The CAF SoCal Wing
hosted the Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Fifi" at Camarillo
Airport, March 18-20, 2013.
A good sized crowd gathered to see this historic aircraft.
Almost 4,000 of these aircraft were built, and this one is
currently the only one still flying. The B-29 was the newest
and most advanced heavy bomber of WWII. The B-29 was the first
aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. In addition to it's WWII
service, the B-29 served in Korea, notably dropping radio
controlled bombs that targeted bridges and dams. Later
variants of the B-29, the B-50, with larger engines, were used
for a number of test projects, including serving as the
"mother ship" for a number of advanced flight test projects,
including the Bell X-1.
The B-29 visit brought out people of all ages. It was really
great to see a number of WWII veterans on hand, some who flew
in these aircraft.
The CAF C-46 Commando
"China Doll" with a T-6 Texan sit on the CAF ramp before the
arrival of Fifi.
The American Aeronautical Foundation had their B-25
Mitchell, "Executive Sweet" out for flights on Monday as
well.
The scouting/support ship, a C-45 Expeditor "Bucket of
Bolts", arrives at Camarillo, signalling that Fifi is
inbound.
The B-29 arrives with 5 fighters, the F6F Hellcat, F8F
Bearcat, A6M3 Zero P-51 Mustang and Spitfire Mk.XIV.
B-29 Superfortress "Fifi" gives a nice flyover before
preparing to land.
On final approach into Camarillo.
Quite a sight to see at Camarillo, a B-29 about to land!
To the left is a Cessna 172, to give you an idea of how big
this airplane is!
The guest of honor has arrived, to the excitement of the
gathered crowd.
It took a wide angle to get this shot!
Close up of the nose of Fifi as the crew taxies her into the
CAF ramp.
The nose of the B-29 Superfortress.
This was the line to get inside and see the cockpit area of
the B-29. It was even longer on subsequent days.
The B-29 Superfortress had 2 bomb bays, each capable of
carrying 20 of these 500lb. bombs, or other ordinance.
Since the bomb bay was not pressurized, this was a tunnel to
get between the fore and aft sections of the B-29. Not for
the claustrophobic.
The cockpit of the B-29 Superfortress. The bombsight in the
middle is the famous Norden bombsight.
Gauges at the B-29 Engineer's station. He sat behind the
right seat facing backward.
The CAF SoCal Wing's ramp was crowded on Monday night for
Fifi's visit.
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