Almost like being there. I took a ride aboard FiFi way back in 1988 but was seated in the tail. That, and the bombardier's seat are the two best seats in the house, unless you're lucky enough to be flying the plane. Largest plane I ever flew was a DC-3. While I am also fond of the B-17, the B-29 was the best bomber of WWII by a significant margin. The Soviets tried to copy it after the war and failed. They converted all the dimensions to metric which led to so many rounding errors. Parts fit poorly. The plane leaked air like a sieve, they had endless trouble with the remote control turrets and the engines were completely unreliable. They built over 800 of them and they were in service for awhile but they were loathed by air and ground crews alike, being a pale imitation of the B-29. China didn't retire theirs until 1986, lol.
I got a VIP tour of Boeing's Renton plant for my 8th birthday. At the plant, there was a B-29 fuselage sitting outside one of the buildings, and I got to sit in the pilot's seat. The view was like... you feel like God. And that plane sure did deliver the wrath of God. Such a beautiful, beautiful airplane, conceived and built for such a terrible purpose. Life involves suffering.
Yeah, it's the direct inspiration for the Falcon's cockpit. Actually, a lot of things in ANH were analogs to war movies of the era, which were all about WWII. The trench run is literally just Dambusters with a sci-fi coat of paint on it.
One of the greatest revelations about Star Wars was that most if not all tech shown in the films are inspired not so much by the vision of the future, but by that of the past. Large computers, awkward robots, VTOL fighters, hovercraft, weapons of mass destruction. It is a huge historical commentary, but as kids we wouldn't notice.
I wish Star Wars would’ve continued the commentary in the sequel trilogy with instead 90s/00s tech aesthetic & the Gulf War/911/Iraq/Afghanistan the way the original trilogy commented on both Vietnam and WWII which took place 35 years before in the timeline.
My dad was a crew member on the B-29 Georgia Peach, 58th Bomb Wing, 468th Bomb Group, 793rd Bomb Squadron. Flew the first B-29 combat missions to Japan from their base in Chengdu China.
My grandpa was a quartermaster and firefighter at a B-29 base on Iwo Jima. In fact, they were still fighting Japanese holdouts when he arrived. He never talked about it so what I know is from military records. While he was never a frontline soldier, he got pretty close to the action and saw the aftermath. He also transported and guarded Japanese internees for over 2 years early on in the war. I found reference to him having intelligence training so he probably interrogated them also. He always maintained that what we did to Japanese Americans was wrong. He also felt that we should have listened to General Marshall and kept going east when we got to Berlin and that we should never have allowed the Communists to take China. We wouldn't be dealing with a war in Ukraine or threats of China invading Taiwan if we had finished WWII properly. There also likely would never have been a Korean War or Vietnam War. The Cold War would have never happened. We'd still have problems in the Middle East though.
My Dad was a rear gunner on a B17. He participated in many missions over Germany. He never talked about it and it was hard on him. I have great respect for my Dad. RIP.
Great footage, thanks! Got to tour FiFi back in 1983 with my dad when I was a kid; have some great pics... so glad to see her still flying and going strong!
saw FIFI 32-33 yrs ago in Gainesville FL. have a picture of my 2 yr old son looking down at me on the ground from the nose bubble. Great plane great video
By the time the super fortress hit the scene they had pretty good inertial navigation. Even to this day most things with GPS in them use an accelerometer to help the satellites out. They had slower analog computers with worse gyros than we do now- and they had to use the stars instead of fancy orbital radios but it’s all the same math
My check pilot for my private was Hap Westbrook. He was a B-24 pilot. He described flying the B-24 as similar to driving a big truck. Watching the control inputs on final made me realize what he was talking about!
"No, I don't have a landing permit. I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian." "Whoa! Wait a minute! Let me explain!" "You will not deviate from your present course." "Rather touchy, aren't they?" "I thought you knew this person." "Well that was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that." "Permission granted to land on platform 3-2-7" "Thank You" "There's nothing to worry about. We go way back, Lando and me." "Who's worried?"
My dad was a mechanic in the Air Force in the early 50's. He used to describe working on those radial engines. I would love to have one of those engines in the back yard to fire up!
Went for a ride on FIFI all the way back in 1988 in Indiana, seated in the tail gunner's position. I still have the brochure outlining the history of the plane. She flew over my house a few years ago when attending an airshow. Would have been nice to go for another ride over the desert but it wasn't in the cards. Maybe someday I'll get to ride in the bombardier's seat... What a view!
