Doc and FIFI are it - the only two flying B-29 Superfortresses in the world. They were both at #OSH17 and we got a closer look (plus some cool air to air video footage)!
My grandfather flown doc and when I showed this video to him he started crying cuz he thought doc would never fly again he is 102 years old and still alive
Completely false. James Rooks was an original flight crew member of Doc. In an interview from 2016 he said he's the last flight crew member of Doc who's still alive. Also 102 is pretty old for a pilot flying in the late 40's. Army Air Corps/Air Force pilots were normally in their early to mid 20s. Not saying that your grandpa never flew, but he didn't pilot Doc.
Seeing Doc and FiFi flying together in close formation was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. To think that there were thousands of them at one point and now there are only 2 left flying (the only 2 that will ever fly again from what I was told) is insane. It is something I will not soon forget! Also the shot at the 6 minute mark gave me chills. So beautiful!
It is stirring to see this video. The amount of materiel and energy expended by many thousands of workers during WW2 was incredible. I suspect we'll not see that need in the world again on that level. I was just a child during the war but retain the memories of what muted desperation was like among the adults. It was uncomfortable but called for due to the circumstances. I recall seeing dozens of B-29s lined up on the ramp outside the Boeing/Wichita plant getting their final fittings and adjustments. B-29s were the stuff of legend even then but few knew that staggering problems the airplanes had to become effective.
Garrett Pulliam we would of had one more, the kee bird, but sadly before it's take off it combusted into flames, and they couldn't restore it since they almost hit there dead line since it was ontop of a frozen lake that was soon going to thaw
Garrett Pulliam yea but we’ll never hear them. Lousy woman talking and music. I guess that’s what the men heard coming from the engines. Narrators and music
This is stuff of imagination but what if the museums where some B-29s are displayed like the Enola Gay, Boxcar, and some others. Were restored to flying condition.
its a labor of love not to the machine but to those who did not come home, I went to war and have fallen comrades , to see doc fly is mental therapy to me
To think that there was thousands of these built and now only 2 in the world left flying is just mind blowing and emotional. The things that those planes went through. WW2, being in the desert, rebuilt, and flown in this new era. It really was a historical moment when they flew and I’ll never forget it. Long live Doc and Fifi!! (B-29)
Most were abandoned in the pacific islands..Many were lost taking off out of tinian and saipan did have remnants ..yeah it is strange how they just dwindled away to 2 planes.
My father was a B-29 pilot in WWII on Tinian and in The Korean War as well, he was shot down twice in the Sea of Japan (and survived), then was sent to VietNam to fly U-10's , he has since passed , seeing these beautiful planes warms my heart and feeds my soul. RIP , LT.Col. Louis H. Breininger (Jack). Part of the Greatest Generation!
Yeah, but a lot of the ones in museums have been gutted as far as their most critical components go. I know the ones you see hanging don't even have engines or fuel tanks in em anymore. They're just shells.
In total, I'd say there is about 6 or so able to fly i in the U.S., chances are at most there is 1 or 2 elsewhere, but if museum B29's were fly ready, I'd assume there would be enough for a squadron.
I have brilliant idea to solve the problem!!!!!!! We put Doc and Fifi in a private hanger with some romantic music and some alcohol, then nine months we should have a new B-29 or 2 (IDK if they have litters or not) All jokes aside I had the opportunity to meet Fifi in person in western ny and she is a beautiful pierce of engineered aluminum and steel.
B-29 Fifi is a very special plane for me. My grandfather was a tailgunner on B-29s during the Korean War. As a kid we would go to many airshows. In 1998 Fifi was at a local show and he was allowed to go back into the tail for the first time since flying combat missions during the war. I was approximately 11 yrs old at the time. But it was something special for me to be able to witness. My passion for aviation started with my grandfather as a child and influenced my aviation job in the military. Fast foward 23 years. For the first time since 1997 I once again got to see Fifi along with my girlfriend and her family at an airshow. However, for this event they were not allowing plane access. I told the one of the crew about my grandfather and of our experience directly with Fifi that it had been on my bucket list since being a child to be able to go to my grandfather's position on the 29. They allowed me private access to the plane and specifically the tailgunners position. The only other person that was allowed access was a 94 yr old veteran waist gunner that flew on 29s in ww2. I am forever grateful for the crew and the Commemorative Air Force to have allowed me that special moment. I could spend another 22 years saying thanks and it wouldnt be enough. So anyone involved in Fifi or CAF reading this. I want to sincerely say thank you! -OIF Navy Veteran and grandson of a B-29 Tailgunner.
