Re-Activating B-29's in 1950

[51fixer]

I wondered about that too--could the brakes be A-26 units? Pyote reactivated a large number and parted out a good many A-26s to support the Korean conflict.

Scott

The cowling and Engine mount laying on the ground behind the guy washing the brakes look like A-26 as well.
Can't imagine washing the brakes with water under pressure like that. The housing and some moving parts are magnesium that corrode and create leaks and oozing of hyd fluid. Also the stators and rotors of the stack of discs are steel.
Interesting.
Rich

[Second Air Force]

I imagine that the brakes were cleaned, dried, and immediately shipped off to be refurbished, maybe at the Tinker or San Antonio depots? Hard to say, and I doubt there is a lot of good documentation since the reactivation for Korea was done with great haste. I will try to remember to research the Pyote story the next time I get to AFHRA.

I do know that a LOT of 3350s were removed from the "parts" B-29s and shipped to OCAMA at Tinker for overhaul or a flyover inspection before being shipped to the combat zone.

Scott

[RickH]

Scott, when we resurrected the F4 and later TA I spent a lot of time out there at AMARC.

The Navy decided to bag F18s because of what the AF charges to fully preserve an aircraft. I also saw a few F4s that were bagged.

I've only seen the spraylat process applied to stored airframes. No modern "shrinkwrapping" unless the aircraft is dismatled and being readied for shipping.

The last time I spent any time in the facility was January, 2004 so it's possible newer techniques are being used.

[Second Air Force]

Rick,

I'd bet that the bagged F-4 and F-8 that we saw in '89 were the proof articles of the bags you saw on the F-18s when you were visiting AMARC. The sergeant leading our tour only knew for sure that they were the first two airframes stored in that fashion and that it was a new deal.

Scott