35% B29 Replica Is Powered By Four Honda Engine Conversions

We're not sure we'd have believed it if we hadn't seen the video... but the long-awaited first flight of the Tom Hodgson B29 Replica made its flight last week... in style. 

A one-hour first flight featured a number of fly-bys and low passes before the builder/pilot decided that he had all the data he needed and brought it back to its home drone in Kokomo, Indiana. 

Hodgson reported that the aircraft was pretty much in trim and that there were no significant issues during the test flight. The four Honda Fit engines appear to be more than adequate for the monster homebuilt, as demonstrated by a short departure roll and fairly decent climb outs both on takeoff as well as in each of several low passes. 

Hodgson, though satisfied with the result of the hour aloft, was planning to tuck the bird away for the winter shortly, to take some time with a number of items he wanted to address and then drag it back in spring to take on the flight test program in earnest. Unfortunately; A Saturday flight resulted in damage after a golf cart filming close to the runway was struck by the landing aircraft, injuring the camera person, but leaving Hodgson unharmed and damaging the aircraft. 

The aircraft is an even more arduous project than the much-feted Bally B-17 Bomber, in that Hodgson built up all the engines himself and designed a number of special features to make this aircraft feasible. The two-seat tandem bird is likely to be one heck of a hit should it make its way to Oshkosh... More info to follow. 

FMI: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZQyTTQLI10