's of this plane? One of the posters on another thread mentioned the interior was exceptional. Any pic's out there of the inside?

[Chief]

I have several recent photos of the inside. They are prints and I need to go buy a good scanner so I can post them. I am away from home right now and it may be a while before I can get it done.

[Steven M. Dennis]

Here's a few I shot of the exterior. No shots of the interior though. Sorry.

Steve

[Second Air Force]

Here are a few photos of her when she was new:
http://www.philcrowther.com/6thBG/6bgplane11.html

I've been trying to determine if she was delivered new to the 6th Group at Grand Island or at Herington/Kearney during final processing. If anyone has that information I would be very grateful to have it.

Scott

[APG85]

They did a heck of a job restoring this plane considering it was a complete basket case when it was sitting a China Lake. I'd like to see pictures of the restoration. I've heard the Travis museum was going to build a building to put their planes in. Wonder what the status of that is...?

Last edited by APG85 on Wed Jan 07, 2009 2:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[viking73]

I don't have any interior shots either, but here's a couple of shots to compliment the ones Steve posted earlier. My visit wasn't as sunny as Steve's either

-Derek

[Django]

That's pretty cool that she survived and is in her original markings.

[APG85]

This is a fantastic restoration of one of the oldest B-29's in existance. It's a shame it has to sit outside. Good on them for not painting it silver or grey - even dulled by weather, it looks better than coating it with paint. It can always be polished back up once the museum is built...

[groundpounder]

it strikes me as odd that such importance is put upon B-17/B-24 combat veteran aircraft, yet the B-29 veteran aircraft are allowed to sit outside. hopefully this situation will be corrected in the near future.

[APG85]

it strikes me as odd that such importance is put upon B-17/B-24 combat veteran aircraft, yet the B-29 veteran aircraft are allowed to sit outside. hopefully this situation will be corrected in the near future.

Bugs me as well...

[Steve Nelson]

I agree, it's nice to see her in natural metal, although being on outdoor display I am concerned about long-term exposure to the elements. I can't tell from the pics..are the control surfaces fabric-covered, or have they been sheet-metalled over?

SN

[A2C]

I looked really closely at this plane, and it definitely saw combat. I saw several flush patches where there must have been AAA or bullet damage.

[ww2John]

groundpounder said: "it strikes me as odd that such importance is put upon B-17/B-24 combat veteran aircraft, yet the B-29 veteran aircraft are allowed to sit outside. hopefully this situation will be corrected in the near future."
Well, please consider:
Not as many B29's built as B17's & B24's.
The B29 is a heck of a lot bigger than a B17 or B24. So you need a heck of a lot bigger building to put it into.
No post-war civil uses of B29's. Several civil B17s and a few civil B24s.
All that just might explain why there are so few B29 survivors displayed inside anything.

[groundpounder]

i was just trying to suggest that with the reverence that is shown towards the B-17/24's that there might be a lack of attention towards some ww2 veteran B-29's. they were in the same war after all. and it was one of these planes that ended the war. if that fact isnt the motivating factor, then i guess any old B-17 will do and we should punt the swoose out on the tarmac. you would never see a combat vet B-17/24 sitting unprotected in a park , now would you?

[Flat 12x2]

That's pretty cool that she survived and is in her original markings.

They are the weathered repainted markings. This is how she looked back in '79 at China lake