Honoring WWII Patriots: CAF B-29 FIFI Flies Again! (With Video)
Friday, August 6, 2010 at 09:04AM 
The Commemorative Air Force B-29 'FIFI' is back in the air! photo: Mark Russell via CAF
I put up a detailed FIFI post back at the end of June when we thought that the CAF’s Boeing B-29 Superfortress was going to make her first flight since 2004. As it turned out, there were delays getting the FAA to certify the airplane ready for flight, but that’s all in the past now... Yesterday, August 5, 2010, a little before 9 am, FIFI and her new engines left earth for the wild blue yonder!
The 39 minute test hop of the world’s only flyable B-29 went on without a hitch. The modified and updated Wright R-3350 engines performed as hoped, and should make keeping this historic aircraft in the air much easier than in the past when the original versions of the engines were used.
And, while it’s great to see an amazing piece of work like the B-29 back in the air, the real value comes from what this airplane can do to bring honor to the patriots of WWII that fought and gave their lives for the United States.
A big thank you goes out to Jim Cavanaugh for the significant financial support, and to the dedicated CAF members who have supported and worked on this important project. Welcome back FIFI, you are a beautiful sight to see!
Reader Comments (1)
What's crazy about this is it's the only flyable B-29, and it hasn't been flown since 2004. So, how as a pilot, do you prepare for this. It's not like you can train in another plane and it's not like you flew it yesterday. I just wonder what the pilots did to prepare and what they went through flying this thing for the first time in years if not the first time ever.