What people don’t realize is what an amazing feet this is. To take four Honda car engines and develop a belt driven reduction system that is fully adjustable in flight. Build a replica that actually looks identical to the real thing and make it a comfortable two place airplane that flew hands off with no necessary trim inputs is a testimony to what a genius this man is. I have been in aviation for over 55 years and have flown every kind of warbird there is. This in my book is the biggest accomplishment I have seen in my lifetime. It clearly shows that Tom Hodgeson is not only an incredible pilot of his generation but also a master fabricator and designer. I cannot say how impressed we all are in the aviation industry of this feat. I only hope one day to be allowed to fly this plane and add it to my log book. Just incredible! Congrats Tom on this accomplishment.
Why do you call this a replica? This is a scale model, a nice one indeed, my compliments to the builder. A replica would be an newly built full size plane that looks like a B29!
I built a B29 in my bedroom of a 3rd floor apartment. It was from a Japanese control line kit back in the’70’s. It was intended to have four .35 glow fuel engines as I recall. The wingspan/ fuselage length was too large to get out of the apartment when we moved out, so I ended up sawing off a wing. I was 13 years old and my brother gave me the unfinished plane when he left for the military. I was nearly finished skinning the wings and fuselage with 1/32” balsa when my parents divorced and we had to move. My plan was to lower it from the balcony when it was completed, but life got in the way. This plane is incredible! What an amazing build!
My comments keep getting deleted. Fake video! This report aviation-safety.net/wikibase/347642 Cites a low confidence to the veracity of it because there is no official source for the crash information (like NTSB). Does this pic look like a piloted aircraft to you? resources.globalair.com/images/article/kokomo-plane-crash.jpg Crappy video with no landing, no shots of cockpit, nobody getting in or out, several safety violations of bank angle, low passes and people on runway if it were a manned aircraft. It is all BS !
Still not sure why so many viewers think this is R/C. Watch the first video. This is a 2800 pound airplane with a 50 foot wingspan, piloted, with 2 tandem seats, powered by 4 Honda Fit automotive engines. This video was compiled from the video footage I received from the builder. There was no video supplied of the landing. Sad to see many folks here are more interested in golf carts than celebrating the first flight of this amazing build...
It's the scale on screen, was hard to tell the exact size till I got a good reference point on the corn row and cars in the background at 2:11. Impressive aircraft!
Maybe if the title was more accurate. “35% scale Amateur built aircraft”. A replica B-29 would have a 141’ 3” wingspan all built from scratch . An unmanned aircraft would be a “35% replica”. All true scale models are replicas.
It doesn't get much more awesome than that!!! Tom did an amazing job and I'm so happy for his success. I hope he hits the airshow circuit so I can see it in person!
Unbelievable, how he managed to pull that one off. Deep respect sir ! Wonder if he's gonna fly together with "Doc" and "FiFi" one day. That'll be a sight to behold. This is one perfect way to earn yourself a ticket for that.
Congratulations to Tom. I was able to see this project a couple different times over the years, and Tom was always open to show and talk about the project.
@@fishjohn014 nope. Its an airplane not a model airplane. You could call it a replica aircraft which would probably be more accurate. Of course you can call it what you prefer in any case, but its still not a model.
What an amazing view when this plane flies past and into the sunset! I am amazed at how smooth and easy it flies....the sophistication of this plane is undeniable, yet this is really a piece of art that looks so well that it might appear easy if I didn't know better!... I am utterly stunned at how good this looks! Nice, nice job...well deserved accolades all around!
SDS - I’m delighted that you selected the frame for the Title that shows my house in the background. I live across the runway from Tom, and have been watching him build it since he started. It’s really a one man project that started, not as a B-29, but as a test bed for doing research and development on engines and speed reduction devices etc. The landing gear retracts, and to have it fit into the engine nacelles they had to be that short, just like the big ones! We who live on the airport know the dangers and risks, try hard to avoid problems; the injured girl is, herself, a proficient pilot who owns and flys an experimental Baby Great Lakes. We are all praying for her full recovery, and she’s making good progress. And we who live on Glenndale Airport continue wishing Tom good success with his ongoing project.
