Aberdeen Proving Grounds c 1957 ...

[JohnB]

Certainly B-47s, and that B-29 probably does have wingtip appendages (possibly the Tip-Tow aircraft?).

It won't be a "Tip Tow" aircraft. That B-29A 44-62093 was lost in late 1950 when.A test F-84D, when attempting a hookup roles inverted and smashed into the B-29's wing. All onboard were lost.

I have never seen a B-29 with tip tanks outside of the sole YKB-29T which was.converted to a three-year system in tne UK. Similar mods were later done on KB-50s.
Many B-50s and KB-50s had 700 gallon under wing tanks between the outboard engines and the tips, but they wouldn't be mistaken as "tip tanks".

B-47s also did not have tip tanks. However, they did have a pair of 1,500 tanks located between the engine pods.

[quemerford]

The B-29 visible definitely has something mounted on each wingtip. Can't see any B-47s with similar arrangements: did you spot something?

[Steve Nelson]

Pic #4 shows at least three B-24s, or possibly PB4Y-1s. Too back one or more wasn't saved.

SN

[JohnB]

The B-29 visible definitely has something mounted on each wingtip. Can't see any B-47s with similar arrangements: did you spot something?

In your last post, I thought you remarked that B-47s there had tip tanks. I may have misinterpreted your comment.

Still, tip tanks on a B-29 would be interesting. As I said, I cant find documentation of one, but rule #1 of Aviation history is "Never say Never".
We can assume that Aberdeen did not add them, so some undocumented test ship that was sent there?

[quemerford]

It reminds me of the wingtip pods added to the B-17 which currently flies in the UK as "Sally B". They were done at Wright Patterson.

Equally it could be related to drone B-29 tests (miss distance indicator/camera pods) which were done at Eglin. Again those pods were fitted to B-17s so it's another possibility. This latter one does ring a bell though the test project name escapes me for now. EDIT: Banshee! However Banshee looks to have been more of a remotely-piloted bomb than a target drone, so possibly not.

[JohnB]

Again, I don't recall seeing a B-29 with pods other than that one-off tanker I mentioned.
Is it me, or is there a lack of B-29 drone shots..at least compared to QB-17s?
Maybe cold war security issues or perhaps they were used less..as there were fewer B-29s built Perhaps they were seen as too expensive to be expended as drones.
Maybe the R-3350s were still in use with other types and the service hated to waste them?

Odd, there weren't tip tanks (as opposed to underwing tanks near the tip) on B-29/50/C-97s while they were common on other '50s aircraft: the Lockheed Connies and Neptunes, Douglas C-124s.
Perhaps the basic design could not stand the stresses?

Regarding the manned pods on the tip of the future Sally B...
Years ago I bought a B-17 book in the "Detail and Scale" series at the NMUSAF bookshop.
I took it across the street with me for lunch at a local chain pizza shop (now gone). I sat there and saw that often used photo...then looked out of the window where I could see the hangar the B-17 was parked in front of from about the same angle. Odd.

[quemerford]

I'm sure an image of the "tip tank" B-29 will turn up one day. It certainly sounds like a Wright Patterson sort of thing.

In the meantime I'm putting together a list of Aberdeen B-29s to see if anything stands out. Thus far they are mainly TB-29s with the odd SB-29 thrown in. Nothing yet that looks like an EB-29/JB-29 sort of aircraft that might fit with the "tip tank" idea.

I've seen pictures of the drone B-29s but not full aircraft images. I don't think they differed much and in any case it seems that there were only two aircraft converted. Banshee wasn't a great success and started off on a bad note with the loss of key personnel in an unrelated B-29 crash. That aircraft has been incorrectly described as a Banshee project machine but official records refer to it more accurately as an "HQ AMC" B-29.

I'll post anything I find.

[quemerford]

SOLVED! (ish). The 'tip tank' B-29 is either the sole "YKB-29T", designated in records as a KB-29M and passed to the Army or another possibility is a single ERB-29 which also had tip-mounted pods. I the former case they were hose drum units; in the latter related to the research RB role one assumes. The second machine carried no tail number it seems but of 50-odd definite Aberdeen B-29s I've found so far, a number are bailed research aircraft and/or JTB-29, EB-29 and various others.

Just wish there was better photo coverage.

[JohnB]

I have never seen a B-29 with tip tanks outside of the sole YKB-29T which was.converted to a three-hose tanker system in the UK.

The photo if the YKB-29 I referred to a couple of weks ago was all black...A rather unique scheme for a tanker.
Is the B-29 in the Aberdeen photo black?

[quemerford]

I have never seen a B-29 with tip tanks outside of the sole YKB-29T which was.converted to a three-hose tanker system in the UK.

The photo if the YKB-29 I referred to a couple of weks ago was all black...A rather unique scheme for a tanker.
Is the B-29 in the Aberdeen photo black?

Black undersides; not visible in an aerial view. The ERB-29 was overall natural metal and/or silver, so both still qualify as candidates.

[Mark Allen M]

Here's the only YKB-29T photo I've seen.