There are only two air worthy B-29 Fortresses in the US these days, Fifi and Doc.
Fifi is on display and giving rides at the Des Moines airport this week. We won’t get to see it unless its flight pattern comes over our house, but last year we did get to watch (and hear it) take off. That had been on my bucket list since 1991.
By 1945, Dad had been instructing advanced cadets at Marfa ABF, Texas, for a couple of years, since the earning of his own wings there in early 1943. At the end of WWII, seasoned pilots were trained for combat in bombers. Dad became the commander of a B-29 Superfortress, the largest the USAAF had at the time. They, crew of ten, had combat orders for September 1945, but the dropping of the two atomic bombs (August 6 and 9) brought the war to a halt. Japan finally surrendered September 2.
Dad had a chance to visit a B-29 at Offutt AFB, Omaha, years later. The old warbirds were displayed outside, with birds nesting in their engines. (Since then, we’ve enjoyed exploring the air conditioned SAC (Strategic Air Command) and Aerospace Museum which was built just SW of Omaha, with old planes displayed on two levels, along with other items.)
Years ago, 1991, when we learned that Fifi would be on display at the Clear Lake Airport, Mom, Gloria and I drove up to tour it.
Of the 3970 B-29s built during the 1940, 26 survive and only two are air worthy. Here is a list of the surviving Superfortresses.
What a glorious thing to see and touch that plane. Love the photos, Joy.
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Vicki!
🥰❤️🥰
Have never had the privilege of seeing a B-29 in person. Maybe one day….
We’ve seen one at the Air Force museum near Dayton, Ohio, and one at the SAC museum near Omaha, but that’s all. Plus Fifi!
I know how I felt taking a flight in a B-17, I can not imagine how your Dad felt seeing a B-29 again. Talk about taking a trip back in time!!!
We lived in Colorado at the time and I was about to become a mom. I never had a chance to talk to Dad about his time during the war. I’ve sat in a B-17 at the airport here (on its way home in AZ from Oshkosh) and we took an exciting ride in a B-25 one year! Loud and windy as it’s all open.
Totally cool. I got to tour Fifi last year in Cheyenne.
With your grandson, yes?
That was Maid in the Shade, the B-25. I did this one with my partner in crime, Craig Carlson. Here’s the link to that one: https://williamablan.com/2024/08/19/the-bomber-with-a-poodles-name-fifi/
Yes, I remember now. Guy and I rode in a B-25, $400 apiece! Gotta keep those old warbirds in tires! Fifi is sold out here in Des Moines.
Oh, that was this year. My, where does the time go. But more importantly, where does it come from?
I keep a diary!
Love the photos!!!
Thank you, Linda. I was surprised at what I came up with from different folders on my desktop.
What memories, Joy. Thanks for sharing them.
Thank you, John.
Thank you for sharing these memories and photos, Joy. Such a great way to feel further connected to your dad.
Thank you, Liz. I was amazed to be able to put my hands on all the photos.
You’re welcome, Joy.
What an incredible trip back in time, Joy. I love old planes, but having an emotional connection with one, that’s special. Hugs.
Thank you, Pat.
Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland is having an air show Labor Day weekend. They’re going to have on display 5 planes from the WWII era (no Superfortresses) and a 1957 Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Did your dad ever fly that one? 🙂
What fun! Dad was discharged from the AAF in late 1945 and promptly found a farm to rent. Because of Mom’s losing those three brothers who were pilots, Dad never flew again, even as a passenger. Mom wouldn’t get on a plane until her younger sister rounded up Guy and me to go to France with her to see where “brother Danny is buried” at the Lorraine American Cemetery. (She almost didn’t. She was 79 and just had a hip replaced.) I’d like to see that Stratotanker!
I’m with your mother-not a fan of flying! It must have taken a lot of prayers to give her enough courage to get on that plane. ✈️
She prayed us across the Atlantic and back! I don’t flying either.
🤣