Congratulations, Tom! A wonderful aircraft. I'm glad I was able to see it a few times in the "under construction" phases, which make watching the video even more enjoyable. Wish I could have been there to see the first flight in person. Wishing you much enjoyment flying that around.
Can you comment on the cockpit where the pilot sits ? From the previous video where it shows a young guy working on the interior …. It seems awfully cramped in there. Does the pilots head stick up inside the glass turret on top ? Because the visibility through the front windows looks very restrictive. Thx.
Yes, a view of the cabin and panel would help us appreciate just how it's put together. I looked for information on that but didn't find anything up on that yet.
No mention of the landing collision with the golf cart? It is a neat project, I hope the woman on the golf cart is ok, and I hope the damage to the airplane is easily fixable.
It knocked the golf cart over, probably with the wings? There has to be some real structural damage. Not a good idea to film from a golf cart so close to the runway.
That's a beautiful scale B-29! He moved ahead quickly after taxi testing, but it gives him time to work on her out of season. I know a couple of guys who built half scale warbirds, and people are surprised when you say they were piloted not RC. The full size is bigger than many people realize. Awesome way to keep history alive!
So happy to finally see this video ! How wonderful. I can't believe nobody thought of on board cameras/Go pros to capture the flight. Disappointed to not see the landing either. She looks and sounds beautiful.
Very cool stuff! I live just below the flight path of John C. Munro airport in Hamilton Ontario, and we are fairly regularly treated to the sight of a WW2 era Lancaster bomber flying over our home. These old aircraft, replicas included are very awesome to see. Congratulations to the builders of this plane, it’s fantastic!
Quoting commenter: @edbreyer 10 months ago For those aware of and wondering about the woman in the golf cart that was clipped by the wing upon landing - Russ Niles of AVweb has indicated that he... "Got a call from the local sheriff’s office. Woman is fine and very minor damage to the plane. No charges expected." That's GREAT NEWS!
That is such an incredible R/C. I remember back in the late 60's, early 70's that guy that had that big monster B-29 when I got to see it fly a few times. So cool.
I am stunned and amazed at the same time! Such a cool build! I would love to see the cockpit layout. I am going to guess it's not very comfortable in there?
I know many of the people at the airport. This airport is NOT one to do a first flight for an airplane like this. There is not much room for error. A woman was injured during this first flight when upon landing he drifted off of the runway and hit her on her golf cart that was a bit off the runway. There's a news story showing the remains of the golf cart if you google it. She had to be taken out via helicopter it was that bad. She survived but it destroyed the golf cart and damaged the airplane. He had been warned NOT to test fly it there and take it to the hard surfaced airport with a 6000 foot runway a few miles away. This airport is only 2000 feet, has 60 tall high tension powerlines 800 feet from one end and a public road 15 feet on the other. There is also a bad hump on one end. It's not recommended to land there unless you are proficient in soft field and short field landings. I understand this gentleman's background and it shocks me even more he would take such a risk with a prototype like this. Don't get me wrong I love this thing and am excited it flew...I'm just disappointed the builder didn't take the necessary precautions and now it's history is already marred by an incident.
The lady was not injured badly and they didn't want the air ambulance. EMS called it in anyway. She was released later in the day. Who warned Tom not to fly it from here?
I was sketched out halfway through the video, without even knowing the outcome! It’s a cool plane, but lousy test flight preparation planning, and execution.
Quoting commenter: @edbreyer 10 months ago For those aware of and wondering about the woman in the golf cart that was clipped by the wing upon landing - Russ Niles of AVweb has indicated that he... "Got a call from the local sheriff’s office. Woman is fine and very minor damage to the plane. No charges expected." That's GREAT NEWS!
Enola Gay saved 1000's of allied POW's from doom they could not have survived a few more months/year the fatality rate was just shy of 30%. Everytime I see a B29 ( Never Seen one in Real life ) I always think of Enola Gay and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark .
awesome!!! It would look better if it had the gun domes on the rear along with the gun turrets. Does he plan on adding those latter? would be great to get a cockpit view when he flies again. Perhaps even a walk around while it's hangered.
