Warbird Information Exchange

I read some time ago that Kermit Weeks owns a B-29 named "Fertile Myrtle". Does anyone know it's current status? It would be nice to see another B-29 restored to flying condition.

I've seem pictures of the Nose section restored very nicely in FL, somewhere now. I also read the rest of it is in a desert somewhere in California. But that maybbe old news.

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www.tailhookstudio.com

I know he plans on restoring the plane to fly...eventually.

I visited the museum and Kermit pointed out a feature on his main hangar to a small crowd of folks I was with. There's a small door above the main hangar door that can be opened to allow the B-29's vertical tail to pass through. That's where his B-29 will eventually be hangared once that point in time arrives.

I would expect the completion of the ground facilities will take priority over the B-29 restoration though. That might easily mean another decade or more before it is rolled in for restoration.

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Photo of nose below.

Bill

And photo of opening above main hanger door Rob mentioned.

Bill

The nose section is on display at the Sun 'n Fun Museum in Lakeland,Fla. As Tim said the reminder of this B-29 is in stoage in Calif.

Somewhere......I have a picture of it when he was still flying it many years ago.

At some point the had real problems with corrosion and bird nests in wings.

At that point I think he just decided to dismantle it and store it

I could be very wrong, but has "Myrtle" been flown since it was owned by the museum group in Oakland, CA? I thought for sure they were the last ones to fly her (rather than Mr. Weeks).

Which brings me to another question: From whom did the Oakland bunch actually purchase this Superfort: The NACA, the Navy, or the Air Force? Joe Baugher's website suggests the seller was the Air Force, but I'm wondering how that could be if she was re-registered with the Navy as a P2B in 1947, and then soldiered on into the 1950's with an NACA identity (#137 maybe).

I love a good warbird mystery...

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

I remember seeing this B-29 at Oakland Airport in 1975. Had a great view from in the terminal above it, and the aircraft looked fantastic. I'm thinking it had a hatch blow off in flight, but don't know if that was with the Oakland group or later. That may have been its last flight. Its sad to think it went from what I saw to now sitting in the desert in parts.

Oh yes and one more thing. Seems it appeared flying in a 1980
Disney Movie "The Last Flight of Noahs Ark." Believe it or not
you can look it up here (see #6) http://www.uswarplanes.net/top10films.htm

Bill

Waaw, that must be a nice sight. Of to the DVD store!

J.V.

I read in Air Classics or Warbirds Intl that Kermit flew it maybe once, on that flight he had mechanical problems and almost had to crash land it in the city of Oakland, but made it safely back to the airport.

John

NASA photo of Fertile Myrtle in her NACA days with
D-558-II and chase planes.

Bill

[quote="wls3"]NASA photo of Fertile Myrtle in her NACA days with
D-558-II and chase planes. [\quote]I wonder if that is the D-558 that Planes of Fame has? Would be interesting to reunite the two!

Was this the B-29 used in "The Right Stuff"? I didnt know Weeks' "Fertile Mertyl" was the actual aircraft. I thought it was just painted to represent that aircraft.

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-Dante Cosentino