Page 30 - Volume 21 Number 11

very strong left turning tendency. Using the brakes on takeoff roll is verboten, so the hot tip is to have the rudder fully deflected and lead with some power on the left side as the brakes are released. Early in the takeoff roll before the rudder is fully effective, full rudder deflection left and right may be required. The first decision speed is 80 miles per hour. Any problem prior to 80 is an abort. The next decision speed is 125. Directional control cannot be maintained with an engine out below this speed.
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The real work is done by the flight engineer who controls nearly every aspect of the airplane, including the throttles. The pilot controls the throttlesduringtaxiandtheinitialpartofthetakeoffroll. Afterthat the FE has everything.
The airplane accelerates quickly, the gear comes up and the airplane climbs away nicely. This was not always the case. The B-29 was fitted with the first version of the Curtis-Wright R-3350-57. It was an engine before its time, and it suffered from numerous problems. Engine failures, engine fires and serious overheating problems were all just a way of life in the B-29. Large power reductions immediately after takeoff were mandatory and flying her was a struggle between cooling and climbing. Many lives were lost when B-29s ditched in the Pacific Ocean after engine problems.
The CAF flew “FIFI” until 2005 with the original engines and they were so unreliable the decision was made to ground the airplane. She sat sadly in our hangar in Midland, Texas for five years. It seemed she might never fly again, but that’s not how the CAF works. The entrepreneurial spirit of our members rose to the occasion and it was decided that maybe she could be refit with better engines. The problem was that the engine mounts were specific to the -57 engines and the nose case gear reduction needed to turn the huge propellers was a ridiculously low 0.35 to 1 reduction.
The solution was to build engines using the nose and accessory case from the -57 engine and the power section from a much more advanced 3350 used in the Douglas AD-1 Skyraider. The combination was tested on a test stand and it worked. This power section was significantly different and it required extensive modifications to the cowlings and an entirely new exhaust system, and it had to be done for all four engines. It was a massive undertaking made possible by a major donation from Jim Cavanaugh of the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. The new hybrid engines have performed very well and normal climb power settings can be maintained.
Once the airplane is up and flying at a cruise power, she indicates 190-200 mph. Add a 2 percent increase for every 1,000 feet of altitude, 200 KTAS is a good flight plan speed at 6,500 ft. This while gobbling up 500 gallons in the first hour and 400 per hour subsequent. But topped off with 5,460 gallons of avgas, she could go a very long way.
The flight controls are fly by wire, wire cables. There is no hydraulic boost on anything. The best way to fly is with one hand on the yoke and the other on the trim wheel. Push or pull to achieve the desired pitch and relieve that pressure by following with trim. The ailerons are fairly light by comparison, but the response is slow. She is very stable in pitch and roll and relatively stable in yaw at cruise speeds. Frankly delightful to fly in smooth air.
Large radial engines do not like abrupt power changes so the secret to an arrival is planning ahead. Initial flap speed in 220, but in order for the scanners to inspect the landing gear, it is lowered at 180 mph before initial flap extension. “Manifold 26” in level flight will get the airplane below that speed easily and the fun begins.
28 • TWIN & TURBINE
November 2017