Page 29 - Volume 21 Number 11

PHOTO CREDIT: ADAM GLOWASKI
start the process of checking out in the CAF B-29, “FIFI.” This spring I agreed, and so I went to Texas for the annual spring ground school.
WWII aircraft are remarkably simple and share very common systems. The U.S. military recognized the benefits of standardization and many of the components are interchangeable between various models and even manufacturers. The voltage regulators are almost universal from a trainer built by North American to a bomber built by Boeing.
If the appliances are the same then the systems will almost certainly be similar. So often learning a new aircraft type is about learning the differences. The B-29 is a Boeing product and Boeing airplanes are almost entirely electric. Since I had not flown the B-17, I had some extra learning to accomplish. But with some home study prior to arrival, it all made sense, and I passed the written test at the end.
The next thing was to get scheduled for initial flight training. Back to the books again. One of the squadron members is a gifted technical writer and he has crafted expanded checklist procedures and flight profiles that make the transition easier. There are six pages of a challenge-and-response checklist that must be accomplished before the airplane leaves the ground, and five more before it is landed and parked. The co-pilot’s main
November 2017
responsibility is to manage that checklist. That, plus learning the flight manual and the limitations. There is quite a bit of head work to do before arriving at the airplane to fly.
“FIFI” is a big airplane. With a 141-foot wingspan and 110,000-pound gross weight, it is three times bigger than anything I had flown previously. Patience is not only a virtue in big piston airplanes, it is mandatory. From the time the crew assembles at the nose for a briefing until the airplane leaves the ground is at minimum 30 minutes. The flight engineer has already been at the airplane for a couple of hours fueling, oiling and pre-flighting the airplane. Each engine has up to 90 gallons of oil, and it might require 15 minutes of idle time on a cool morning to reach 40-degree Celsius oil temp before brake release.
Crew is a key word in flying the B-29. The normal crew in wartime was 11 and “FIFI” flies with 6. A pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer up front, plus left and right scanners, and a rear scanner/APU operator in the tailcone. These crew members have key roles in normal flight, and critical roles in emergencies. Getting the airplane in the air is a ceremony and requires clear and concise communication from everyone.
None of the WWII bombers had nose wheel steering and all of them have marginal brakes. Learning to taxi them is often harder than flying them. Fortunately, my B-25 experience was a huge help in taxiing the airplane. The brake chambers on these airplanes are large and the brake valves are basically pressure regulators. There is no feedback in the pedal other than a spring and a mild application of brake results in the fluid filling the brake chamber very slowly. Holding the appropriate pedal pressure, and waiting until the chamber fills will yield a nice brake application, but pushing the pedal until you feel, or hear, the brake engage, will result in a brake pressure far in excess of what’s desired. The brake barks, the tire squeals, the airplane lurches, in one direction and the pilot releases the brake quickly, only to have to restart the procedure on the other side to stop the excursion.
The CAF Airpower History Tour takes “FIFI” to airports unaccustomed to aircraft having a wingspan 23 feet longer than a 737. This often requires shutting down the No. 1 and 4 engines and “X-ing” the propellers to clear taxiway lights and signs. The outboard propellers clear the ground by a measly 28 inches, and the inboards only 14 inches. Obstructions and FOD are a major concern while taxiing.
The flight engineer (FE) is the hardest-working person on the airplane. The FE operates everything but the flight controls, gear and the flaps, including providing the hydraulic pressure to the brakes. The pilots have throttles, but other than for taxi and initial takeoff roll we never touch them. Power settings are called to the FE as needed. To eliminate confusion, power settings are called as individual numbers. So, lined up on the runway before brake release the pilot flying might call, “Engineer’s throttles, set manifold three-zero.” Flap settings are called as “Flaps 15.”
Lined up on the runway with the engines spooled up to 30 inches of manifold pressure, the pilot flying takes the throttles and releases the brakes. The 16-foot, 7-inch propellers provide a
TWIN & TURBINE • 27