My first Airventure was 2023 and I could have spent the entire week in the War Birds area listening to the pilots and seeing all the old planes. Fantastic experience.
I’ve had the opportunity to ride on Doc. The ride was impressively smooth. Especially considering the fact that these planes are 80 years old. The only time it jerked around was during taxying, which is to be expected since they use the brakes to turn.
Always love it when FiFi visits Drake Field here in Northwest Arkansas! The C-47 “That's All, Brother” was here over the weekend and left this morning. So glad these aircraft are loved and protected. One of these days I hope to be able to afford a ride when she’s in town.❤
That was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while! I caught your approach and landing to IAG Niagara Falls a few years ago (where I think you had to replace a pot on one engine) and it’s really cool to see it from your perspective! 😎😎
Used to do C and D checks on 747s at an old WWII auxiliary field that later became a SAC base until decommissioned in the late '60s. If it is big enough for a B-52, it is big enough for a 747. Actually, the runway was significantly longer than required for a 747.
the B-29 has one of the coolest cockpits ever, that glass bubble feeling is amazing and it is unlikely to return on any modern aircraft because it was a design of an era when visual identification of your surroundings was not just for the view but needed for it to do its job.
Pretty amzing what was thought of 100 years ago and put together 20 years after that. 80 years ago, still impressive and actually way cooler than the shortcuts available in design thanks to the transistor age of today.
@willthetrill4849 The funny thing about that was that some asshole put a picture of our guys doing a routine tire change online saying we were doing "major landing gear work" and now everyone is amazed to see Fifi still flying.
@willthetrill4849 yes. The person that made that post wasn't affiliated with the CAF or Fifi in any way and had no idea what they were talking about. The airplane flew again the next day
That was very very VERY cool. All of the thoughts that seeing something like that evokes. ALL THAT HAS COME BEFORE US..! What an amazing chunk of machinery....
I can’t help but feel for the guy in the front. Torn between catching it all on camera and actually enjoying the journey and the actual memories. People today are so caught up in capturing the memory and not experiencing it.
Thats real flying, poor guy up the front looked scared on final. It also looked like he had a vintage GoPro2, not sure how his video will turn out he looked a tad shakey there
Wish I'd done this with my dad before it was too late. Willow Run Airport in Michigan where they built these things offers flights in vintage planes but they aren't cheap.
A surprising amount of aileron required there on final. 90 degrees at times. Makes me wonder if yoke rotates much more. Anyway, thank you very much for sharing. Incredible view.
No use for them. One, modern commercial planes don't rely on massive windows for visual flight because they have glass cockpits, which doesn't mean the cockpit is made out of glass like this plane, it means the panel is all electronic. Plus, people don't fly for pleasure cruises on commercial planes anymore. You see runway, clouds, runway and everything in between is trying to kill time in between runways by either sleeping or looking at clouds. Windows that big are useless at 35,000 feet
Fun fact: Star Wars designers were told to draw inspiration from WW2 vehicles and planes. That's what makes SW designs so distinct and not generic sci-fi.
Raw footage is the best, no music no gabbing.
No doubt about it.
Abso-dang-lutely.
Almost like being there. I took a ride aboard FiFi way back in 1988 but was seated in the tail. That, and the bombardier's seat are the two best seats in the house, unless you're lucky enough to be flying the plane. Largest plane I ever flew was a DC-3.
While I am also fond of the B-17, the B-29 was the best bomber of WWII by a significant margin.
The Soviets tried to copy it after the war and failed. They converted all the dimensions to metric which led to so many rounding errors. Parts fit poorly. The plane leaked air like a sieve, they had endless trouble with the remote control turrets and the engines were completely unreliable. They built over 800 of them and they were in service for awhile but they were loathed by air and ground crews alike, being a pale imitation of the B-29. China didn't retire theirs until 1986, lol.
Agreed. And, I would love to be able to hear the radio chatter. I do love hearing the hydraulics actuate.
The open view from that cockpit is beyond cool!
I got a VIP tour of Boeing's Renton plant for my 8th birthday. At the plant, there was a B-29 fuselage sitting outside one of the buildings, and I got to sit in the pilot's seat. The view was like... you feel like God. And that plane sure did deliver the wrath of God. Such a beautiful, beautiful airplane, conceived and built for such a terrible purpose. Life involves suffering.
aka the greenhouse.
