Warbird Information Exchange

Is that the real one on display in Maryland?

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

no The Great Artiste was a B-29-40-MO 44-27353
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b29regis ... 61671.html

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Nope, the original is long gone - unfortunately.

Regards,

Art S.

Thanks guys. Sure looks pretty.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

On 3 September 1948 the original Great Artiste made a high speed approach after having an engine problem to the runway at Goose Bay, Labrador. It touched down half-way down the runway, went off the unfinished end and ground-looped to avoid a tractor. It suffered severe structural damage at a wing joint and was never repaired. Almost a year later it was dropped from inventory as salvage. Bottom line: SCRAPPED...

The plane on display at Whiteman AFB, Mo is painted to look like The Great Artiste. It was once a Rescue B-29 complete with life-boat! It use to be on display at the now closed Pease AFB, NH (as The Great Artiste) and was in terrible condition. If I remember correctly, this plane was pulled from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

Some pictures I took of the "stand in" Great Artiste when it was on display at Pease AFB, NH in 1989...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

So is it no longer in Maryland?

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

The only time it was in Maryland (to my knowledge) was when it was a derelict target at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds (I'll have to check my records)...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

Here's what I have in my records:

44-61671 B-29A-40-BN THE GREAT ARTISTE Whiteman AFB, Missouri. Name not original to the aircraft. This aircraft was the original SB-29 Air/Sea Rescue aircraft. Recovered from Aberdeen Proving Grounds and put on display at Pease AFB, New Hampshire until that base closed. Outdoor display.

I would be pretty neat to take that B-29 life boat that the NMUSAF is restoring and re-convert this B-29 back to it's Rescue configuration. Pretty historic that it was the Original Rescue B-29 and it would make a neat restoration. The B-29 at Barksdale (that is in such bad shape) could be moved to Whiteman and done up to represent The Great Artiste. Of course this would all require buckets of money and effort...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

At least they did a good job of making it look like a Silverplate B-29, even got the props right.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Some info/pic's on it's clean up at Whiteman...

http://www.whiteman.af.mil/news/story_m ... =123067835

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

A good friend of mine from C-130s was selected to be the initial female B-2 pilot way back when. She arranged for my wife and me to crawl through a B-2 and I even got to fly the sim. Pretty cool for a lowly Herk guy. Of course, I had to get photos of the B-29 at the Whiteman base airpark. April 2006.

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

How awesome is all of that? Good stuff man. She seems to be well kept on the base there. That is also awesome that your friend flies the B-2.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

what a historcal screw up....... but nobody's fault

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."