Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:04 pm
B29B24crewchief wrote:Airworthyness certificate signed and we go flying on Friday!!
Dave
Woohoo! Congrats everyone!
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:34 pm
Brad wrote:Packing up the motorcycle now! (unless the wx is a copy of last week, then I'll be in the truck)
I was meaning to call. Glad you are coming!!
Dave
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:27 pm
WOOT!
This may be a great week! Have fun guys!
This may be a great week! Have fun guys!
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:09 am
flyingsailor wrote:B29B24crewchief wrote:Airworthyness certificate signed and we go flying on Friday!!
Dave
What Dave did not mention was that the FAA inspector was highly impressed with the paperwork and quality of work. I would like to congratulate Dave, Rick, Don, Team Grandpa, Mark, James and all the others that enabled us to get this little piece of paper
YEEEEEEHAAWWWWWWWWWW
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:32 pm
Brad,
You might want to pack the truck. The weather is starting to look like a carbon copy of last week. Including following the same track as the last one. Hopefully there will be enough good weather between the showers to get some flying done! I was there last weekend and the weather was up and down in the Midland area.
You might want to pack the truck. The weather is starting to look like a carbon copy of last week. Including following the same track as the last one. Hopefully there will be enough good weather between the showers to get some flying done! I was there last weekend and the weather was up and down in the Midland area.
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:33 pm
Dave, the Southeast Minnesota chapter of the RWI (Roundmotor Worshipers International) congratulates you on reaching this milestone in FIFI's journey back to the wild blue.
The Official CAF Press Release
Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:35 pm
Here's what I take to be the official CAF press release, from the Commemorative Air Force website:
B-29 FIFI Cleared for Flight
MIDLAND, TEXAS (July 7, 2010) – On Tues. July 6, 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Airworthiness Certificate allowing the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) B-29 Superfortress crew to begin Phase I flight-testing.
Phase I flight-testing will begin in the afternoon on Fri., July 9 and continue through Sat., July 10. During these test flights, the B-29 crewmembers will be required to depart MidlandInternationalAirport for unpopulated areas. Upon returning from the flights, the crew will need to dismantle areas of the aircraft in order to review the aircraft’s performance and safety.
On Mon., July 12, the B-29 will be in flight for crew training. This is the perfect opportunity for community members to join the CAF in celebrating FIFI’s return to flight. During these training exercises the B-29 crew will be performing “touch-and-gos” at MidlandInternationalAirport. *
The CAFAirpowerMuseum will open its doors at 7 a.m. on Mon. July 12 for visitors who would like to get a front row seat for FIFI’s pre-flight preparations and flight. Visitors to the museum will be ushered to the main hangar for an up-close view of the crew preparing this massive bomber for flight. Once FIFI begins to head for the runways, visitors will be escorted to a prime viewing area, to witness the B-29’s crew training.
Monday will also mark the beginning of the museum’s new summer hours. From Mon., July 12 through Mon., Sept. 6, the CAFAirpowerMuseum will be open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The CAFAirpowerMuseum is located at 9600 Wright Drive near MidlandInternationalAirport. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults age 18-64, $9 for teenagers age 13-17 and seniors age 65 and older, $7 for children age 6-12 and children age 5 and under receive free admission.
The B-29 was originally fitted with the Wright R-3350-57AM engine, which had a less-than-desirable reputation since its inception. True to this reputation, FIFI has experienced numerous problems with her engines in the 30-plus years she has been flying with the CAF. Following the discovery of metal shavings in the engine oil, the B-29/B-24 Squadron held a lengthy series of meetings with CAF personnel and experts in the field of aircraft restoration and the decision was made to not fly the plane again until it could be fitted with engines that are a custom built combination of the R-3350-95W and R-3350-26WD engines. The refit required reworking the engine mounts and some of the engine cowling, making it a lengthy undertaking.
When the Commemorative Air Force (then Confederate Air Force) began searching for a B-29 for its collection of historical military aircraft, World War II had been over for 21 years. The Superfortresses that helped end it had long since yielded to new generations of jet-powered strategic bombers and vanished. According to the United States Air Force, no B-29s remained in inventory, even at storage or disposal depots. But the CAF colonels had faith and it paid off.
In 1971, a pilot reported sighting a number of what might have been B-29s in the California desert near ChinaLake. The CAF learned the aircraft were indeed Superfortresses that had been parked at a Navy weapons center for 17 years. They had been used for gunnery targets and abused by heat, sand and vandals. After much negotiation, paperwork and a painstaking process of elimination to find the best survivor, the CAF added B-29 SN44-62070 to its fleet. That was just the beginning of the task. The complete restoration to CAF standards of airworthiness was a long and expensive project involving more than three years of fund-raising and hard work. Late in 1974, the CAF's B-29 was christened FIFI and joined the other World War II fighters and bombers to preserve the memories and teach lessons of mankind's greatest war.
Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) ranks as one of the largest private air forces in the world. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance. A non-profit educational association, the CAF has approximately 9,000 members and a fleet of 156 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 74 units located in 27 states for care and operation. For more information, visit www.commemorativeairforce.org or call (432) 563-1000.
-30-
*Crew training schedule subject to change based on the successful completion of Phase I Flight-Testing or inclement weather.
B-29 FIFI Cleared for Flight
MIDLAND, TEXAS (July 7, 2010) – On Tues. July 6, 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Airworthiness Certificate allowing the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) B-29 Superfortress crew to begin Phase I flight-testing.