@user-qu7qh7qj2t For sure.
it gives me a sense of falling to the ground
Every cockpit should be that awesome
Looks like the Millennium Falcon cockpit lol
Yeah, it's the direct inspiration for the Falcon's cockpit.
Actually, a lot of things in ANH were analogs to war movies of the era, which were all about WWII. The trench run is literally just Dambusters with a sci-fi coat of paint on it.
One of the greatest revelations about Star Wars was that most if not all tech shown in the films are inspired not so much by the vision of the future, but by that of the past. Large computers, awkward robots, VTOL fighters, hovercraft, weapons of mass destruction. It is a huge historical commentary, but as kids we wouldn't notice.
I wish Star Wars would’ve continued the commentary in the sequel trilogy with instead 90s/00s tech aesthetic & the Gulf War/911/Iraq/Afghanistan the way the original trilogy commented on both Vietnam and WWII which took place 35 years before in the timeline.
@@TheTanman412 maybe it's time for a timeskip after all, to tell a whole different story in the same setting.
It i the cockpit the Millennium Falcon was patterned off of.
Calm down Chewy! What do you mean you're working on it!?!? We need hyperdrive now!
The cockpit must have been an influence to that film!
@@22pcirish the gunner stations too
Don't get cocky kid!
I absolutely loved seeing this beauty at Oshkosh this year.
Much love - from a Wisconsinite.
Lol my brain is battling with the vintage era of this aircraft and the modern Garmin GPS unit - awesome!
Yes, I'd call that nicely modernized avionics without losing the overall vintage style of those instrument panels.
My dad was a crew member on the B-29 Georgia Peach, 58th Bomb Wing, 468th Bomb Group, 793rd Bomb Squadron. Flew the first B-29 combat missions to Japan from their base in Chengdu China.
Salutes!
Thanks to your dad for his military service.
My grandpa was a quartermaster and firefighter at a B-29 base on Iwo Jima. In fact, they were still fighting Japanese holdouts when he arrived. He never talked about it so what I know is from military records. While he was never a frontline soldier, he got pretty close to the action and saw the aftermath. He also transported and guarded Japanese internees for over 2 years early on in the war. I found reference to him having intelligence training so he probably interrogated them also. He always maintained that what we did to Japanese Americans was wrong.
He also felt that we should have listened to General Marshall and kept going east when we got to Berlin and that we should never have allowed the Communists to take China.
We wouldn't be dealing with a war in Ukraine or threats of China invading Taiwan if we had finished WWII properly. There also likely would never have been a Korean War or Vietnam War. The Cold War would have never happened. We'd still have problems in the Middle East though.
My Dad was a rear gunner on a B17. He participated in many missions over Germany. He never talked about it and it was hard on him. I have great respect for my Dad. RIP.
Good grief what a landing. Just amazing.
That is the coolest cockpit I've ever seen.
Reminds me of the Millenium Falcon.
Love the sound. Such an elegant plane.
I have landed a few planes in my time but that one looks like a real handful. Well done. Great video. No music, no nonsense. Thanks
Great footage, thanks! Got to tour FiFi back in 1983 with my dad when I was a kid; have some great pics... so glad to see her still flying and going strong!
I have gotten a ride on FIFI in Prescott Arizona some years back. It was an amazing!!
Memory of a lifetime !!
Thanks "Fifi"... that was a smooth ride!!!
Wow. What a view. Thank you. Perfect landing!!
Right on the center line baby!
Awesome perspective, thanks for sharing
saw FIFI 32-33 yrs ago in Gainesville FL. have a picture of my 2 yr old son looking down at me on the ground from the nose bubble. Great plane great video
I always think about those pilots who used to fly on these things without gps or modern instruments and plus, taking fire from fighters
They had navigation back then. It wasn't GPS but it worked
And the ages of the men flying then. Very impressive.
@@H.EL-Othemany They had a very primitive inertial reference system and non-directional radio beacons to make sure they could find their way home.
By the time the super fortress hit the scene they had pretty good inertial navigation. Even to this day most things with GPS in them use an accelerometer to help the satellites out. They had slower analog computers with worse gyros than we do now- and they had to use the stars instead of fancy orbital radios but it’s all the same math
wow what a cool looking cockpit thanks for the video
What a view!
