Taigh Ramey & Bernard Poppert – The Warbird Rescue Show – Thursday 8pm (EASTERN)

WARBIRD RADIO – Join us this Thursday at 8pm (EASTERN) for an all new Warbird Rescue Show.  This week we’re  featuring Bernard Poppert and Taigh Ramey who both took part in the restoration of the National Air and Space Museum’sB-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay”. This is the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb to help end WWII.  Call in and join the conversation by using the contact information below.  Thanks for listening!

QUICK LINK:  Warbird Rescue

STUDIO LINE:  478.787.4768

SKYPE:  warbirdradio

EMAIL:  info@warbirdradio.com

Warbird Radio Presents – Gary Austin’s Timeless Voices Interview

 

WARBIRD RADIO – There is no question…Gary Austin left an indelible mark on the warbird community and will forever be missed by those who knew him.  His talent and craftsmanship live on today in the national treasures he worked to protect.  The B-24 “Ol 927″ and the B-29 “FIFI” are just two examples of the flying airplanes Gary Austin kept aloft.  He was a key component at the Commemorative Air Force and worked on countless warbirds during his lifetime. 

Thanks to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Timeless Voices of Aviation Oral History Program and Zack Baughman we have this interview today.  For more information on Timeless Voices just click on the Quick Link at the bottom of this story.  Additionally, we’d like to thank Greg Morehead from Warbird Digest for providing the photo of Gary.

Show Debuts Friday 02/25/11 at 6pm (EASTERN)

QUICK LINK:  The Timeless Voices of Aviation Oral History Program

QUICK LINK:  Warbird Digest

EMAIL:  info@warbirdradio.com

Gary Austin Photo Gallery / Images Courtesy of Greg Morehead / Warbird Digest

BREAKING NEWS: Big News For FIFI Fans – Warbird Radio LIVE! – Tuesday

TUESDAY – Chris Trobridge joins us tomorrow with some big news about our favorite B-29…FIFI.  Hear the details tomorrow morning at 10am (EDT) and find out what’s in store for the world’s only flying B-29.  If you’d like to call in and join the conversation just use the contact info posted below.  Thanks for listening.

STUDIO LINE:  478.787.4768

SKYPE:  warbirdradio

EMAIL:  matt@warbirdradio.com

Enola Gay Navigator Dutch Van Kirk – Warbird Radio LIVE! – Tuesday

TUESDAY – One year ago today Enola Gay Navigator Dutch Van Kirk was our first guest on Warbird Radio LIVE…tomorrow morning he’s coming back.  Hear the story of the world’s first atomic mission from the last surviving crew member.  Dutch’s story is one you don’t want to miss.  We’re also giving away the Gary Velasco Nose Art Panel…so tune in.  Warbird Radio LIVE (The 1 Year Anniversary Show) starts at 10am (EDT) .

NOTE:  You must be listening to win the panel tomorrow.  When you hear your name…call in and claim your prize.  If you don’t call in we’ll continue to draw names until someone wins.

STUDIO LINE:  478.787.4768

SKYPE:  warbirdradio

EMAIL:  matt@warbirdradio.com

BREAKING NEWS – FIFI Takes Flight!

WARBIRD RADIO - Congrats to the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29 / B-24 Squadron!  “Official Release” printed below. 

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is proud to announce the return to flight for FIFI, “the Queen of the Fleet.” The world’s only flyable Boeing B-29 Superfortress returned to the skies early Thursday morning for its first flight since 2004.

“It is an emotional day at the CAF for our volunteer-members and staff,” said CAF President Stephan Brown. “There were more than a few tears of joy shed by those who have worked over these past few years to see FIFI fly again. Today is a new beginning for this historic warbird. Thanks to the dedication of our members and the support of Jim Cavanaugh, the B-29 can once again return to telling the stories of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.”

