There was a time when the ride was free.
Just that some didn't come home.
Just that some didn't come home.
B-29 rides
- Thread starter Lee Barner
- Start date
For $1295 I want to fly the plane. Otherwise I’m buying a 3” model 13.
Personally, I'd be more concerned with the flight crew rather than the aircraft, eg; age, time in type, sterile CP, so on and so forth. Flying has been my life and the one thing that was drilled into us was, Terra Firma was the enemy. Low level demo flights don't allow for much fudge room to correct a mistake or malfunction.
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About 20 years ago my Son and I went to Republic Airport and toured the Memphis Belle. We also got to meet her Pilot, Captain Robert Morgan who completed his 25 missions. If I am not mistaken he was promoted to Col. before retiring. We did not take the ride as it was expensive for two even back then! The plane tour and pictures were enough for us and I did buy his book which he autographed. It was a great day!
BLACKHAWKNJ
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FiFi was here at Trenton Airport a few summers ago, saw it take off and land.
I had a close college buddy (both History majors at a Kansas State) that lived in Wichita. Back in August 2018, he got the urge to ride on Doc, the B-29 based out of Wichita. As I recall, the gunner seats were about $750. He was single. I have a wife and two kids. I couldn't justify it. He insisted and bought me a ticket. It was a fantastic experience I'll treasure, particularly since that was the last time I saw him alive. He passed away shortly after that ride on Doc.
I rode in Fifi a few years back when it came to my local airport. I was in the rear fuselage and those "gunner" seats were much less expensive than the cockpit/radio positions. It was definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A couple of years previous to that I rode in the Collings B-17 which later crashed. To me it's sort of like riding a roller coaster - there's always a fraction of a percent chance that something will go wrong. That's part of the thrill.
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The cost of maintaining and flying FIFI and DOC must be huge.
My Father-in-Law was a Flight Engineer on the B-29 and flew combat missions over North Korea. He has several stories.
He said they were very scared of MIG fighters. The MIG would fly along their plane just outside their gun range. Then the MIG would suddenly fly through their formation so fast that the gunners could not track it.
On one mission his plane got hit and a engine caught fire. All attempts to put it out failed. At that point in the war they knew how North Korea was treating prisoners and the crew had taken a vow not to be captured. (More on that in a moment). Anyway in desperation he told the pilot to put the plane in a steep dive to try to blow the fire out. This was successful and they made a emergency landing in South Korea. The crew went back to Japan while he remained with plane while a replacement engine arrived and then flew back to his base in Japan. As a result of saving the plane and crew he was awarded a Air Medal.
He always said he could fly a B-29. I never realized what the flight engineer did until I saw a Air Force film on Youtube. Here this skinny depression era young man with a high school education was drafted and trained in a complicated job. Using military logic he was selected to be become a flight engineer due to his small size at the time and he could crawl inside the tight spaces inside the wings to perform inspections.
I don’t recall how many missions he flew. He said he flew some missions he didn’t get credit for because the flight engineer on another bomber was a alcoholic so he unofficially took his place as a favor to the crew. His total mission count is in the 20’s.
As I said he and his crew took a vow not to be captured by North Koreans. He said he carried a 1911, a revolver (probably a W.W.2 Victory Model) and a M3 Grease Gun with extra stick magazines stuck into the tops of his flying boots.
Stories we never read in the history books.
My Father-in-Law was a Flight Engineer on the B-29 and flew combat missions over North Korea. He has several stories.
He said they were very scared of MIG fighters. The MIG would fly along their plane just outside their gun range. Then the MIG would suddenly fly through their formation so fast that the gunners could not track it.
On one mission his plane got hit and a engine caught fire. All attempts to put it out failed. At that point in the war they knew how North Korea was treating prisoners and the crew had taken a vow not to be captured. (More on that in a moment). Anyway in desperation he told the pilot to put the plane in a steep dive to try to blow the fire out. This was successful and they made a emergency landing in South Korea. The crew went back to Japan while he remained with plane while a replacement engine arrived and then flew back to his base in Japan. As a result of saving the plane and crew he was awarded a Air Medal.
He always said he could fly a B-29. I never realized what the flight engineer did until I saw a Air Force film on Youtube. Here this skinny depression era young man with a high school education was drafted and trained in a complicated job. Using military logic he was selected to be become a flight engineer due to his small size at the time and he could crawl inside the tight spaces inside the wings to perform inspections.
I don’t recall how many missions he flew. He said he flew some missions he didn’t get credit for because the flight engineer on another bomber was a alcoholic so he unofficially took his place as a favor to the crew. His total mission count is in the 20’s.
As I said he and his crew took a vow not to be captured by North Koreans. He said he carried a 1911, a revolver (probably a W.W.2 Victory Model) and a M3 Grease Gun with extra stick magazines stuck into the tops of his flying boots.
Stories we never read in the history books.
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Hair Trigger
US Veteran
I wouldn't even want to make a guess. Back in 2007, I went to a vintage biplane club meet in St. Louis at Creve Coeur Airport. There are many vintage and warbird airplanes based there; one owner had a P-51D and an AT-6 and had both on display. Later he started the Mustang up outside his hangar and taxied to the fuel pumps to top off his tanks. Someone asked him if he was taking people up (the plane had a back seat added); he mentioned that starting the engine and warming it up and taxiing the 200 yards to the fuel pumps used about $250 worth of high octane Avgas, and if anyone wanted a ride and was willing to pay for the gas used, he'd take them up. No takers.
The biplane owners were giving rides about as fast as they could land and swap passengers, not charging anything. I got a ride from Creve Coeur to Belleville, Illinois to another field and back, round trip about 55 miles, in a PT-17 Stearman for nothing, and a long ride west of Creve Coeur and up the Missouri River to its confluence with the Mississippi and back in a WACO UPF-7, also free.
31FordA
Member
I have flown in a number of Stearman bi-planes over the years, and they will always be my favorite airplane. I have more stick time in the Stearman than any other vintage plane. Another warbird I have gotten to take a ride in is the P-51 Mustang. I won a ride at an air show back in 1997. That was a great experience. The O-1 Birddog was also a lot of fun, since I got to actually fly that one for a while. If I get a chance I’d like to buy rides in some other warbirds, with the B-25 being at the top of the list. I’ve wanted to fly in a B-25 since watching “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” as a kid.
YeshuaIsa53
Member
The A-10 is one of my favorite destructive devices.
Hair Trigger mentioned the AT-6 Texan in his post #31. I believe that is a Texan in the photo, pot #29. I have more pics of the A-6.
"Back in the day" of AOL chat-rooms" there was a screen name AT6 that kept showing up. One day I IMed him and asked if he flew an AT6...He was horrified that I knew what it meant! 
He said he had flow the AT6 in pilot training during WWII, before graduating to the P-51. He said he never got into combat because the war ended before he got sent over. I think he said he had flown the P-51 in Korea, but it was a long time ago and that detail escapes me.
I remember he asked me "Don't tell the girls. They don't know how old I am." (He did seem to be popular with the ladies.) Sadly, I'm sure he's gone on to Glory by now, so I doubt he'll mind if I spill the beans.
Thanks for your service AT...
He said he had flow the AT6 in pilot training during WWII, before graduating to the P-51. He said he never got into combat because the war ended before he got sent over. I think he said he had flown the P-51 in Korea, but it was a long time ago and that detail escapes me.I remember he asked me "Don't tell the girls. They don't know how old I am." (He did seem to be popular with the ladies.) Sadly, I'm sure he's gone on to Glory by now, so I doubt he'll mind if I spill the beans.
Thanks for your service AT...
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