Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:25 pm
Jack, Do you remember if you were running the injected engines or the carburetor equiped engines? I can imagine you saw a lot of details on the side of that windmill.... 
Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:51 pm
Yeah, the windmill was an Aeromotor but there were lots of them scattered around the countryside back then.
Our engines were all fuel injected models. It was quite a chore visually pressure checking the fuel injection lines before the next flight after every ground shutdown. So the first crew would run the pressure check before the first flight of the day and then the engines were never shut down until the end of the day. Crew changes were made with the engines idling and the aircraft was fueled for the day in the morning. That made the first takeoff of the day the heaviest but it was also the coolest (70 to 80 degrees) time of the day and made for close windmill scanning!
Fifi was one of the many B-29's at Randolph but I didn't bother keeping a logbook back then so I may or may not have flown her.
Our engines were all fuel injected models. It was quite a chore visually pressure checking the fuel injection lines before the next flight after every ground shutdown. So the first crew would run the pressure check before the first flight of the day and then the engines were never shut down until the end of the day. Crew changes were made with the engines idling and the aircraft was fueled for the day in the morning. That made the first takeoff of the day the heaviest but it was also the coolest (70 to 80 degrees) time of the day and made for close windmill scanning!
Fifi was one of the many B-29's at Randolph but I didn't bother keeping a logbook back then so I may or may not have flown her.
Molino, Russia
Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:55 pm
Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:20 pm
dude, you can't just post a cool pic and then not comment on it! 
*whacks armyjunk*
*whacks armyjunk*
Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:31 pm
Yeah, WTF? That needs it's own thread! Re-post under it's own title please!!!
Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:33 pm
ok, well its one of the planes at Molino, Its a TU-4. I was going to post some pictures from there when I get to it. I will say don't go to Russia in October unless you dress warm. Someone here has already posted a nice link to the planes at Molino, but I can't find it, all of my photos are in the snow..........
Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:07 pm
If memory serves, that is the prototype Tu-4, and if so, she probably has a few Boeing-built pieces sprinkled around in her from the "Hap Arnold Special". I wonder how many of her sisters are still parked on some range in Siberia? Thanks for the photo, armyjunk.
Scott
Scott