We have a B-29 here in the UK sadly she is unlikely to ever fly again. Thank you to all the men and women that helped put these aircraft in the air all those years ago, and special thanks to those who work so hard to keep them up there today.
Beautiful Plane. thank you, thank you. Dad flew the 29 in Korea and didn't speak much about it.. But he was my hero and I would brag about my dad who flew B29s.. oh i guess i still do. Again Thank you well done. and Great Video thanks EAA.
Who would have thought that you would work on a B-29 in 1944 only to see it survive two war's, the desert. And restore it more than 60 years later. Truly epic. Thank you to everyone who worked on these beautiful aircraft. They live to see another generation of people to teach us!
Thank you so much .... to all of you. My dad was a navigator on the B29. We lost him in 1972. I so thankful that my 5 children have gone together and bought a ride in a B29 for father days gift.
UGH. Man I saw that video again last week, even though I knew what was gonna happen I still found myself hoping she'd get airborne. If I'd been there that tail would have been torn off with the dozer they had. Makes me sick sick sick.
The Kee Bird was totally in the realm of salvageable and thus her loss is very bitter sweet. All that hard work of several years and huge amount of money and aviation history smoked into the sky just in few minutes because they just didn't read their B-29 manual properly before take off. It very clearly states that during take offs and landings the rear gunner must be stationed with the "putt-putt" with a fire-extinguisher close at hand. Because it was well known fact already during the B-29 hay days that the auxiliary power unit (commonly referred as "putt-putt", which was situated in the rear part of the B-29 fuselage) was prone to get on fire during take offs. And in Kee Bird's case it was unfortunately the notorious "putt-putt" that caused the accident. I wish they had read the manual or at least taken the APU prone to get on fire warning seriously.
Years ago i joined an RC model aircraft club to learn how to fly RC aircraft. One of the club members was a WW2 vet who was a ground crew member who maintained B-29 aircraft. He would occasionally take off his shirt to show people an injury he received while hand rotating the prop of a B-29. He had a dent in his chest which he claimed was caused by the prop kicking backwards due to a cylinder having oil in it which caused a hydraulic lock. I have never heard another story like it.
Seems quite feasible. One universal issue with radial engines is after a few hours (or more) of being unused, oil tends to accumulate in the bottom most cylinder/s. Thats why you see people crank the props a few times before they actually try starting them. When you turn the prop, you cycle the engine, and it pushes the oil out of the cylinders and removed the risk of damage upon startup from hydraulic lock. Unfortunately, due to cylinder compression, the prop can rebound on you. And, on a small 4 cylinder inline engine with a 2 blade prop, this kickback is small. The absolute worst it can do is break your finger or jaw. ...However... When you're dealing with a 16 foot diameter prop, with an *almighty Dual Cyclone* radial engine, you're dealing with a MUCH larger animal. The kickback from that can be MUCH nastier. There is an industry story that a ww2 bomber mechanic was hand cranking a prop on either a b17 or b24, and it kicked back on him, and the prop literaly *launched* him some 10 feet away. Off the ground and all. I dont knot if its true, but its a nice healthy dose of cautionary fear. And if you ever see that guy again, tell him about this myth. He'll hammer that same point home just as i did.
Holy cow! The pilot being interviewed at 3:11 is Jeffrey Skiles. He was "Sully" Sullenberger's co-pilot when their US Air flight ditched in the Hudson River. I knew there was something about him...maybe that great moustache!
I was at the Abbotsford International Airshow years ago in B.C. Canada where a formation flypast of a Lanc, a Spitfire, and a Hurricane happened. Standing next to me was an elderly, tiny little slip of a woman with great big tears rolling down her eyes. I smiled at her and she smiled back and told me that she used to run the wiring in Lancasters for Victory Aircraft in Malton, Ontario
a couple of years ago they did a fly by in the uk of 16 ( yes 16) restored spitfires. i cant tell you how amazing those planes sounded and to see them all back up in the air. our history is so important
@@maddogmcfly5504 When the Doolittle Raiders were still having their yearly get-togethers, about 15 years ago they had one in Columbia, SC. Ten or twelve restored B-25s did multiple flyovers of Columbia where I worked. The sound was awe-inspiring. I couldn't even imagine what a Bomber Command formation of Lancasters or an Eighth Air Force formation of B-17s or B-24s must have sounded like.
WW2 aficionado here. Born in Germany 1949. Done some warplane scale modeling and flying. Naturally anything like this brings a tear to my eye. Long live history and flying museum pieces such as the B-29.
