My Dad was a Flight Engineer on '29's and I still have all of his log books and manuals. It was very cool to see the same documents I have being shown in this video and in use. It gives me a new appreciation for what he did.
My dad was a flight engineer on the B-29. Now I understand why he qualified after having been a mechanic in Ft Sumner on the tow planes training glider pilots for D-day; it would be a natural transition considering that he would also have duties maintaining engines. He never talked about the panel much, except for a story about during training when the pilot suddenly dived down to avoid a head-on encounter. My dad was not belted in and found himself bounced up and then came down right on the engine controls. He said it was fortunate they were in lock position, otherwise it would have shut them all down. He also mentioned that the B-29 was designed to fly 340 mph, faster than Japanese fighters, when "war power" was called for (it could only be maintained for about 20 minutes). He talked about doing training runs from a base in Puerto Rico to Omaha and back. Once the plane's engines were performing poorly and over the ocean were consuming so much fuel he eventually ran out on paper and informed the captain who called ahead for a straight in approach. As they were close to the runway the outside starboard engine cut out and at touchdown the port outside quit. halfway down the runway the inside engines quit and the captain nosed off the runway and they walked in. He said that was how close I came to not being conceived (which happened between training and being deployed to Saipan).
Ditto. My dad was also a flight engineer on a B-29, stationed on Guam in 1945. I was happy to see your post. They did an amazing job. There was a single-panel cartoon of this job that really captured what it was like to sit in that seat, lol--might have been in Stars & Stripes.
My dad was a flight engineer on B-29's in Korea. I think for ALL the flight engineer did, he may as well have been the pilot. Damn, they had to be smart.
My Late father-in-law was a tail gunner on a B-29 over Japan. I had his wings made into a bracelet. I'm a 72 year old combat veteran of Vietnam and Angola and wear that bracelet EVERY day to honor him, my father, my uncles, and everyone who put themselves in harm's way for our country during World War II. May God Bless each and every one of them 🙏🇺🇸.
As long as they lasted, flight engineers were always the most revered and knowledgeable crewman on board, be it in a B-29, a DC-10 or a 747. They just knew everything about the aircraft. Every warning light, every setting, every procedure for every emergency.
Ron Reagan is the narrator, Robert Mitchum is the engineer, voiced by Mel Blanc. All of them participated in the film division of the War Dept. during the war. Very cool history!
As an aircraft mechanic, I cant stop watching this video, brought tears to my eyes seeing that real airplane fly. Magnificent. My grandfather was a aviator and pear harbor survivor.
My uncle Raymond was a pilot and Pearl Harbor survivor too. His B-17 was one of several that arrived the morning of Dec 7, low on gas and with no ammunition. The forward half of his plane is at 9:08 in this home movie taken that day: ua-cam.com/video/1b6auSQPvGs/v-deo.html
My great grandfather was a pilot of a B-29, he was shot down and killed on Oct. 21 1944. RIP. Very cool to see what he went through in his life on the B-29.
What Japanese high-altitude interceptors did he encounter? (This presumes flak was not involved) My reading suggests the B29 had at least five radar-controlled twin-50mm guns and a 20mm tail cannon. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress
@@bobgreene2892 Turrets were optically aimed (by the gunners/observers sitting in pressurized compartments), radar was used for bombing purposes (when cloud cover made use of normal Norden bombsight impossible). Radar controlled tail gun was used in B-36 and B-52 but in B-29 they were all optically aimed using some sort of collimators.
Excellent footage indeed. No wonder she is called SUPER-fortress! What a beautiful bomber bird. ...And the crew that flew it. And the ground crews that kept it ship shape! Thanks for posting this video.
My did was in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific as a crew member. He was there when the A-bombs came through his area. His remains rest in Arlington. RIP Dad.
couldnt stop watching this one. my father in law was a b29 pilot.he liked this plane. i was able to meet his flight engineer at dad's burial at arlington. talked with his radio operator, who's still alive, this summer. dad said it wasnt unusual to experience an engine failure on each mission. good thing there were 4 engines.
My Cousins Husband was shot down over Germany in 1944 , being in British Bomber Command , and he parachuted and survived , finishing up in a Prisoner of war camp . .HE died in 2019 in Edinburgh his home town , which is my place of birth also.
He is lucky not to have been lynched upon reaching the ground. Sometimes it happened. Edinburgh and Stockholm are the nicest cities I've ever been. I just love to see the bridge in the Firth of Forth. What was your Relative's role in that Bomber? Normally, wireless operators and navigators had a slightly higher chance of escaping. Pilots and tail gunners were almost always doomed.
@@duncancallum see? Just how Martin Middlebrook commented. Read his books about the Bomber Command, you will really enjoy them. I remember reading "The Battle of Hamburg" when I visited the UK in 1992. Bought several more. Greetings from Portugal! We're not quite dead yet.
I was a flight engineer on a B-727, and I used to complain that it was complicated! LOL! This was unbelievable. I could never have run one of these jewels. Of course I was hired as a pilot and in those days the entry position was FE, then you moved up to First Officer. I had two electrical failures with manual gear extension and fuel dumping during my first six months. But no one was shooting at us! I give these guys a ton of credit for the hard work and training they put in saving the US in WWII.
My father was a flight engineer on the C-97 - a B-29 derivative built after war. They were stationed at Travis AFB and regularly made flights across the Pacific during the 1950s. At the time I was too young to appreciate and understand what he did, this was a great opportunity.
My branch manager started as a B-29 flight engineer, got accepted to OCS and flight school. Flew F-86 in Korea and was Col. Francis "Gabby"Gabreski's wingman when Gabreski shot down his 5th MIG. BTW reporting to Jim was Jim (Swede) Malmstrom, son of Col Malmstrom, for whom the base is named.
