Hopes 'Fifi' Will Be Flying Again Next Year

The Commemorative Air Force B-29/B-24 Squadron members worked diligently last weekend to "hang" the first of four new engines for the B-29 Superfortress Fifi.

Getting the new engine in place is just one step in a lengthy process. In April, it arrived in Midland after a long haul from Anderson Aeromotive in Grangeville, Indiana. CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron members worked throughout the month of May to prepare the new engine for installation. Now that the engine has been put into place on Fifi, the crew will begin working to connect the wires and get the engine ready to run.

"We have achieved a great milestone in the life of Fifi," said CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron Crew Chief, Dave Miller. "The arrival and 'hanging' of the first engine is tangible evidence that the B-29 will be back in the air soon. The re-engine project is moving forward very well and we hope to have Fifi back in the air in 2010."

The installation process will be repeated with the three remaining new engines as they are completed by Anderson Aeromotive and Ezell Aviation. Once all new engines are installed and tested, Fifi will be back in the air.

The B-29 was originally fitted with the Wright R-3350-57AM engine, which has 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 will also require reworking the engine mounts and some of the engine cowling, thus 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, WWII had been over for 21 years. 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 China Lake. 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 pain-staking process of elimination to find the best survivor, the CAF became the owner of B-29 SN44-62070. She was christened Fifi in late in 1974, and returned to flying.

FMI: www.commemorativeairforce.org, www.cafb29b24.org