"B-29 near Atlanta" Topic

I saw what looked like a B-29 today flying north of Atlanta, probably toward Marietta. I'm not sure how long it will be in the area or where it is staying (a quick web search failed to find anything), but I'd bet a quick call Dobins AFB would clear up any uncertainties.

There has been a hellcat flying around northern RI for the last 2 weeks. Its so loud you can't miss it. At first I thought it was a thunder bolt till I saw it closer in and could make out the details. squared off wings and tail.

We had a hellcat over the western burbs of Chicago earlier in the month. Pretty cool.

B-29 might be headed north toward PA. WWII Weekend at the Reading Airport is coming up in a couple weeks… :)

Damon.

Fifi was in Marietta from the 20th to the 23rd, enroute to NC today.

Yes, the WWII weekend at Reading, PA is coming up June 6-8. Hundreds of WWII reenactors and dozens of WWII aircraft. A great show! And FiFi (the worlds only flying B-29) will be there.

I've always loved the story of her first CAF flight, from the navy storage site where she was found. They decided it would be safer to get her to CAF headquarters for full restoration in a single hop (well over a thousand miles, but only one take off and landing, rather than several if the journey had been broken down into parts) so her maiden flight, after basic restoration in situ where she was found, was 6 hours 38 minutes. When they landed in Harlingen, it happened that there was a reporter on site, doing an unrelated piece, but who recognised the B-29 and its significance. They rushed over to interview the pilot, and among other things, asked how much flight experience he had on B-29s. He checked his watch, and replied, "about 6 1/2 hours"…. ;-)

Dom.

PS – The pilot was actually an ex-C-97 or KC-97 pilot, they weren't completely insane…. ;-)

Last warbird I saw flying overhead was a Mustang a year or two ago.

One time when I was a kid, and helping my dad in the garden, I looked up as a plane flew low--very low--overhead.

First came a Zero, then an ME109, a B25, P38, and finally a B17. All hundreds of feet, not thousands. Turned out to be the Confederate AF on their way to a show but they were landing at our rather rural airport nearby in Bemidji, MN for refueling.

Was very cool for a 9 year old WWII aviation geek.

Hmm was just looking up the Confederate AF, has it been renamed the Commemorative Air Force? Political correctness, or am I miss remembering the name Confederate from when I was a kid?

Name changed about 10 years ago; partly PC, but it was agreed by vote of the members, as better reflecting the purpose of the organisation, and probably helping with fund-raising too. Arguably it had outgrown the old name anyway; the "confederate" was really a bit of a joke about their shoestring origins, which the CAF has largely moved on from.

I guess I'm lucky living so close to Duxford, in the summer I have stuff flying over my house almost every day as long as the weather is good.

When they do the summer shows they form up for a final fly past – usually 28 fighters in seven finger fours.

I have been to the CAF in Texas, cool place. I was about 10, still have some coloring books from there. They had lost a P-51 the week before I got there, so everything was grounded.

In my out of the way seaside town in Northern England, I have seen a Lancaster and a Vulcan fly over in the past could of years. The Vulcan was particulary low.

The name change was pushed by a few PC types in the HQ wing in Texas. It was not a popular change by the rank and file. But after much strong arming and claims of loss of donations, no evidence just claims, the change was made.

@James, they were most likely the ME108 and one of the "Tora,Tora,Tora" AT6s made up to look like a Zero as the CAF hasn't ever had a flying ME109 and only fairly recently acquired the Zero.

I still have my Confederate Air Force Blood Chit. In the process of building the 1/72 scale Enola Gay. Looking forward to the day I see one in flight.

"The name change was pushed by a few PC types in the HQ wing in Texas."

Not that the "Confederate" name has anything to do with honoring the greatest generation who fought in WW2, or airpower history, or aircraft restoration…

I will have a B-17, a B-24 and a P-51 flying over my house all weekend. They are with the Collings Foundation.

They come to the Bay Area every year. They fly from the Livermore airport during Memorial Day weekend. Their flight plans take them over my place on climb-out after take-off. You can do a walk through, or take flights, for a generous donation.

The fellow I sold my last house to is one of the hosts who organizes the visit each year. Several years ago I popped for a flight in the B-17. Last year he got me in on one of the B-24 flights.

Yes, my primary interest is tanks. But ya gotta know that the view is better from the fly-boys' toys.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

When I lived on Whidbey Island (Washington State), we used to get a lot warbirds in the summer. Paul Allen's* private collection resides just over the water in Everett. Some weekends in the summer they take them out to play. P-51, P-47, Hellcat came over all the time, and I got to see the Hurricane once. There's also a B-25 in RAF markings that flies out of the same field that gets around a lot in the summer. Now I live in the city, it's all jets and floatplaces, although there was a B-17 in the air Saturday.

Saw a B-29 on the island once. I was being chewed out by my ex-girlfriend at the time, for never being enthusiastic about anything. We were on her back deck when the thing flew over, and I was jumping up and down with excitement. The irony was thick enough to cut with a knife.

* – One of the founders of Microsoft