I enjoyed this shot of the B-29 being powered by a 2000W Honda generator - made in Japan.Today I met Fifi - the last flying B-29 Bomber. Too bad Lulu didn't come along - I could have gotten a shot of Lulu in Fifi.
The Commemorative Air Force comes calling to Tallahassee every now and then with historic aircraft. $5 allowed me to walk around the plane taking pictures - another $5 got one a chance to get into the cockpit. $600 to $1200 blessed some people their dream flight - a 30 minute tour around Tallahassee in a flying history book.
The B-29 was the first large bomber with a pressurized cabin - which means the flyers did not have to wear oxygen masks to fly high. A modified version of this plane was the first one to fly around the world non-stop. It is roughly 100 feet long and 150 feet from wing tip to wing tip. It was capable of carrying 10 tons of bombs. It had a range of 2500 miles - which allowed for long range bombing of Japan from Guam.
This bomber is most famous for dropping the atomic bombs on Japan bringing a quicker end to World War II.
Here you see the B-29 with a P-51 fighter accompanying it.
This P-52 is painted in the colors of the famous black Tuskegee Airmen. The Airmen trained in Tallahassee during the war.
The B-29 has an unmistakeable roar with 4 Pratt and Whitney propeller engines.
For $5 - people lined up to crawl in the cockpit - the pilot's cabin.
The Commemorative Air Force is a non-profit company dedicated to keeping these historic planes flying.
Enthusiasts entered the cabin through the bomb bay lined with 250 pound bombs.
The wingspan is about 150 feet and the fuselage body is 100 feet long.
The red tail was the trademark of the Tuskegee Airmen - they used to escort B-17 bombers over Europe. The B-29 was used in the Pacific near the end of World War II.
The B-29 was called the Superfortress - compared to the B-17 Flying Fortress used over Germany.
The gun blisters were remote controlled - this provided the gunners a little bit of safety.
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