Handing the flight engineer task onto the co-pilot was brilliant. It transforms viewer interest from "routine rigmarole" to "trial by fire". Very clever and effective. I watched the switches, gauges & procedures with great intensity. Training film at it's best.
Great program, on the flight engineer's duty, and task , responsible, on his part in maintaining, and operating and flying, the Boeing B- 29 Superfortress Bomber Thank you for this great product. Tony Rocchietti.
My grandmas brother n law was a flight engineer instructor. Pretty cool to watch this video..he discribed everything in this video..he even told me a story on how the no. 4 engine caught fire during one of his training classes..
My daddy was a FLIGHT ENGINEER ON THE B 29 DURING WWII. I NEVER REALIZED HOW MUCH HE REALLY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PLANE OF EVERYTHING IN FLIGHT. BRGORE AND AFTER. I KNEW HE WORKED ON THE ENGINES TOO. HE WAS ABOUT 10+ YRS OLDER THAN AVERAGE ENLISTED. HE LIVED TO BE 89 AND WENT HOME IN 1993. I AM HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. I AM 76. IT IS NOW MAY 29, 2022. MAY GOD ALWAYS BLESS AMERICA AND OUR MILITARY. HIS PLANE WAD ED "SUTTLE BABY".
now I know why it takes what I thought was so long at air shows for a 4 engine bomber to get engines started , proceed to runway, and finally take off. thanks. also, how complex it was to fly on bombing runs while under attack and return home, especially if some damage or failure.
What really strikes me about this video, is how much of that stuff could not be automated, since computers and automation as we think of it today were in their infancy. The flight engineer was very much like "the computer" of that aircraft. Quite the responsibility, me thinks.
@@javiergilvidal1558 Nah, they were just like other pilots and did their jobs. You said there were none around, so I just let you know that some were around even back then 🤷🏻♀️
@@fabiana7157 Come on, Faby, don´t come up with stupid shoe-horned ad-hoc concocted arguments which may convince dimwits like you, but which simply do not hold water. Of course there is ALWAYS, in ALL circumstances, SOME amount of samples of ANYTHING. That´s a statistical inevitability (and even this has exceptions: name a top-notch nigga chess player, for example). But, in practical, real terms, nigga contribution to the war effort in the more qualified echelons of service was ZILCH. Please cut it up with your oh so female virtue-signalling!
@@javiergilvidal1558 I'm not dimwitted at all, I'm a neuroscience student. Most likely way smarter than you already. Maybe you assumed that I like black people or something, but you're wrong. I don't like them in particular, but unlike you, I know enough ww2 history to have heard of that group. The US was still very racist back then and black people were mostly used in maintenance and stuff. That's not their fault, and I'm not saying that they would have excelled if they had all been allowed to join the fight just like the whites, but you saying that they didn't play any role is wrong, plain and simple. Almost everyone in each country played a role, because workforce was needed.
As a current flight engineer for the Boeing E-3 Sentry, it amazes me on how many similarities there are between the B-29 and a "newer" aircraft with more sophisticated systems. Engineers back then were a whole different breed.
durtbikefool That's cool, you have my respect for doing that job. Do you know why in this film, the engineer starts the engines and not the pilot? Was that common for B29s or do they just change who starts them on their own from time to time?
Because the engineer monitors all of the systems he/she is usually the one to do engine starts and I'm pretty sure that it's the same way for all of the few aircraft that still use a FE. In the E-3, it's customary for the FE to reach over and set takeoff and climb power, however, it seems as if the FE in the B-29 has full control of throttles.
I noticed they didn't go into pressurizing and depressurizing the cabin. And I'm wondering if this is because it remained classified at that time that the plane could actually fly at such a high altitude.
My dad served on LSTs in the Pacific I know that over1074 lsts were built during ww2 .It boggles my mind how many planes and ships were built for the war effort.Especially given the complexity of the B29.
Thank you for your service! Could you please share some of your experiences? Those of us in America today owe you and your generation a huge debt of gratitude. "Lest we Forget"
Randall Foster My great grandfather Joseph Alfred Miller flew in a B-29 around that time as well. He was shot down over Italy on Oct. 21 1944 would love if you PMed me some storys of what it was like to fly in a B-29 during the war!!!!!!
+Robin Sattahip Yep, they really do a series of lengthy Checklists before take-off. If you have a really squared away and thorough Crew Chief you quickly learn what you must REALLY check and what you can "pencil whip". Remember, the lives of all men on board are in your hands when doing your Checklists so you pretty much "check" about 80% of the stuff on the lists. It's more important that you are part of a good team and ground crew so EVERYONE takes responsibility and does their share. Just one guy who is lazy or "pencil whips" too much can kill you so you really do take these huge Checklists seriously.
I watched the whole vid about the one that burned, It was a portable generator that the idiots didn't lash down. It fell over dumped the gasoline & ignited. A stupid mistake that cost the loss of that plane.
I lovethese old vids, I find it amazing that this stuff is almost 70-80 years ago and was so scientific, its easy to feel that avionics is a modern thing
4 роки тому+1
Were all the experts allways this chill and calm in 1940:es?
You really earned your pay as the flight engineer. Having to go through the pre-flight checks, all of those gauges you had to monitor during the flight. Then after you were back on the ground you still had work to do. Got tired just looking at him do all of this stuff.😓I would have lost my mind🤯😉
Incredibly involved and complicated! How many steps and things to watch are there? 20? 30?... And this is just to start the engine!!! Makes you understand how complex this thing really is and how far engineering has progressed since.
My dad was a pilot on the B-24 and the B-29. He liked the -29 better it had more room. I was a Flight Engineer on the C-141B. Jet engines seem to be much easier to handle. Also the comment below about the Russian version, A B-29 made an emergency landing in Russia. They gave it back to us in boxes. Less than a year later they had their version.