As a Kid, the B-29 was my favorite airplane, along with the F4u Corsair. I am so happy we have two flying. I got to sleep with the B-29,in the hangar, at the SAC Museum in Nebraska! Love these videos!
Considering they fly at vastly different heights and speeds, it would be very difficult to get them all in one formation, but it would surely be amazing nonetheless
How awesome to see DOC, after 16 years of people putting their time & effort into putting this fantastic piece of history back together! Also seeing the older lady that helped build it when she was only 18, there to see it once again...priceless!❤
I with two friends sat in FiFi's cockpit many years ago when she visited our area. The flight crew told us all about her. Truly an unforgettable experience.
Congratulations to all the people involved in this effort, I very much appreciated it. Too bad they don't let us hear the engines roaring side by side, it would have been nice to hear them fly by .
I marched or walked within twenty feet of Fifi over one thousand times when she was stationed at the Confederate Air Force in Harlingen, Texas, next to Marine Military Academy. I watched her fly many times there at the Harlingen Air Show each year. Always such a lovely lady.
Words do not describe how i feel about this.... Doc has been brought, from a forsaken husk deprived of nearly all her dignity, back up to her *full* dignity and former American pride! And then some! She looks beautiful, sounds beautiful, and *flies* beautiful!! It's like seeing a comatose bird with half his feathers gone and wings broken, all healed up and refeathered, and flying once again.
I got goosebumps seeing them both in the air together, a very special moment. Thanks to all involved , I am one very happy aircraft nerd but not as lucky as my mate (A pilot for Virgin Australia and former classmate) who was actually there to witness it. 😊
I was born and raised in Wichita ks. As kid's we played around all kinds of WW 2 airplanes they were all over the area. At one time B-29's were park in a field right next to CESENA aircraft factory . We ( my brother and sister ) we played around them. A kid I grew up with had a whole stack of B-29 gun blisters in his back yard. Everyone had some kind of aircraft parts in the garage or back yard . Back then they REAL ARMY and NAVY surplus store's . If I only new how much those items would be worth today ! Makes me want to cry ! But those were happy time's for kids! Nothing like kid's today .
I LOVE that these planes were rescued and restored and with so much care! I salute and have so much pride in the volunteers! This is so great to see especially these days. Awesome amazing wonderful job with these. That is a LOT of work and LOTS of money just to run them. Way to go and bring back our PRIDE in the greatest generation and all Americans that need that boost so badly these days. Bringing awareness to the younger generations is a fantastic thing to do. Congrats to all that participated in this and ongoing efforts!
I saw Doc departing Wichita just a month or so ago. I was outdoors and heard a heavy rumble coming closer and new it was possibly Doc. He was at about a 1000’ and maybe a quarter mile east of me. I dashed out into street to get away from the canopy of trees and get a clear line of sight. It was only my second time to see Doc since restored. Made special trip to Boeing field to watch the first initial shake down and the most recent departure. God Bless all those volunteers and those who care about history. 🇺🇸
Thank you "Rosie". In my opinion that is the most beautiful plane ever built (next to the Blackbird) my grandfather flew on those in the later part of the war after training bombadiers on the Nordon bomb sight for the B-17. They truly are the greatest generation!
Me: i wanna be a youtuber by the time I'm eighteen, hey grandma what was your first job? Grandma: making giant flying bombers called superfortresses in ww2 Me: nevermind
You Americans have a reverance for your military and cultural history that we in the UK have lost. It's wonderful to see such a beautiful aircraft restored so lovingly.
That makes three of us ! I totally agree with you on that matter. That's what happens when you get in a hurry and rush things and there's a good chance the outcome will not / won't be good.
I recently got to climb all over Fifi. My brother in law actually got to fly in Fifi. It's just an awesome experience to think of the history of the B-29s. Then to actually sit where crew members did in WWII. Truly awesome. So glad to see another one air worthy.
In the early 1970s I was a kid living in Harlingen, Texas. At the time Harlingen was the home of the Confederate Air Force. I remember going many times to their air shows and seeing Fifi. It has been over 40 years since then but I will always remember.
Just saw Fifi in Johnson City TN with my 38 year old son. We saw Fifi some 30 years ago at an air show at what was then Mt. Comfort Airport just outside of Indianapolis. To be able to watch these two icons fly together must have been unreal.
I'm Japanese and the sight of these airplanes always freak me out, for obvious reasons. But maybe, if Doc and Fifi could fly over Japanese skies again, this time to drop flowers instead of firebombs, that would be an awesome spectacle. I would love to see that....
