What people don’t realize is what an amazing feet this is. To take four Honda car engines and develop a belt driven reduction system that is fully adjustable in flight. Build a replica that actually looks identical to the real thing and make it a comfortable two place airplane that flew hands off with no necessary trim inputs is a testimony to what a genius this man is. I have been in aviation for over 55 years and have flown every kind of warbird there is. This in my book is the biggest accomplishment I have seen in my lifetime. It clearly shows that Tom Hodgeson is not only an incredible pilot of his generation but also a master fabricator and designer. I cannot say how impressed we all are in the aviation industry of this feat. I only hope one day to be allowed to fly this plane and add it to my log book. Just incredible! Congrats Tom on this accomplishment.
Why do you call this a replica? This is a scale model, a nice one indeed, my compliments to the builder. A replica would be an newly built full size plane that looks like a B29!
I built a B29 in my bedroom of a 3rd floor apartment. It was from a Japanese control line kit back in the’70’s. It was intended to have four .35 glow fuel engines as I recall. The wingspan/ fuselage length was too large to get out of the apartment when we moved out, so I ended up sawing off a wing. I was 13 years old and my brother gave me the unfinished plane when he left for the military. I was nearly finished skinning the wings and fuselage with 1/32” balsa when my parents divorced and we had to move. My plan was to lower it from the balcony when it was completed, but life got in the way. This plane is incredible! What an amazing build!
Unbelievable, how he managed to pull that one off. Deep respect sir ! Wonder if he's gonna fly together with "Doc" and "FiFi" one day. That'll be a sight to behold. This is one perfect way to earn yourself a ticket for that.
It doesn't get much more awesome than that!!! Tom did an amazing job and I'm so happy for his success. I hope he hits the airshow circuit so I can see it in person!
Congratulations to Tom. I was able to see this project a couple different times over the years, and Tom was always open to show and talk about the project.
Still not sure why so many viewers think this is R/C. Watch the first video. This is a 2800 pound airplane with a 50 foot wingspan, piloted, with 2 tandem seats, powered by 4 Honda Fit automotive engines. This video was compiled from the video footage I received from the builder. There was no video supplied of the landing. Sad to see many folks here are more interested in golf carts than celebrating the first flight of this amazing build...
It's the scale on screen, was hard to tell the exact size till I got a good reference point on the corn row and cars in the background at 2:11. Impressive aircraft!
Maybe if the title was more accurate. “35% scale Amateur built aircraft”. A replica B-29 would have a 141’ 3” wingspan all built from scratch . An unmanned aircraft would be a “35% replica”. All true scale models are replicas.
What an amazing view when this plane flies past and into the sunset! I am amazed at how smooth and easy it flies....the sophistication of this plane is undeniable, yet this is really a piece of art that looks so well that it might appear easy if I didn't know better!... I am utterly stunned at how good this looks! Nice, nice job...well deserved accolades all around!
My comments keep getting deleted. Fake video! This report aviation-safety.net/wikibase/347642 Cites a low confidence to the veracity of it because there is no official source for the crash information (like NTSB). Does this pic look like a piloted aircraft to you? resources.globalair.com/images/article/kokomo-plane-crash.jpg Crappy video with no landing, no shots of cockpit, nobody getting in or out, several safety violations of bank angle, low passes and people on runway if it were a manned aircraft. It is all BS !
That's a beautiful scale B-29! He moved ahead quickly after taxi testing, but it gives him time to work on her out of season. I know a couple of guys who built half scale warbirds, and people are surprised when you say they were piloted not RC. The full size is bigger than many people realize. Awesome way to keep history alive!
SDS - I’m delighted that you selected the frame for the Title that shows my house in the background. I live across the runway from Tom, and have been watching him build it since he started. It’s really a one man project that started, not as a B-29, but as a test bed for doing research and development on engines and speed reduction devices etc. The landing gear retracts, and to have it fit into the engine nacelles they had to be that short, just like the big ones! We who live on the airport know the dangers and risks, try hard to avoid problems; the injured girl is, herself, a proficient pilot who owns and flys an experimental Baby Great Lakes. We are all praying for her full recovery, and she’s making good progress. And we who live on Glenndale Airport continue wishing Tom good success with his ongoing project.
@@fishjohn014 nope. Its an airplane not a model airplane. You could call it a replica aircraft which would probably be more accurate. Of course you can call it what you prefer in any case, but its still not a model.
No mention of the landing collision with the golf cart? It is a neat project, I hope the woman on the golf cart is ok, and I hope the damage to the airplane is easily fixable.
It knocked the golf cart over, probably with the wings? There has to be some real structural damage. Not a good idea to film from a golf cart so close to the runway.
Congratulations, Tom! A wonderful aircraft. I'm glad I was able to see it a few times in the "under construction" phases, which make watching the video even more enjoyable. Wish I could have been there to see the first flight in person. Wishing you much enjoyment flying that around.
Very cool stuff! I live just below the flight path of John C. Munro airport in Hamilton Ontario, and we are fairly regularly treated to the sight of a WW2 era Lancaster bomber flying over our home. These old aircraft, replicas included are very awesome to see. Congratulations to the builders of this plane, it’s fantastic!
So happy to finally see this video ! How wonderful. I can't believe nobody thought of on board cameras/Go pros to capture the flight. Disappointed to not see the landing either. She looks and sounds beautiful.
Truely a awesome Plane!! I did watch the first video. Though, it was a while ago.. But, I remember the “SDS” logo in the background.. Very glad that the Warbird is up and flying!! Can’t wait for the next video that comes out!!