I flew in FI-FI the CAF’S B-29 and sat behind the pilot next to the flight engineer position, it was my fathers position over Japan during WWII……..One of the greatest moments of my life……God bless you Dad
I believe the 20mm was originally speced as the B-29 tail gun but they went to 50s later. Cant remember why. Might have been hard to handle or reliability. Zeno
ZenosWarbirds a single 20 would destroy a smaller fighter but only by hitting it while a burst of 'twinkling 50s' might hit and do damage? Looking at Rudel's JU88 with its cannon knocking T34s out so casually makes me think that aero designers ignored the obvious and what would the war have been like if more planes had been given big incendiary 50s or 20mms.
Based on what they knew at the time, the Air Force decided to go with twin .50s after trying out a 20mm, and they stuck with it through the Korean War, when a lot of B-29s were shot down by Migs. I do know they didn't make decisions like that capriciously There's an explanation of why they did it, I just can't remember it. As they say, "you can look it up." :) Zeno
Regarding the tons of maintenance and pre-flight checks: it's the same thing for fighters as well. It's just that since fighters are more often on alert than bombers (except nuclear bombers, but that's another show), they're always kept in a ready-to-go state, especially since the ground crew would do most of the pre-flighting. And I'm sure 5-minute alert isn't particularly easy on a fighter, either. Plus, only one or two engines, one pilot, etc... With a bomber that has 4 engines, lots of equipment, and 10 guys to work it all, it WOULD be a bit complicated.
I grew up with my father talking about every American bomber and fighter aircraft in WWII. He had most of the manuals. He finished the war in England as a ground crew chief for P38s. Later in the late 50s he learned to fly and bought a single engine Comanche single engine plane our family flew for 15 years. After all those years I never knew how they started any bombers.
Preparatory to release of parking-brake, the order for removal of chocks was not shown being given to ground-crew. Obviously it was. I wonder if it always has been? Interesting review of the B-29s flight-engineers duties. Thanx~ !
Took a second viewing to notice that the engine instruments were calibrated in degrees Centigrade and not degrees Fahrenheit. Interesting! Were any other warbirds of the era like that?
My father in law was a navigator on B-29s in 1953-4 stationed outside of Tokyo. The crew flew "weather" missions sometimes with un-introduced crew members carrying their own gear on. On one mission the odd guests took over the airplane and few them into a new direction constantly monitoring the equipment they brought on board. After the mission the entire crew was washed off with soap, water and brushes while still in their flight gear.
I was a flight engineer on a KB-50. A B-29 with two J-47 Jet engines, four R-4360 cu. in. Wasp engines, and three refueling pods. The side panel, overhead jet controls, and two refueling panels on the right made operating the old B-29 look like child's play. They retired the last of the KB-50s the year I was discharged. A piece of junk. Overheated and many engine failures. I had eleven engine fires in the two years I operating the things.
The preflight checklist according to my opinion was EXTREMELY complicated ! ! So easy to miss many vital parameters and then on top of that constant monitoring of the engines and aerodynamics there was an ENEMY to get at or dodge being shot down. I am full of admiration and thankful for the jobs that the crews had to perform to control such a complicated machine and our generation would regain peace and freedom. They where a true heroes fully dedicated to our country . Nowdays computers do 90+% of all that monitoring and aircrafts are almost autonomous making crews minds able to focused on the combat situation. Pasanger aircrafts preflight checklist should be able to be controlled more by computers as human beings can make too many mistakes and forget about many vitally important parameters. After seeing the carnage of road accidents I'm looking forward to autonomous driven cars .
My late mother in law was a B mechanic in a team of two women who installed the cables that controlled the rudder and elevators. She loved to talk about those times at Bell Bomber. During the late ‘50s I would watch ‘rassling on tv and the announcer would mention matches at Larry Bell Auditorium. I used to wonder who Larry Bell was. That looey was the lawyer on Miracle on 34th Street, wasn’t he?
I believe it was the APU "putput" that foiled their attempt at flight. After watching this you realise how important the APU is on an old airplane. Terrible shame. Should have helo'd the bird outta there or left her alone.
@@danielbarton9291 If I remember correctly, they left the APU running, a fuel line going to it broke, and no one thought to bring a fire extinguisher. Every time I watch that documentary, I damn near cry.
I was fortunate enough to have assisted various groups who still fly WW2 era aircraft and able to fly on many. Only in my late 20s at the time, I recall bringing on 6 former 29 crew well into their 70s and sitting there listening as they told stories. Greasing up control cables hoping it would make a bullet slide off. Each knew dozens who didn't make it and the avg age iirc was 20. Lots of tears that day.
Complicated flight system. With engineer using throttles and reading instruments. I guess it was cutting edge at the time and the pilot would be overloaded with chores. Amazing film with Ronnie Regan reading the script!
OMG Old analog engineering requires so many proceedures & protocols to operate. Now computer programming does it all. It was brilliant stuff to design and it won the war!
Other actors: Don Castle and James Seay, pilot. The B-29 was a major design success of WW2, developed entirely out of America's resolve to win the war against Japan....which it did, with solid support from the air and sea and ground forces.........the sleeping giant awoke!
So was mine. I showed this video to him and he said it was mostly fake, Hollywooded up. Only about 20% of those preflight checks shown in the video were really done on war-time missions. They didn't have time to jerk around.