Actually during the Korean War, many B-29s took off from Japanese air fields for their missions against North Korea (and the Communist Chinese armies aiding them). Japan basically became to Korea what Britain was to World War II Europe: a mega aircraft carrier and base of operations "anchored" off the coast of the continent.
I've seen Doc at air shows before but I'm not sure I've ever seen her fly. Maybe when I was a kid, but that was 20+ years ago. I've always liked the B-29 and to see the only two flying aircraft together like this is beautiful. And to hear that lady talk about working on the plane... Wow... So much love went into restoring Doc and that's incredible. Hope to one day see these two gorgeous planes fly together at an air show!
Thank You So Much for All who've Saved & Rebuilt Doc & FiFi B29 Legendary WWII Bombers from the Abandonment in the Desert ... Thank You for Sharing! Good God Blessed You All! 🕯
Félicitation ! une très belle restauration qui représente le travail de bénévolat serte sa a duré 16 ans mais auront valu le coup pour garder ce patrimoine et l'histoire de l'aviation.
Just told my wife...fly those both in formation over Germany or Japan and watch to see if anyone freaks out lol. Wish more were restored than just 2(Enola Gay could be making 3).
There are actually 27 known air frames worldwide, several are still in pieces with 16 of them in the US. Kermit Weeks owns 2 that are in pieces. Before Doc, T Square 54 was the most recent restoration at the Museum of Flight in WA.
I was sitting at the kitchen table that day with my mother- we lived about 20 miles north of Wittman- I heard the drone of the planes, took a peek outside and said, “Mom, come out, you have to see this!” What a thrill. Never expected to see two B-29’s in formation.
I got to see Fifi fly over my house recently as she was on display at the Millington NSA. I wish I could of taken one of the rides they had setup. Beautiful aircraft.
Not sure it would be possible. Think there's only one TU-4 "Bull" that survives at all---at a museum somewhere around Moscow, I think (Monino?). The rest were scrapped. Interestingly enough, there's a Chinese-built turboprop version of the "Bull", in an AWACS-type configuration, somewhere in China. The Chinese flew their knockoff "Bulls" until the early 1970s. Some kinda testament to the sturdiness of the fundamental design...try finding that in a modern bomber...
On Quora someone asked, "Why does the US have the best military." My answer was Fifi and Doc being restored by private citizen groups. It speaks volumes about the US's liberty and productivity. Let China or Russia rebuild, via private citizen groups, two B-29 copies. They cannot on so many levels. Cheers.British citizen groups like to rebuild old machines like locomotives and planes. Not Kenya, they are too poor. Not Egypt, they are too unstable. Not Mexico, they are busy with other things. Canada, eh? Only the US.
Robert Burke Have you heard about Canadian Warplane Heritage ? Have you heard about Michael Potter's collection ? No of course . Try to be minimally serious ! 🤣
I watch one video of a "FiFi" crew member and he was asked about "Doc" and it was clear in his mind that the only B-29 worth talking about was "FiFi". It sounded like having "Doc" in the air is stealing attention from them and that crew member seemed rather bitter.
That's an unfortunate attitude but it isn't uncommon among that generation who've lived pretty much in their own perception of what's honorable and noble and nothing outside it is worth much. It's amazing that the two communities that came together to preserve these airplanes accomplished what they did. My father was in the thick of activity at Boeing/Wichita when "Doc" was constructed - he was an inspector for the War Assets Adm. and likely bought that airplane for the AAC then. I was a wee lad but he took me through the plant before he left to start his own business in the late '40s.
Bob Russell that's NOT true at all... in fact "we" share Flight Crews, etc. Fyi: On that historical flight when the two birds flew together, I was crew on N529B... l have logged many hours on our B-29 and I'm looking forward to seeing both 29s side-by-side at many events, etc.
From my viewpoint, Bob R. was speaking only of one particular FI-FI crew person, not any kind of overall discontent or rift between the two entities that preserve these aircraft. I've been aware that the FI-FI flight crew was helping with the entire process of operating "Doc" for months, even have seen them doing flights near where I live. Looks like great co-operation at work..!
I can only go by what one FiFi member said in an interview, he clearly had very little good to say about Doc. It maybe his opinion but it reflects bad on the whole crew.
@@WarhammerWings there are still two B-29 wrecks at China Lake. Take the fuselage from one, the intact tail from the other, and use attach them to the wings and anything else salvageable from the Kee Bird.
this plane , the doc , was just in Cleveland , tony mazzolini , u are a one in million kind of guy , thank u for your " get it done " attitude . the local papers did a nice job of covering the planes arrival in Cleveland