What people don’t realize is what an amazing feet this is. To take four Honda car engines and develop a belt driven reduction system that is fully adjustable in flight. Build a replica that actually looks identical to the real thing and make it a comfortable two place airplane that flew hands off with no necessary trim inputs is a testimony to what a genius this man is. I have been in aviation for over 55 years and have flown every kind of warbird there is. This in my book is the biggest accomplishment I have seen in my lifetime. It clearly shows that Tom Hodgeson is not only an incredible pilot of his generation but also a master fabricator and designer. I cannot say how impressed we all are in the aviation industry of this feat. I only hope one day to be allowed to fly this plane and add it to my log book. Just incredible! Congrats Tom on this accomplishment.
I didn’t see any amazing feet, but it was a heck of a project!
@@BrjanBuckmasterfat finger and auto spell check. I guess I should have used foot!
@@thomasjackson6746 I hate auto complete! I missed proofreading before posting - my bad 🤪
4-car engines , 2-place ? Did I read that right ?
@@BrjanBuckmasterhahaha...I see what you did there😅
I was expecting it would be months or years before this was ready to fly after seeing the other video you posted. Very exciting to see it fly.
Hi nice to see you here
The engine(s) sounds even sound authentically scale! Very impressive!
What, I didn't know you guys were into rc planes? Maybe you can do a shotgun vs RC video sometime 😂
Why do you call this a replica? This is a scale model, a nice one indeed, my compliments to the builder. A replica would be an newly built full size plane that looks like a B29!
My comments showing this is fake keep being deleted.
I built a B29 in my bedroom of a 3rd floor apartment. It was from a Japanese control line kit back in the’70’s. It was intended to have four .35 glow fuel engines as I recall. The wingspan/ fuselage length was too large to get out of the apartment when we moved out, so I ended up sawing off a wing. I was 13 years old and my brother gave me the unfinished plane when he left for the military. I was nearly finished skinning the wings and fuselage with 1/32” balsa when my parents divorced and we had to move. My plan was to lower it from the balcony when it was completed, but life got in the way. This plane is incredible! What an amazing build!
That is something for the builder to be very proud of. A great looking airplane.
My dad was a right blister gunner in B-29s. He would have loved this.
Very cool.
Did your father serve in Europe or the Pacific? Do you know how many missions he flew?
He served on Tinian in the PTO. I'll have to look at his logbook to see how many missions.
Very impressive. Getting up on my soapbox, those golf carts had no business being so close to the runway.
My comments keep getting deleted. Fake video! This report aviation-safety.net/wikibase/347642
Cites a low confidence to the veracity of it because there is no official source for the crash information (like NTSB). Does this pic look like a piloted aircraft to you? resources.globalair.com/images/article/kokomo-plane-crash.jpg Crappy video with no landing, no shots of cockpit, nobody getting in or out, several safety violations of bank angle, low passes and people on runway if it were a manned aircraft. It is all BS !
Still not sure why so many viewers think this is R/C. Watch the first video. This is a 2800 pound airplane with a 50 foot wingspan, piloted, with 2 tandem seats, powered by 4 Honda Fit automotive engines. This video was compiled from the video footage I received from the builder. There was no video supplied of the landing. Sad to see many folks here are more interested in golf carts than celebrating the first flight of this amazing build...
It's the scale on screen, was hard to tell the exact size till I got a good reference point on the corn row and cars in the background at 2:11. Impressive aircraft!
What are awesome looking airplane kind of similar to the Bailey bomber the replica B17
Pilot should do as many go-arounds as he wants. The more the better.
Maybe if the title was more accurate. “35% scale Amateur built aircraft”. A replica B-29 would have a 141’ 3” wingspan all built from scratch . An unmanned aircraft would be a “35% replica”. All true scale models are replicas.
Because there is nothing in the video to indicate the size or that it was manned.
It doesn't get much more awesome than that!!! Tom did an amazing job and I'm so happy for his success. I hope he hits the airshow circuit so I can see it in person!
Unbelievable, how he managed to pull that one off. Deep respect sir !
Wonder if he's gonna fly together with "Doc" and "FiFi" one day. That'll be a sight to behold. This is one perfect way to earn yourself a ticket for that.