There are two magnetos on each engine. Each magneto fires one (of the two) spark plugs in each cylinder. Both magnetos are checked to verify operation before takeoff. Both magnetos are used during flight. If one fails, the other continues to power one of the two spark plugs in each cylinder with a slight reduction of power. There are redundant systems for virtually everything on an aircraft.
went thru FE school in 1951, volunteered for B-29 combat crew training but the wise Training Command I was in sent me to Mather AFB on a TB-50 assignment. I was a A1C at the time. Got 50 hours of training and was turned loose as a instructor FE teaching BOAPES. Most of them were second Johns but did have a Lt Col from Sac as a student. He was a recalled B-29 FE and at the present was a pencil pusher but wanted to get in the B-36 program. He was required to take a refresher course. SUREE sat the the nose gear hatch for the most of the flight
Great video and it became even better once I realized Ronald Reagan was one of the narrators. I knew he worked on military training films but this is the first time I've heard him narrate. Awesome!
Greg Horn If you do a search on my channel’s homepage for “Reagan,” there are about a half dozen films that feature him as either an actor or narrator on my channel.
Actually, it was not noticeable, which is the point of having a professional narrator. Those eager to become "stars" did not belong behind a microphone.
goofygeef: I thought so! Have you ever heard George Gobel talking about his stent as an pilot instructor during WW2 in Oklahoma? It's hilarious, but as he said " you can look it up, not one Japanese plane made it past Tulsa".
I wonder if there were planned failure points for these systems if they took combat damage. If not, i imagine that the delicate instruments, valves, and dials would cover the poor engineer in hot hydraulic oil, or even electrify parts of the interface! Seems like a really high-stress job to me!
My Dad was a Flight Engineer on '29's and I still have all of his log books and manuals. It was very cool to see the same documents I have being shown in this video and in use. It gives me a new appreciation for what he did.
My dad was a flight engineer on the B-29. Now I understand why he qualified after having been a mechanic in Ft Sumner on the tow planes training glider pilots for D-day; it would be a natural transition considering that he would also have duties maintaining engines. He never talked about the panel much, except for a story about during training when the pilot suddenly dived down to avoid a head-on encounter. My dad was not belted in and found himself bounced up and then came down right on the engine controls. He said it was fortunate they were in lock position, otherwise it would have shut them all down. He also mentioned that the B-29 was designed to fly 340 mph, faster than Japanese fighters, when "war power" was called for (it could only be maintained for about 20 minutes). He talked about doing training runs from a base in Puerto Rico to Omaha and back. Once the plane's engines were performing poorly and over the ocean were consuming so much fuel he eventually ran out on paper and informed the captain who called ahead for a straight in approach. As they were close to the runway the outside starboard engine cut out and at touchdown the port outside quit. halfway down the runway the inside engines quit and the captain nosed off the runway and they walked in. He said that was how close I came to not being conceived (which happened between training and being deployed to Saipan).
That isn't Robert Mitchum. That's the actor John Payne😊
B-29 не имел аналогов во время 2 мировой. Поэтому именно его скопировали под маркой Ту-4✌️
My dad was a flight engineer on a B29. This video makes me feel proud. I am awed by the tremendous responsibility involved.
Ditto. My dad was also a flight engineer on a B-29, stationed on Guam in 1945. I was happy to see your post. They did an amazing job. There was a single-panel cartoon of this job that really captured what it was like to sit in that seat, lol--might have been in Stars & Stripes.
Yeah my dad too - think of the mechanics that worked on those engines -cars were simple to them
My dad was a flight engineer on B-29's in Korea. I think for ALL the flight engineer did, he may as well have been the pilot. Damn, they had to be smart.
My Late father-in-law was a tail gunner on a B-29 over Japan. I had his wings made into a bracelet. I'm a 72 year old combat veteran of Vietnam and Angola and wear that bracelet EVERY day to honor him, my father, my uncles, and everyone who put themselves in harm's way for our country during World War II. May God Bless each and every one of them 🙏🇺🇸.
As long as they lasted, flight engineers were always the most revered and knowledgeable crewman on board, be it in a B-29, a DC-10 or a 747. They just knew everything about the aircraft. Every warning light, every setting, every procedure for every emergency.
Ron Reagan is the narrator, Robert Mitchum is the engineer, voiced by Mel Blanc. All of them participated in the film division of the War Dept. during the war. Very cool history!
The engineer/lieutenant is played by John Payne, not Robert Mitchum.
@@ddburdette I noticed he needs to clean his fingernails lol. But I forgive him if he was one of those shadetree mechanic types as I am.
@@ddburdette the engineer is James MacAuther, the lieutenant is John Payne.
John Payne is also present.
The engineer is the attorney from Miracle on 34th Street, and the voice over is the Geriatric Doctor from the same movie
It’s really incredible the amount of technical know- how was required to operate these airplanes!
As an aircraft mechanic, I cant stop watching this video, brought tears to my eyes seeing that real airplane fly. Magnificent. My grandfather was a aviator and pear harbor survivor.
My uncle Raymond was a pilot and Pearl Harbor survivor too. His B-17 was one of several that arrived the morning of Dec 7, low on gas and with no ammunition. The forward half of his plane is at 9:08 in this home movie taken that day: ua-cam.com/video/1b6auSQPvGs/v-deo.html
I had no idea of the complicated procedure that was required to fly the B-29. Thanks for the lesson.
High performance came with a high workload in that era
@Dave Leland...back then, everything about flying was complicated...amazing that they did it at all, and won the war. Thanks.
Who are you thanking? It was filmed in 1944. I doubt that the crew are on YT watching.
I had no idea it was so complicated to fly these bombers! Thanks for uploading.
My great grandfather was a pilot of a B-29, he was shot down and killed on Oct. 21 1944. RIP. Very cool to see what he went through in his life on the B-29.