Phase I flight-testing will begin in the afternoon on Fri., July 9 and continue through Sat., July 10. During these test flights, the B-29 crewmembers will be required to depart MidlandInternationalAirport for unpopulated areas. Upon returning from the flights, the crew will need to dismantle areas of the aircraft in order to review the aircraft’s performance and safety.
On Mon., July 12, the B-29 will be in flight for crew training. This is the perfect opportunity for community members to join the CAF in celebrating FIFI’s return to flight. During these training exercises the B-29 crew will be performing “touch-and-gos” at MidlandInternationalAirport. *
The CAFAirpowerMuseum will open its doors at 7 a.m. on Mon. July 12 for visitors who would like to get a front row seat for FIFI’s pre-flight preparations and flight. Visitors to the museum will be ushered to the main hangar for an up-close view of the crew preparing this massive bomber for flight. Once FIFI begins to head for the runways, visitors will be escorted to a prime viewing area, to witness the B-29’s crew training.
Monday will also mark the beginning of the museum’s new summer hours. From Mon., July 12 through Mon., Sept. 6, the CAFAirpowerMuseum will be open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The CAFAirpowerMuseum is located at 9600 Wright Drive near MidlandInternationalAirport. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults age 18-64, $9 for teenagers age 13-17 and seniors age 65 and older, $7 for children age 6-12 and children age 5 and under receive free admission.
The B-29 was originally fitted with the Wright R-3350-57AM engine, which had a less-than-desirable reputation since its inception. True to this reputation, FIFI has experienced numerous problems with her engines in the 30-plus years she has been flying with the CAF. Following the discovery of metal shavings in the engine oil, the B-29/B-24 Squadron held a lengthy series of meetings with CAF personnel and experts in the field of aircraft restoration and the decision was made to not fly the plane again until it could be fitted with engines that are a custom built combination of the R-3350-95W and R-3350-26WD engines. The refit required reworking the engine mounts and some of the engine cowling, making it a lengthy undertaking.
When the Commemorative Air Force (then Confederate Air Force) began searching for a B-29 for its collection of historical military aircraft, World War II had been over for 21 years. The Superfortresses that helped end it had long since yielded to new generations of jet-powered strategic bombers and vanished. According to the United States Air Force, no B-29s remained in inventory, even at storage or disposal depots. But the CAF colonels had faith and it paid off.
In 1971, a pilot reported sighting a number of what might have been B-29s in the California desert near ChinaLake. The CAF learned the aircraft were indeed Superfortresses that had been parked at a Navy weapons center for 17 years. They had been used for gunnery targets and abused by heat, sand and vandals. After much negotiation, paperwork and a painstaking process of elimination to find the best survivor, the CAF added B-29 SN44-62070 to its fleet. That was just the beginning of the task. The complete restoration to CAF standards of airworthiness was a long and expensive project involving more than three years of fund-raising and hard work. Late in 1974, the CAF's B-29 was christened FIFI and joined the other World War II fighters and bombers to preserve the memories and teach lessons of mankind's greatest war.
Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) ranks as one of the largest private air forces in the world. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance. A non-profit educational association, the CAF has approximately 9,000 members and a fleet of 156 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 74 units located in 27 states for care and operation. For more information, visit www.commemorativeairforce.org or call (432) 563-1000.
-30-
*Crew training schedule subject to change based on the successful completion of Phase I Flight-Testing or inclement weather.
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:46 pm
"UNPOPULATED AREA", that ought to be about a 15 second trip in Midland!
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:42 pm
Great news! I can't wait to see some pictures of it leaving the runway for the first time in several years.
Now I just need to figure out where I can see it again at an airshow soon.
Tim
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:37 pm
TimAPNY wrote::drink3:
Great news! I can't wait to see some pictures of it leaving the runway for the first time in several years.
Now I just need to figure out where I can see it again at an airshow soon.
Tim
Tim
That is a question many many many people want answered. We are working closely with some airshows for "FIFI" to attend this year. Once we complete Phase I testing and get the all clear we will announce what those shows are.
Even better than seeing her at airshows, will be the opportunity to fly aboard her! As soon as all the details are worked out we will let people know. We have the FAA exemption (following the test flights) we are just working to make sure that we have all the logistical and financial aspects ironed out. But you will be able to fly in "FIFI" including the bombadier's chair!
I can tell you this is an AWESOME seat.Coming to an airshow soon "FIFI"
Chris
CAF B-29/B-24 Sqd. PIO
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:28 pm
Amen to that!! You have not lived until you do that. It's the best fun you can have with your clothes on!! Did I really say that out loud??
Dave
Dave
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:37 am
Good luck Dave and crew. All of the hard work is about to pay off!
PJ
PV-2 Harpoon "Hot Stuff"
www.amhf.org
PJ
PV-2 Harpoon "Hot Stuff"
www.amhf.org
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Thu Jul 08, 2010 12:58 pm
Congratulations Dave and FiFi crew. Blue skies for this weekend 
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Thu Jul 08, 2010 7:23 pm
Good luck guys. I wish you all the best for the future!
Re: Dave~What's the plan for FIFI?
Thu Jul 08, 2010 9:34 pm
Please tell the rain Gods to stay away!! We are having the most unusual July weather on record. It just won't give us a break. Rain forcast for tommorrow 90%???
Dave
Dave