When Doc and FiFi mate, that is the outcome... 😂
Congratulations to Tom. I was able to see this project a couple different times over the years, and Tom was always open to show and talk about the project.
Great looking plane and craftsmanship. Would love to see more of the plane. Any in plane footage while in flight would be great. What a fun project.
Thanks for the video. What a spectacular build!
This is one of the most amazing human feats I have ever seen. Very moving to watch.
Perseverence + GENIUS x LOVE = ART !
Those low passes with the gear down are ULTRA-cool !!!
Cool as heck! Anybody would think they were looking at the real deal at a distance. Lots of happy folks!!
There is a lot of hard work and a lot hours to make the B29 fly look forward to seeing more videos in spring thanks 👍
Fantastic to see a 35% scale model! The sound from this plane is incredible.
My understanding is it is not a model, but a homebuilt aircraft... Pilot is in it not on the ground.
@@spinnettistill could be considered a model. Its "modeled" after a full scale aircraft.
A piloted model
@@fishjohn014 nope. Its an airplane not a model airplane. You could call it a replica aircraft which would probably be more accurate. Of course you can call it what you prefer in any case, but its still not a model.
@@spinnetti Thanks for that. I had no idea. I figured it was a massive RC plane. I see that now after watching the other videos.
@@spinnetti - Correct . This is a "Replica" _not_ a "Model" . Semantically interchangeable meanings , contectually different applications .
That is quite a sight, thank You very much!
I first discovered this because of your last video and I'm very happy to hear that it flew.
I wonder if this B29 and the mini B17 will ever meet up, but this gots to be the best thing to see on UA-cam!.
What an amazing view when this plane flies past and into the sunset! I am amazed at how smooth and easy it flies....the sophistication of this plane is undeniable, yet this is really a piece of art that looks so well that it might appear easy if I didn't know better!... I am utterly stunned at how good this looks! Nice, nice job...well deserved accolades all around!
So amazing! I hope we'll see it at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh next year!
Just WOW!
At first I thought this may be a monster scale rc model.
Awesome work and magnificent flying!
👍👍👍
One of the most impressive things I've ever seen! Thanks!
I fewel like Driving to Kokomo to watch it Fly! Great Video and many thanks for posting it!
This is one of the most amazing things I have seen in my entire life. VERY COOL!
What a beautiful plane. Thanks for showing it.
Congratulations and thanks for posting this.
SDS - I’m delighted that you selected the frame for the Title that shows my house in the background. I live across the runway from Tom, and have been watching him build it since he started. It’s really a one man project that started, not as a B-29, but as a test bed for doing research and development on engines and speed reduction devices etc. The landing gear retracts, and to have it fit into the engine nacelles they had to be that short, just like the big ones! We who live on the airport know the dangers and risks, try hard to avoid problems; the injured girl is, herself, a proficient pilot who owns and flys an experimental Baby Great Lakes. We are all praying for her full recovery, and she’s making good progress. And we who live on Glenndale Airport continue wishing Tom good success with his ongoing project.
Absolutely amazing !!! Great detail !! Ought to be a part of the bigger airshows.
Too many people commenting this is an RC.
NO this is a piloted plane. Just like the Bally Bomber. There is a person inside.
They must be mislead by the mention of it being 35% scale.
Incredible !That's so clever.Never thought that was possible .Most sincere congrats and cheers from France.Happy Thanksgiving and end of the year.
Awesome. This is very significant. A testament to what we can really do. Thank you .
That is the most beautiful replica aircraft I've ever seen. This needs to be accepted into airshows as a real demo flight.
Congratulations, Tom! A wonderful aircraft. I'm glad I was able to see it a few times in the "under construction" phases, which make watching the video even more enjoyable. Wish I could have been there to see the first flight in person. Wishing you much enjoyment flying that around.
What a nice flying B-29 🤟
Regards of the Netherlands 🇱🇺
Just WOW! What a spectacular achievement!! Great video!
That looks so real coming in over the trees on landing approach.
That's a beautiful bird.
That thing's AWESOME. Kudos to the people that designed and built that..