My check pilot for my private was Hap Westbrook. He was a B-24 pilot. He described flying the B-24 as similar to driving a big truck. Watching the control inputs on final made me realize what he was talking about!
B-29 BABY!! What an feather-bed landing!
"No, I don't have a landing permit. I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian." "Whoa! Wait a minute! Let me explain!" "You will not deviate from your present course." "Rather touchy, aren't they?" "I thought you knew this person." "Well that was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that." "Permission granted to land on platform 3-2-7" "Thank You" "There's nothing to worry about. We go way back, Lando and me." "Who's worried?"
Really really cool FiFi. My favorite vid from Oshkosh 2024 no doubt. Great camera work. Stunning approach. Very well done gents. 🙏🏼
Thank you from a CAF member in Amsterdam.
My dad was a mechanic in the Air Force in the early 50's. He used to describe working on those radial engines. I would love to have one of those engines in the back yard to fire up!
My father was an B-29 aircraft commander in Saipan during WWII. 25 years old and I think he weighed 140 pounds. These are amazing to see
Awesome POV. The control inputs seem to be massive
Neat! Thanks for keeping the memory alive!
Got to go inside years ago at Westfield Barnes and it was a fantastic experience! Hope y'all keep her flying for many years to come!
I love the sound of those engines. It's like a gentle roar.
Oh how I would love a trip in one.
Went for a ride on FIFI all the way back in 1988 in Indiana, seated in the tail gunner's position. I still have the brochure outlining the history of the plane.
She flew over my house a few years ago when attending an airshow. Would have been nice to go for another ride over the desert but it wasn't in the cards. Maybe someday I'll get to ride in the bombardier's seat...
What a view!
Now THAT is amazing. Is it true that B-29 tail gunners had to be little guys? I saw FIFI in drydock years ago when the CAF still was based in Midland.
What a smooth landing. Right on the numbers. That's a big bird with a lot of sail in the air. He makes it look so easy.
Beautiful machine, so honored to be flying on it.
My first Airventure was 2023 and I could have spent the entire week in the War Birds area listening to the pilots and seeing all the old planes. Fantastic experience.
I’ve had the opportunity to ride on Doc. The ride was impressively smooth. Especially considering the fact that these planes are 80 years old. The only time it jerked around was during taxying, which is to be expected since they use the brakes to turn.
wow. That might be the coolest thing i have ever watched.
This might be the coolest thing I've seen this year.
B-29 is a beautiful piece of history! Keep the ol'bird in the air! 🤩
The older they get, the harder it is to keep 'em flying.
it be cool if some modern aircrafts has similar cockpits like this
I'm always amazed at how much they have to move the yoke around to get the aircraft to do something. It reminds me of my 62 Ford Galaxie.
How freaking cool is that!!! What a view. Even some updated avionics. Really cool. Thanks
crazy to see the tech mixed with the analog on the dash, thanks for the experience
Its wonderful to see these amazing planes still going, my favourite is the Mosquito, but great to see others, thank you.
Great seeing this airplane @OSH! Thanks for sharing this video!
Extremely cool! Thank you for making & posting.
That is so awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Always love it when FiFi visits Drake Field here in Northwest Arkansas! The C-47 “That's All, Brother” was here over the weekend and left this morning. So glad these aircraft are loved and protected. One of these days I hope to be able to afford a ride when she’s in town.❤
I have some videos like this on my channel from flying That's All Brother as well!
Ditto.
Well that was fun seeing our arrival at KOSH, from the front office, as I was in the back.
Outstanding landing!
That was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while! I caught your approach and landing to IAG Niagara Falls a few years ago (where I think you had to replace a pot on one engine) and it’s really cool to see it from your perspective! 😎😎
"if it's big enough for a B-52, it's big enough for us, right?" HAHAHAHA...yes I suppose there is no arguing with that logic. Cool video and approach!
Used to do C and D checks on 747s at an old WWII auxiliary field that later became a SAC base until decommissioned in the late '60s. If it is big enough for a B-52, it is big enough for a 747. Actually, the runway was significantly longer than required for a 747.
The guys that flew these were under 25 often . They also faced serious opposition. Heroes we won't see the like of again . Semper Fi . Thank you
Cool! Just got to take a tour of her a couple days ago in Lincoln, Nebraska
Awesome video, smooth landing!😉 It is intresting how good view from the cockpit. Good old bird...😊
Very, very cool. I've loved the B-29 since I was a wee lad. Super cool.
