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.