Mainly only 1 guy
Outstanding Young Man! Beautiful!
What a beautiful war bird replica! Great work!
Incredible accomplishment!
Can you comment on the cockpit where the pilot sits ? From the previous video where it shows a young guy working on the interior …. It seems awfully cramped in there. Does the pilots head stick up inside the glass turret on top ? Because the visibility through the front windows looks very restrictive. Thx.
Yes, a view of the cabin and panel would help us appreciate just how it's put together. I looked for information on that but didn't find anything up on that yet.
I think you'll find that was a young lady ie "Rosie the Riveter" theme. Front vis is fine, to the sides, not so much.
Amazing. Well done, Tom!
Please do more videos on this thing I wanna all the ins and outs. Soo cool
He's going to be bringing home more than 1 🏆. Looks and sounds fantastic.
For sure those Honda engines are supplying gobs of power not a long take off roll looks super stable and flies as good as it looks!
Absolutely stunning :)
Beautiful plane and flown so realistically. A joy to watch.
That plane is totally amazing. Thanks 🇦🇺👍
How does it handle in landing??
Fantastic,beautifully built
No mention of the landing collision with the golf cart? It is a neat project, I hope the woman on the golf cart is ok, and I hope the damage to the airplane is easily fixable.
Really?? Yikes
It knocked the golf cart over, probably with the wings?
There has to be some real structural damage.
Not a good idea to film from a golf cart so close to the runway.
who cares, women have no place on the flight line
They have started deleting comments.
Guessing the woman was in the wrong place talking on a cell phone.
She’s beautiful!!!
That's a beautiful scale B-29! He moved ahead quickly after taxi testing, but it gives him time to work on her out of season. I know a couple of guys who built half scale warbirds, and people are surprised when you say they were piloted not RC. The full size is bigger than many people realize. Awesome way to keep history alive!
Thanks for sharing 😊
Outstanding! Kudos.
So happy to finally see this video ! How wonderful. I can't believe nobody thought of on board cameras/Go pros to capture the flight. Disappointed to not see the landing either. She looks and sounds beautiful.
Awesome replica. I love the sound, as well. It is I want to see more from RC WW2 Replicas. That authentic prop driven sound from them.
It's not an R/C plane. Weighs 3000 pounds...
It’s a real plane haha😂
Beautifully built
Thank you so very much. Simply spectacular!! Congratulations to Tom! If you see this were you nervous or cool as a cucumber 😜
8I3 that is where I soloed!
Very cool stuff! I live just below the flight path of John C. Munro airport in Hamilton Ontario, and we are fairly regularly treated to the sight of a WW2 era Lancaster bomber flying over our home. These old aircraft, replicas included are very awesome to see. Congratulations to the builders of this plane, it’s fantastic!
Do you have the video of the B-29 replicas crash when it hit a golf cart ? How much damage was there to the wing ? Did the woman in the cart survive ?
Nope, covered that in the pinned message. Some damage to the wing which Tom will repair. The woman had minor cuts and bruises, released same day.
Quoting commenter:
@edbreyer
10 months ago
For those aware of and wondering about the woman in the golf cart that was clipped by the wing upon landing - Russ Niles of AVweb has indicated that he... "Got a call from the local sheriff’s office. Woman is fine and very minor damage to the plane. No charges expected." That's GREAT NEWS!
Those engines purring is remarkable!😁
JUST , BEAUTIFUL, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
I've never heard of this project. I'd love to see it!
Really brilliant. Nice work.
Excuse me I pick my jaw first ! what an amazing plane !
What damage did it sustsain when it hit the golf cart a week back?
Sounds amazing!
Nice but why the short NLG? It's under-scale and makes prop strikes way more likely.
Watched from Old Harbour Jamaica. B-29's use to come to Jamaica on training missions early 1945 at Vernam Field.
That was Amazing. And Congrats on your first flight
Great job. Does not seem to be under powered like the Bally Bomber was.
this is much bigger, and has bigger engines. Bally Bomber uses small 2 strokes, built more like a Hummel. Both are amazing accomplishments.