Gonna get to go for a ride on FIFI in a few weeks
Super excited
Took a look around this plane at an airshow around 1990. It was very very old back then. It still looks to be in great shape.
That is a cool thing. The cockpit view reminds me of the Millenium Falcon.
Saw FiFi flying over Colorado Springs a couple weeks ago. Didn't realize how special that was until I looked into it.
Being an airshow, it's spooky how quiet the cockpit is without any radio chatter whatsoever. Surreal.
beautiful landing captain...
Just makes me grin from ear to ear!
Amazing video footage. Would have been truly an experience to have been in the cockpit. Thanks for upload.
the B-29 has one of the coolest cockpits ever, that glass bubble feeling is amazing and it is unlikely to return on any modern aircraft because it was a design of an era when visual identification of your surroundings was not just for the view but needed for it to do its job.
That's a Lifetime Experience right there!!❤
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing! Lovely landing BTW. ;)
You guys flew right over me when you landed in Columbia Missouri, beautiful airplane.
Pretty amzing what was thought of 100 years ago and put together 20 years after that. 80 years ago, still impressive and actually way cooler than the shortcuts available in design thanks to the transistor age of today.
Look like "The Millenium Falcon" in Star Wars. Wonderful, thanks for the video. ✌
Wow, the visibility is amazing!
Great video
Perfect inner shadows - finally!
I’m happy to see Fifi back in the air after what appears the repair work to her landing gear was finished
@willthetrill4849 The funny thing about that was that some asshole put a picture of our guys doing a routine tire change online saying we were doing "major landing gear work" and now everyone is amazed to see Fifi still flying.
@@iflyc77 Are you saying the landing gear breaking was a lie?
@willthetrill4849 yes. The person that made that post wasn't affiliated with the CAF or Fifi in any way and had no idea what they were talking about. The airplane flew again the next day
That was very very VERY cool. All of the thoughts that seeing something like that evokes. ALL THAT HAS COME BEFORE US..! What an amazing chunk of machinery....
Smooth as butter. She's purring.
Very cool! Had a chance to get on a B17 once, the B29 looks awesome. Nice video!
This perspective is perfect 😎
Thank you for posting this. It's something I will never get to experience in real life.👍👍
3:10 - Train! Cool too to see this amazing plane landing with a view from the cockpit!
The time of Boeings best work.Seen FiFi at a show in the late 80s near my house,I have 110 camera photos to prove it..lol
I can’t help but feel for the guy in the front. Torn between catching it all on camera and actually enjoying the journey and the actual memories. People today are so caught up in capturing the memory and not experiencing it.
Thats real flying, poor guy up the front looked scared on final. It also looked like he had a vintage GoPro2, not sure how his video will turn out he looked a tad shakey there
Excellent landing..
Wish I'd done this with my dad before it was too late. Willow Run Airport in Michigan where they built these things offers flights in vintage planes but they aren't cheap.
Quite the handful. What a Machine.👍
A beautiful Machine!
Fantastic! Thank you !
Thank you so much.
Fantastic landing!
Awesome! Thank you!
A surprising amount of aileron required there on final. 90 degrees at times. Makes me wonder if yoke rotates much more. Anyway, thank you very much for sharing. Incredible view.
Always loved the cockpit. What a view! Wonder why no one copies that in the modern commercial world?
No use for them. One, modern commercial planes don't rely on massive windows for visual flight because they have glass cockpits, which doesn't mean the cockpit is made out of glass like this plane, it means the panel is all electronic. Plus, people don't fly for pleasure cruises on commercial planes anymore. You see runway, clouds, runway and everything in between is trying to kill time in between runways by either sleeping or looking at clouds. Windows that big are useless at 35,000 feet
Mad skills!
FiFi has been around a long time. I just came across a picture of her at the 1997 Dayton Air Show.
Wow, that coockpit is so cool by far better than passenger planes. Straight from Star wars :)
Fun fact: Star Wars designers were told to draw inspiration from WW2 vehicles and planes. That's what makes SW designs so distinct and not generic sci-fi.
What a view.
Well heck, I had no idea that I knew a genuine UA-cam Influencer! Great video! (I subscribed and rang the bell, etc. etc.)
What a view from the cockpit.....