What Japanese high-altitude interceptors did he encounter? (This presumes flak was not involved)
My reading suggests the B29 had at least five radar-controlled twin-50mm guns and a 20mm tail cannon. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress
@@bobgreene2892 Turrets were optically aimed (by the gunners/observers sitting in pressurized compartments), radar was used for bombing purposes (when cloud cover made use of normal Norden bombsight impossible). Radar controlled tail gun was used in B-36 and B-52 but in B-29 they were all optically aimed using some sort of collimators.
Thanks for that. I knew radar developed quickly but was curious about the "radar controlled" claim.
God Bless your great grandfather Jetpack.
Yea well i listened to the B-52's in the 80's........... Your all welcome
Excellent footage indeed. No wonder she is called SUPER-fortress! What a beautiful bomber bird. ...And the crew that flew it. And the ground crews that kept it ship shape! Thanks for posting this video.
My did was in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific as a crew member. He was there when the A-bombs came through his area. His remains rest in Arlington. RIP Dad.
couldnt stop watching this one. my father in law was a b29 pilot.he liked this plane. i was able to meet his flight engineer at dad's burial at arlington. talked with his radio operator, who's still alive, this summer. dad said it wasnt unusual to experience an engine failure on each mission. good thing there were 4 engines.
Great video! So many more interlocks and safety features in today's engineering. Amazing to see how far we've progressed.
My Cousins Husband was shot down over Germany in 1944 , being in British Bomber Command , and he parachuted and survived , finishing up in a Prisoner of war camp . .HE died in 2019 in Edinburgh his home town , which is my place of birth also.
Lucky man
He is lucky not to have been lynched upon reaching the ground. Sometimes it happened.
Edinburgh and Stockholm are the nicest cities I've ever been. I just love to see the bridge in the Firth of Forth. What was your Relative's role in that Bomber? Normally, wireless operators and navigators had a slightly higher chance of escaping. Pilots and tail gunners were almost always doomed.
@@duartesimoes508 He was the Navigator .
@@duncancallum see? Just how Martin Middlebrook commented. Read his books about the Bomber Command, you will really enjoy them. I remember reading "The Battle of Hamburg" when I visited the UK in 1992. Bought several more. Greetings from Portugal! We're not quite dead yet.
So cool to learn about all the steps required just to start the engines. Never saw so many guys pulling the huge props before. Wow!!
Its amazing to see how much has changed and sometimes, how some things havent. This was so great! Thanks for posting this.
I was a flight engineer on a B-727, and I used to complain that it was complicated! LOL! This was unbelievable. I could never have run one of these jewels. Of course I was hired as a pilot and in those days the entry position was FE, then you moved up to First Officer.
I had two electrical failures with manual gear extension and fuel dumping during my first six months. But no one was shooting at us! I give these guys a ton of credit for the hard work and training they put in saving the US in WWII.
😂 отлично сказали "ржу не могу"
My father was a flight engineer on the C-97 - a B-29 derivative built after war. They were stationed at Travis AFB and regularly made flights across the Pacific during the 1950s. At the time I was too young to appreciate and understand what he did, this was a great opportunity.
My branch manager started as a B-29 flight engineer, got accepted to OCS and flight school. Flew F-86 in Korea and was Col. Francis "Gabby"Gabreski's wingman when Gabreski shot down his 5th MIG. BTW reporting to Jim was Jim (Swede) Malmstrom, son of Col Malmstrom, for whom the base is named.
Handing the flight engineer task onto the co-pilot was brilliant. It transforms viewer interest from "routine rigmarole" to "trial by fire". Very clever and effective. I watched the switches, gauges & procedures with great intensity. Training film at it's best.
Great program, on the flight engineer's duty, and task , responsible, on his part in maintaining, and operating and flying, the Boeing B- 29 Superfortress Bomber Thank you for this great product. Tony Rocchietti.
My grandmas brother n law was a flight engineer instructor. Pretty cool to watch this video..he discribed everything in this video..he even told me a story on how the no. 4 engine caught fire during one of his training classes..
Has any other country made tireless excellence seem so fun? That was intense!
My daddy was a FLIGHT ENGINEER ON THE B 29 DURING WWII. I NEVER REALIZED HOW MUCH HE REALLY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PLANE OF EVERYTHING IN FLIGHT. BRGORE AND AFTER. I KNEW HE WORKED ON THE ENGINES TOO. HE WAS ABOUT 10+ YRS OLDER THAN AVERAGE ENLISTED. HE LIVED TO BE 89 AND WENT HOME IN 1993. I AM HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. I AM 76. IT IS NOW MAY 29, 2022.
MAY GOD ALWAYS BLESS AMERICA AND OUR MILITARY.
HIS PLANE WAD ED "SUTTLE BABY".
now I know why it takes what I thought was so long at air shows for a 4 engine bomber to get engines started , proceed to runway, and finally take off. thanks. also, how complex it was to fly on bombing runs while under attack and return home, especially if some damage or failure.
Incredible complicated procedures.. very good video...
What really strikes me about this video, is how much of that stuff could not be automated, since computers and automation as we think of it today were in their infancy. The flight engineer was very much like "the computer" of that aircraft. Quite the responsibility, me thinks.
@@javiergilvidal1558
You're ignorant 😂
Look up Tuskegee airmen
@@fabiana7157 Insignificant minority, boosted up for the sake of PC.
@@javiergilvidal1558
Nah, they were just like other pilots and did their jobs. You said there were none around, so I just let you know that some were around even back then 🤷🏻♀️
@@fabiana7157 Come on, Faby, don´t come up with stupid shoe-horned ad-hoc concocted arguments which may convince dimwits like you, but which simply do not hold water. Of course there is ALWAYS, in ALL circumstances, SOME amount of samples of ANYTHING. That´s a statistical inevitability (and even this has exceptions: name a top-notch nigga chess player, for example). But, in practical, real terms, nigga contribution to the war effort in the more qualified echelons of service was ZILCH. Please cut it up with your oh so female virtue-signalling!
