B-29 "Fifi" - Flight at Lincoln, Neb. Airshow Sept. 10, 2011

Restored and flown by the Commemorative Air Force, this is the only flying B-29. My "Gunner" seat cost $595 for what was described as a 30-minute flight, but actually involved about an hour inside the plane. The "Bombadier" seat in the nose costs $1495 and a cockpit seat was $695.

The pilot was 29, a national aerobatic champ when he was in college. His co-pilot/instructor was a veteran several decades his elder. The six gunner seats are the place to be. With a little agility you can scramble back and stand at the open shoulder hatch for photos/videos, then crawl farther back to the tail gunner position.

Climbing into the top turret is easy enough, once you get started right. The tunnel to the cockpit is long, small and has very strong wind blasts from side vents midway along. I had to hold my glasses on.

The noise level from the four 18-cylinder, 2000 hp engines is not nearly as loud as I expected. It is possible to talk to persons nearby. Vibration is moderate.

B-29s have a full castering nosewheel with no steering. On takeoff the plane is kept aligned with the runway with a combination of differential braking on the mains plus differential power settings. After about 60 mph the tail is effective and the rudder will steer the plane. Our landing was very smooth, about the same as an airliner.

Considering that the plane costs $8,000 an hour to maintain and fly, the flight prices are a bargain. For me, it was both a thrill and a joy.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Fifi
• Flight

[jmox555]

Very Cool

[Bingding2323]

I was here, and wanted to get on.. But didnt have the $600 dollers to ride the damned thing.