Beautiful, simply beautiful👍
Very Nice ! Grew up and learned to fly in Marion, soloed in a Champ . . and practiced landings in Converse, circular landing field . . Thanks, Bob
Wow I just saw the tiny B-17 fly and now this. Great work a great plane.
That is such an incredible R/C. I remember back in the late 60's, early 70's that guy that had that big monster B-29 when I got to see it fly a few times. So cool.
My Dad was a Flight Engineer on B-29's, and I grew up surrounded by B-47's and B-52's. SAC forever. And I can sleep through anything....
Not R/C. 50 foot wingspan, 3000 pounds, four Honda car engines, 2 pilot seats.
Congrats guy's... Amazing accomplishment !!! Would love to see it in the air with Bally's B-17
Wow - words fail me !
Some say he's still flying, just couldn't get it down to land.
I had the privilege to see Enola Gay at Udvar Hazy in May.
Seeing a 1/3 scale fly gives a good representation of how beautiful they really are.
I am stunned and amazed at the same time! Such a cool build! I would love to see the cockpit layout. I am going to guess it's not very comfortable in there?
Wish we could have seen the landing! Great plane!
There was an accident on the landing. It collided with a golf cart and the cart driver was injured.
Very Understandable. I hope the driver recovered completely.@@prophetsnake
@@davidbross6942 I've only seen news reports and it appears to be more than a bump on the head. She was taken to the hospital, anyhow.
Wonderful aircraft! Suspect Oshkosh would love to have that visit next year =)
What an amazing project. It is easy to see it looks as good as it flies! They put a lot into into this project and it definitely shows! 👍
Wow, great job.
And the landing?
This is really cool
I know many of the people at the airport. This airport is NOT one to do a first flight for an airplane like this. There is not much room for error. A woman was injured during this first flight when upon landing he drifted off of the runway and hit her on her golf cart that was a bit off the runway. There's a news story showing the remains of the golf cart if you google it. She had to be taken out via helicopter it was that bad. She survived but it destroyed the golf cart and damaged the airplane. He had been warned NOT to test fly it there and take it to the hard surfaced airport with a 6000 foot runway a few miles away. This airport is only 2000 feet, has 60 tall high tension powerlines 800 feet from one end and a public road 15 feet on the other. There is also a bad hump on one end. It's not recommended to land there unless you are proficient in soft field and short field landings. I understand this gentleman's background and it shocks me even more he would take such a risk with a prototype like this.
Don't get me wrong I love this thing and am excited it flew...I'm just disappointed the builder didn't take the necessary precautions and now it's history is already marred by an incident.
The lady was not injured badly and they didn't want the air ambulance. EMS called it in anyway. She was released later in the day. Who warned Tom not to fly it from here?
I was sketched out halfway through the video, without even knowing the outcome! It’s a cool plane, but lousy test flight preparation planning, and execution.
Quoting commenter:
@edbreyer
10 months ago
For those aware of and wondering about the woman in the golf cart that was clipped by the wing upon landing - Russ Niles of AVweb has indicated that he... "Got a call from the local sheriff’s office. Woman is fine and very minor damage to the plane. No charges expected." That's GREAT NEWS!
Enola Gay saved 1000's of allied POW's from doom they could not have survived a few more months/year the fatality rate was just shy of 30%. Everytime I see a B29 ( Never Seen one in Real life ) I always think of Enola Gay and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark .
"Enola Gay and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ." ? Elaborate ? Thanks !
Wow,, I thought it was an RC plane too, that's a fabulous piece of work indeed.
Kudos to the guy that built this fine bird✨
This beauty in flight looks as amazing as its prototype.
Love the realistic inertia of these big scale models.
Me too! Even the corn besides the runway is to scale. Amazing...
Phenomenal. I hope that the work to repair her from the golf cart mishap goes smoothly! Would be awesome to see at OSH.
When is the builder starting on the 35% scale 50 caliber machine guns?
I am beyond Amazed..
awesome!!! It would look better if it had the gun domes on the rear along with the gun turrets. Does he plan on adding those latter? would be great to get a cockpit view when he flies again. Perhaps even a walk around while it's hangered.
Impressive 👍👍 Great scale flying, looks like the real thing in the air 👍👍🙂🙂