@@javiergilvidal1558
I'm not dimwitted at all, I'm a neuroscience student. Most likely way smarter than you already. Maybe you assumed that I like black people or something, but you're wrong. I don't like them in particular, but unlike you, I know enough ww2 history to have heard of that group. The US was still very racist back then and black people were mostly used in maintenance and stuff. That's not their fault, and I'm not saying that they would have excelled if they had all been allowed to join the fight just like the whites, but you saying that they didn't play any role is wrong, plain and simple. Almost everyone in each country played a role, because workforce was needed.
The "Flight Engineer" is John Payne, he starred in the Columbo episode " The Forgotten Lady"
As a current flight engineer for the Boeing E-3 Sentry, it amazes me on how many similarities there are between the B-29 and a "newer" aircraft with more sophisticated systems. Engineers back then were a whole different breed.
durtbikefool That's cool, you have my respect for doing that job. Do you know why in this film, the engineer starts the engines and not the pilot? Was that common for B29s or do they just change who starts them on their own from time to time?
Because the engineer monitors all of the systems he/she is usually the one to do engine starts and I'm pretty sure that it's the same way for all of the few aircraft that still use a FE. In the E-3, it's customary for the FE to reach over and set takeoff and climb power, however, it seems as if the FE in the B-29 has full control of throttles.
durtbikefool Alright, thank you for that information. Cheers.
707 создавали настоящие конструкторы✈️, с разницей в 10 лет же, он такой же надёжный как и B-29🎉
An excellent video really gives a good understanding what it takes to run 4 engine B 29 !
Thanks so much! This such cool stuff. We would have never gotten a chance to see without these videos. Thanks again.
Fantastic video; thanks for your work in this area its much appreciated.
I noticed they didn't go into pressurizing and depressurizing the cabin. And I'm wondering if this is because it remained classified at that time that the plane could actually fly at such a high altitude.
Of course, this is 'by-the-book' procedures. Im curious how many shortcuts the guys out in combat made to these :P
My dad served on LSTs in the Pacific I know that over1074 lsts were built during ww2 .It boggles my mind how many planes and ships were built for the war effort.Especially given the complexity of the B29.
I love seeing a brand new B-29 in detail...great video.
I was a tail gunner on the B-29 in 1945.
Thank you for your service! Could you please share some of your experiences? Those of us in America today owe you and your generation a huge debt of gratitude. "Lest we Forget"
They didn't really do this silly flight crew inspection, did they?
Randall Foster My great grandfather Joseph Alfred Miller flew in a B-29 around that time as well. He was shot down over Italy on Oct. 21 1944 would love if you PMed me some storys of what it was like to fly in a B-29 during the war!!!!!!
+Robin Sattahip Yep, they really do a series of lengthy Checklists before take-off. If you have a really squared away and thorough Crew Chief you quickly learn what you must REALLY check and what you can "pencil whip". Remember, the lives of all men on board are in your hands when doing your Checklists so you pretty much "check" about 80% of the stuff on the lists. It's more important that you are part of a good team and ground crew so EVERYONE takes responsibility and does their share. Just one guy who is lazy or "pencil whips" too much can kill you so you really do take these huge Checklists seriously.
+Randall Foster Thanks for your service!
Is that generator at 5:00 what caused the fire that destroyed the B29 that had been under the snow for many years?
Yes. It was the putt-putt that started the fire.
Todd Scallan Hi, thanks.
I wasn't sure if it was this original one or a new portable generator that was responsible.
What a great shame it was.
I watched the whole vid about the one that burned, It was a portable generator that the idiots didn't lash down. It fell over dumped the gasoline & ignited. A stupid mistake that cost the loss of that plane.
4thstooge Yes, I was astounded that no preflight check for loose tools etc had been done!
Kee Bird.
I lovethese old vids, I find it amazing that this stuff is almost 70-80 years ago and was so scientific, its easy to feel that avionics is a modern thing
Were all the experts allways this chill and calm in 1940:es?
My dad was a flight engineer during WWII over Japan. 315th Wing, on the 'Last Mission' out of Northwest Field on Guam. It was good to see this.
What a coincidence. So was my Dad.
You really earned your pay as the flight engineer. Having to go through the pre-flight checks, all of those gauges you had to monitor during the flight. Then after you were back on the ground you still had work to do. Got tired just looking at him do all of this stuff.😓I would have lost my mind🤯😉
Excellent video! Thank you for posting this!
I was a Flight Engineer on C-141A/B . Things had changed a lot from when this was done to when I flew.
Guess none of your wings fell off.
What a fantastic piece of machinery!
The flight engineer’s got his work cut out for him. He’s just as busy and involved as the pilot ! 🇺🇸👍
And way cooler than the pilots too!
That right better job too u have jokers to the left clowns to right of me what I was a flight engineer
Actor John Payne portraying the flight engineer. Ronald Reagan is doing the main voice over.
I thought that was him. The guy from Miracle on 34th St.
Yup. That's him.
Thanks for identifying Payne. I recognized him but couldn't put a name to the face. I recognized him from The Razor's Edge.
he was a good actor...
Gocatgo65
MAC in weight & balance is Mean Aerodynamic Chord of the wing
Incredibly involved and complicated!
How many steps and things to watch are there? 20? 30?... And this is just to start the engine!!! Makes you understand how complex this thing really is and how far engineering has progressed since.
The pilot is actor James Seay. He played small parts in numerous films for many years.
He was also in Miracle on 34th st with John Payne as DR Pierce who was the doctor at Kris' home.