Following more than four years of work, FIFI returned to the skies just before 9 a.m. on Thursday morning for a beautiful 39-minute flight. Back on the ground, the crew exited the B-29 with massive smiles and unimaginable excitement.

“She ran like a top,” said CAF Colonel, and one of the pilots for the B-29, Paul Stojkov. “It’s a very special day. A lot of us have been waiting for this for four and a half years. We have to thank everyone involved for their help in getting her to this point.”

“I’m speechless,” said CAF B-29 Crew Chief Dave Miller. “I can’t express in words my appreciation for the opportunity to work with FIFI and for the help of everyone involved in working to get her back in the air. Thank you to the entire CAF family.”

“I am deeply pleased to see FIFI fly again after such a long wait,” said CAF General Staff member, Neils Agather. “Today’s flight is a product of the dedication of many people, Gary Austin, Dave Miller and many more volunteers. We must also thank Jim Cavanaugh for his support. My parents, Vic and Fifi, would be proud.”

The CAF Airpower Museum will open its doors at 7 a.m. on Sat. Aug. 7, for visitors who would like to get a front row seat for FIFI’s pre-flight preparations and flight. Visitors to the museum will be ushered to the main hangar for an up-close view of the crew preparing this massive bomber for flight. Once FIFI begins to head for the runways, visitors will be escorted to a prime viewing area, to witness the B-29’s crew training.

“Saturday is the perfect opportunity for our community to come out to the CAF and see FIFI fly,” said CAF President Stephan Brown. “Throughout the morning, the B-29 crew will be completing the required crew training that includes ‘touch and gos’ at Midland International Airport, it will be quite a show.”

The CAF Airpower Museum is located at 9600 Wright Drive near Midland International Airport. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults ages 18-64, $9 for teenagers ages 13-17 and seniors age 65 and older, $7 for children ages 6-12, and children age 5 and under receive free admission. The CAF would like to encourage visitors to take Interstate 20 or Highway 80 (Business Interstate 20) to FM 1788. This route will avoid additional traffic congestion for Rock the Desert also being held in the area. 

The B-29 was originally fitted with the Wright R-3350-57AM engine, which had a less-than-desirable reputation since its inception.  True to this reputation, FIFI has experienced numerous problems with her engines in the 30-plus years she has been flying with the CAF.  Following the discovery of metal shavings in the engine oil, the B-29/B-24 Squadron held a lengthy series of meetings with CAF personnel and experts in the field of aircraft restoration, and the decision was made to not fly the plane again until it could be fitted with engines that are a custom built combination of the R-3350-95W and R-3350-26WD engines. The refit required reworking the engine mounts and some of the engine cowling, making it a lengthy undertaking. 

When the Commemorative Air Force (then Confederate Air Force) began searching for a B-29 for its collection of historical military aircraft, World War II had been over for 21 years. The Superfortresses that helped end it had long since yielded to new generations of jet-powered strategic bombers and vanished. According to the U. S. Air Force, no B-29s remained in inventory, even at storage or disposal depots. But the CAF colonels had faith, and it paid off.

In 1971, a pilot reported sighting a number of what might have been B-29s in the California desert near China Lake. The CAF learned the aircraft were indeed Superfortresses that had been parked at a Navy weapons center for 17 years. They had been used for gunnery targets and abused by heat, sand and vandals. After much negotiation, paperwork and a painstaking process of elimination to find the best survivor, the CAF added B-29 SN44-62070 to its fleet. That was just the beginning of the task. The complete restoration to CAF standards of airworthiness was a long and expensive project involving more than three years of fund-raising and hard work. Late in 1974, the CAF’s B-29 was christened FIFI and joined the other World War II fighters and bombers to preserve the memories and teach lessons of mankind’s greatest war.

Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the CAF ranks as one of the largest private air forces in the world. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance. A non-profit educational association, the CAF has approximately 9,000 members and a fleet of 156 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 74 units located in 27 states for care and operation. For more information, visit www.commemorativeairforce.org or call (432) 563-1000.

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