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Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:17 pm

Rob,

Where are you getting your information? How do you know there are 7 Hellcats still there? Have you put in a request to remove a target plane?

Re: China Lake B-29

Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:41 pm

Col. Rohr wrote:
B-29 Super Fort wrote:
Their is also another B-29 stilll out in the West Hot Bomb Range that has never been touch the US Navy knows about this one also.


Col. Rohr: That's amazing! I'd love to see photos of it. What are the chances it will be recovered?


B-29,

The problem with this range as its been explain to me is one of the most active ranges out their so to get into their might not happen soon. I've ask my Brother-N-Law if he has any pics. He said when he gets home from the Gulf he would have a look see.

I really don't think all the 29 are accounted for out at China Lake personally if you do the #s thing just don't add up. As for Aberdeen well their are none left their NEAm got what was left sometime in the mid-80s tho I've heard rumer tbat their might be some wing sections and rudder or two still thier.

Cheers
RER


Thanks Col, it would be great to see another surviving B-29 at China lake. I thought I read that the people who recovered "Doc" were told there weren't any B-29s left at China Lake, and of course they ended up with "Doc" so who knows. I'd love to see any pics when your brother-in-law makes it back. Anyone else on the board with connections to China Lake that could check into it further?

Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:35 pm

Can't tell much now (don't know the whole history, just work on Doc), but I hope to be able to post some stuff later. I'll try sending an email to Mr. Ziegler. He knows everything about Doc.

Just to let you know, they traded a restored B-25J to the NMNA for Doc. If you want another B-29 (assuming there are still some out there, I'm not going to say if there's anything out there till I get some pics from the past three years or so or a plane is recovered), you probably should make a trade with the NMNA.

Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:51 am

I remember looking at photos at NAS Lemoore's Weapon Compound from China Lake. It has the forward section of a B-29 being destroyed by some type of weapon. If it wasn’t a B-29 being hit it would have been a great picture.

My point is the Numbers may never really add up, some of the 29s out there may be puddles is aluminum in the desert. Or small bits scattered in the wind. But I’d love to think at lest one more could come out.

Mon Feb 07, 2005 12:02 pm

time for a nice link again 8)

Lots of Dreamboats at NAS China Lake

ready, set, go...

http://www.chinalakealumni.org/Relics-b29-1.htm

http://www.chinalakealumni.org/Relics-b29-2.htm

and more lovely stuff.....

http://www.chinalakealumni.org/TOC.htm

Enjoy
Martin

Mon Feb 07, 2005 12:15 pm

Check out photo #2

http://www.chinalakealumni.org/Landscape.htm

Photo #2

Mon Feb 07, 2005 12:56 pm

Is what's left of SB-29...(oh hell, I forget the BUNO...) anyway...USAM has the nose...same bunch that has Doc. The rest is a burnt out puddle of aluminum...or shot full of 20mm, 7.62, 5.56 etc. Airport lake is a major impact area so lots of "stuff" flys around every time something goes BANG.

Lurker Rob

Mon Feb 07, 2005 4:28 pm

My dad flew SB-29s...I wonder it it's one he flew on. The one he "belonged" to was called Outhouse Mouse, but I'm not sure of the SN.

Mon Feb 07, 2005 8:11 pm

TimApNy wrote:Check out photo #2

http://www.chinalakealumni.org/Landscape.htm


There is a photo of this B-29 in the copy of Classic Wings that Dave was talking about taken closer in from a different angle, for those who are interested the "bumps" behind the B-29 is a row of WWII DUKW amphibious trucks.

Mon Feb 07, 2005 8:23 pm

DUKWs all right...very swiss cheesed ones at that! You can see right through a few of them...rust and old OD paint is about all that holds 'em together.

Not really worth salvaging... not even good for parts.

The only reason they're still there is because the clean up crew has other things going on.

Mon Feb 07, 2005 8:41 pm

Hi,

There used to be a few Duwks at Ewardsville, Pa several years ago. My grandfather (long deceased) was in charge of the CD program. They had one running and had aquired several as parts sources. They all came missing the carborators and the drain plugs as I recall. As a little tyke of about -8- at the time, I spent my summer vacation helping to scrape and repaint the working one as I was the only one small enough to fit under it. It got quite a workout when the river would flood. I haven'y any idea what became of them. They used to store them in a closed coal mine building.

TTFN....Kenn
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