My dad was a pilot on the B-24 and the B-29. He liked the -29 better it had more room. I was a Flight Engineer on the C-141B. Jet engines seem to be much easier to handle. Also the comment below about the Russian version, A B-29 made an emergency landing in Russia. They gave it back to us in boxes. Less than a year later they had their version.
You should see their space shuttle...
This is my job in 2019 and I love, love, love everything about it! ❤
I flew in FI-FI the CAF’S B-29 and sat behind the pilot next to the flight engineer position, it was my fathers position over Japan during WWII……..One of the greatest moments of my life……God bless you Dad
at 20:55 the tail gun looks like a big one? what was it?
A 20MM cannon
Zeno
Wasn't .50 cal pretty standard?
I believe the 20mm was originally speced as the B-29 tail gun but they went to 50s later. Cant remember why. Might have been hard to handle or reliability.
Zeno
ZenosWarbirds a single 20 would destroy a smaller fighter but only by hitting it while a burst of 'twinkling 50s' might hit and do damage?
Looking at Rudel's JU88 with its cannon knocking T34s out so casually makes me think that aero designers ignored the obvious and what would the war have been like if more planes had been given big incendiary 50s or 20mms.
Based on what they knew at the time, the Air Force decided to go with twin .50s after trying out a 20mm, and they stuck with it through the Korean War, when a lot of B-29s were shot down by Migs. I do know they didn't make decisions like that capriciously There's an explanation of why they did it, I just can't remember it. As they say, "you can look it up." :)
Zeno
Hollywood actor John Payne was a flight instructor with the AAF during WW2.
My Dad was an FE on '29's. I still have his logbooks and manuals. Almost as much time was spent doing paperwork as it was in flight time.
Mike Robinson morning
@@georgegilmore4111 Morning George
Regarding the tons of maintenance and pre-flight checks: it's the same thing for fighters as well. It's just that since fighters are more often on alert than bombers (except nuclear bombers, but that's another show), they're always kept in a ready-to-go state, especially since the ground crew would do most of the pre-flighting. And I'm sure 5-minute alert isn't particularly easy on a fighter, either. Plus, only one or two engines, one pilot, etc... With a bomber that has 4 engines, lots of equipment, and 10 guys to work it all, it WOULD be a bit complicated.
Run-up procedure on any of the radial engines with propeller such as these was extensive. I remember the Army Beavers and Caribous would take forever
I grew up with my father talking about every American bomber and fighter aircraft in WWII. He had most of the manuals. He finished the war in England as a ground crew chief for P38s. Later in the late 50s he learned to fly and bought a single engine Comanche single engine plane our family flew for 15 years. After all those years I never knew how they started any bombers.
That was actually extremely interesting.
At 35:32 I thought the guy was pushing snot out of his nose when he was just shouting to the crew chief or someone else.
Preparatory to release of parking-brake, the order for removal of chocks was not shown being given to ground-crew. Obviously it was. I wonder if it always has been? Interesting review of the B-29s flight-engineers duties. Thanx~ !
The simple life. If only they made this style video for today's planes.
Took a second viewing to notice that the engine instruments were calibrated in degrees Centigrade and not degrees Fahrenheit. Interesting! Were any other warbirds of the era like that?
My father in law was a navigator on B-29s in 1953-4 stationed outside of Tokyo. The crew flew "weather" missions sometimes with un-introduced crew members carrying their own gear on. On one mission the odd guests took over the airplane and few them into a new direction constantly monitoring the equipment they brought on board. After the mission the entire crew was washed off with soap, water and brushes while still in their flight gear.
You may find my video “B-29s Over North Korea” interesting. A rare look at B-29 crews & missions at the time. ua-cam.com/video/U394inA4Rmk/v-deo.html
Oh nothing dangerous I'm sure. They just wanted a clean crew. I mean, nothing to fall out about!
Complicated plane,thought today's planes be ,but these just about the same. Brave men they are,God bless them.
من زمان
I was a flight engineer on a KB-50. A B-29 with two J-47 Jet engines, four R-4360 cu. in. Wasp engines, and three refueling pods. The side panel, overhead jet controls, and two refueling panels on the right made operating the old B-29 look like child's play. They retired the last of the KB-50s the year I was discharged. A piece of junk. Overheated and many engine failures. I had eleven engine fires in the two years I operating the things.
Another fine ZenosWarbirds video with no sound.
The preflight checklist according to my opinion was EXTREMELY complicated ! ! So easy to miss many vital parameters and then on top of that constant monitoring of the engines and aerodynamics there was an ENEMY to get at or dodge being shot down. I am full of admiration and thankful for the jobs that the crews had to perform to control such a complicated machine and our generation would regain peace and freedom. They where a true heroes fully dedicated to our country . Nowdays computers do 90+% of all that monitoring and aircrafts are almost autonomous making crews minds able to focused on the combat situation. Pasanger aircrafts preflight checklist should be able to be controlled more by computers as human beings can make too many mistakes and forget about many vitally important parameters. After seeing the carnage of road accidents I'm looking forward to autonomous driven cars .
Google Tesla accident, they are already here.
I don't think I would of wanted to be the Flight Engineer. Tremendous responsibility.
My late mother in law was a B mechanic in a team of two women who installed the cables that controlled the rudder and elevators. She loved to talk about those times at Bell Bomber.
During the late ‘50s I would watch ‘rassling on tv and the announcer would mention matches at Larry Bell Auditorium. I used to wonder who Larry Bell was.
That looey was the lawyer on Miracle on 34th Street, wasn’t he?
yes
Tell me there isn't a large crack in the engine nacelle at 6:13
is the narrator President Reagan?
Yes, that is former U.S. Air Force Captain, Governor of California, and President of the United States, Ronald Reagan,
If the guy that tried to recover "Kee Bird" had watched this we'd have another B29 flying, instead of a smouldering pile on the tundra
HonkeyKong74
Damn shame what that guy did to that plain.
He should’ve just left it alone
I believe it was the APU "putput" that foiled their attempt at flight. After watching this you realise how important the APU is on an old airplane. Terrible shame. Should have helo'd the bird outta there or left her alone.
@@danielbarton9291 If I remember correctly, they left the APU running, a fuel line going to it broke, and no one thought to bring a fire extinguisher. Every time I watch that documentary, I damn near cry.
What a glorious bird !
Love it. Real heroes. When America was different... man had bools
I was fortunate enough to have assisted various groups who still fly WW2 era aircraft and able to fly on many. Only in my late 20s at the time, I recall bringing on 6 former 29 crew well into their 70s and sitting there listening as they told stories. Greasing up control cables hoping it would make a bullet slide off. Each knew dozens who didn't make it and the avg age iirc was 20. Lots of tears that day.
Complicated flight system. With engineer using throttles and reading instruments. I guess it was cutting edge at the time and the pilot would be overloaded with chores. Amazing film with Ronnie Regan reading the script!
Good enough to drop a couple of atomic bombs.
Force inducted piston engines with no computerized control system brah
Love the sight of factory new riveted aluminium sheets.
Anyone know? Was the engineer an officer or a sergeant? What rank/grade?
13thBear I think at the end when they refereed to him working on the engine he was called Lt.
Both
Wow, that's surely a lot of work!
So how long did it take for these guys to learn this job?
OMG Old analog engineering requires so many proceedures & protocols to operate. Now computer programming does it all. It was brilliant stuff to design and it won the war!
No, computers aren't doing all today, just look here: ua-cam.com/video/Z-oPzS4MiOU/v-deo.html
Other actors: Don Castle and James Seay, pilot. The B-29 was a major design success of WW2, developed entirely out of America's resolve to win the war against Japan....which it did, with solid support from the air and sea and ground forces.........the sleeping giant awoke!
If you ever got confused who was in charge just look for the senior most prominent cleft chin.
Help!! I'm stuck up in the sky in a B29. Can someone tell me how to land this thing?
Push the yoke forward until the altimeter read 0.
@@rubiconnn I tried that already, didnt work.
@2:54 The vivid expression of SHTF from the copilot after the bomb drops on him is priceless!
My father was a flight engineer on a B-29 during WWII.
Dale Burrell Mine too.. he is 96now. 6th bomb group on Tinian Island. The stories are amazing... is your father still alive?
So was mine. I showed this video to him and he said it was mostly fake, Hollywooded up. Only about 20% of those preflight checks shown in the video were really done on war-time missions. They didn't have time to jerk around.
My father was a sound engineer for the B-52's during the MTV Music Awards.
@Michael Bailey lol
@@visarma9673 No, he has been gone since the 1970's.
... I'm now a fully qualified B-29 flight engineer
My father was a ball turret gunner on B17 G
He said first seeing B29's they looked like sci fi
Is that Ronnie Reagan narrating ?
Is that Hollywood's John Payne as the flight engineer for a day?
what do mean "prime" , please, and why both magnetos to startup ? Thanks a weak magneto is enough to make an engine heat ?
Prime is like a Choke. Since the engines are carburated you must fill and enrich the carburator and fuel intake for Startup.
And both mags is the Standard for all operations except magneto Check.
There are two magnetos on each engine. Each magneto fires one (of the two) spark plugs in each cylinder. Both magnetos are checked to verify operation before takeoff. Both magnetos are used during flight. If one fails, the other continues to power one of the two spark plugs in each cylinder with a slight reduction of power. There are redundant systems for virtually everything on an aircraft.
went thru FE school in 1951, volunteered for B-29 combat crew training but the wise Training Command I was in sent me to Mather AFB on a TB-50 assignment. I was a A1C at the time. Got 50 hours of training and was turned loose as a instructor FE teaching BOAPES. Most of them were second Johns but did have a Lt Col from Sac as a student. He was a recalled B-29 FE and at the present was a pencil pusher but wanted to get in the B-36 program. He was required to take a refresher course. SUREE sat the the nose gear hatch for the most of the flight
Great video and it became even better once I realized Ronald Reagan was one of the narrators. I knew he worked on military training films but this is the first time I've heard him narrate. Awesome!
Greg Horn If you do a search on my channel’s homepage for “Reagan,” there are about a half dozen films that feature him as either an actor or narrator on my channel.
Seems like a lot of time spent on checks. What is the situation in war time? Are checks being done more quickly or by someone else?
In case you have not noticed, RONALD REAGAN is the narrator.
Actually, it was not noticeable, which is the point of having a professional narrator. Those eager to become "stars" did not belong behind a microphone.
Stellar Blue1: And was that John Payne as the Lt engineer in training? Sure looked like him, and I know he was in the Army air corp during WW2.
I was going to add, that IS John Payne there as the copilot. A lot of training films were shot by Hollywood and acted in by Hollywood actors.
goofygeef: I thought so! Have you ever heard George Gobel talking about his stent as an pilot instructor during WW2 in Oklahoma? It's hilarious, but as he said " you can look it up, not one Japanese plane made it past Tulsa".
Also Johnny Carson seems to be doing some too.
You would think you would have a checklist when doing the checks. Must be in the script!
Look how clean the aircraft is.
Not such an easy job but a very necessary one. We unfortunately lost a lot of those crew's. The whole lot of them were Hero's.
2:42 LOOK!!, HE PULLED HIS SMARTPHONE!!
I wonder if there were planned failure points for these systems if they took combat damage. If not, i imagine that the delicate instruments, valves, and dials would cover the poor engineer in hot hydraulic oil, or even electrify parts of the interface!
Seems like a really high-stress job to me!