Category Archives: Boeing

B-29 reunion added to warbird highlights at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024

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EAA. AirVenture. Airventure. AV. AV17. 2017. Boeing. B29. B-29. Bomber. Superfortress. Gray, Doc. N69972. Fifi. N529B. NX529B. Warbird. Air to Air. Air-to-Air. Air2Air. A2A. Silver. Flying Fortress. Josh Wells – 316-209-0470

Superfortresses ‘Doc’ and ‘FIFI’ to make rare joint appearance

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (April 5, 2024) — The world’s only two flying examples of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress will make a rare joint appearance this summer during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024, supporting the “Turning the Tide” salute to 1944 and the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The 71st edition of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s fly-in convention is July 22-28 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

It is believed to be only the fourth time two B-29s have made a joint public appearance in 50 years, with the first taking place in Oshkosh in 2017. It is the first time these aircraft have appeared together since 2018.

“As AirVenture is the world’s largest annual gathering of warbirds, bringing these two iconic aircraft together is another of those ‘Only at Oshkosh’ moments,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “These airplanes are big favorites wherever they appear, but together they will make the ‘Turning the Tide’ commemoration even more unforgettable.”

As currently scheduled, each airplane will spend time featured on EAA’s Boeing Plaza. FIFI will be on display on July 22-24, while Doc will take centerstage for display on July 25-28. The airplanes are also scheduled to make a formation flight at the beginning of the July 24 night air show. When not on display at Boeing Plaza, flight experiences on Doc July 22-25 will be based at Appleton International Airport, approximately 20 miles north.

FIFI is owned and operated by the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29/B-24 Squadron of Dallas, Texas. It was acquired by the CAF in the early 1970s when a group of CAF members found it at the U.S. Navy Proving Ground at China Lake, California, where it was being used as a missile target. The airplane was rescued and restored, then flew for over 30 years until 2006, when the chief pilot made the decision to ground it pending a complete power plant re-fit. After an extensive four-year restoration that included installing four new custom-built hybrid engines, FIFI returned to the sky in 2010 and has since traveled coast to coast. More information is available on at the CAF’s AirPower History Tour website.

Doc was built in 1944 and for many years was part of a squadron known as the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in upstate New York at Griffiss Air Force Base (hence, the name Doc). The airplane was retired in 1956 as the jet bomber age began and sat as a target for Navy training missions in China Lake, California, until 1998. A restoration group took possession of the airplane from the U.S. government and hauled it back to Wichita, Kansas, in pieces in 2000. After 16 years and more than 450,000 volunteer hours, Doc made its first flight after restoration in July 2016, 60 years after it had been retired. Flight experience information for Doc at Oshkosh is available at https://www.b29doc.com/rides/. Doc is owned and operated by Doc’s Friends, Inc., a non-profit based in Wichita.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s membership convention. Additional information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available at www.EAA.org/airventure. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.EAA.org.

How cool – BLUE ORIGIN TO BRING ITS HISTORIC, FLOWN NEW SHEPARD REUSABLE ROCKET AND CREW CAPSULE TO EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2017

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (July 10, 2017) — EAA AirVenture Oshkosh today announced another “Only in Oshkosh” first as it welcomes commercial space company Blue Origin and its historic New Shepard rocket and astronaut crew capsule the week of July 24-30. The exhibit will be one of the main attractions on Boeing Plaza during the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 65th annual fly-in convention at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
“EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has always showcased innovation, imagination, and achievement in flight, which makes Blue Origin’s presence at Oshkosh an excellent fit,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman. “As we salute the accomplishments of the Apollo program this year at AirVenture, it is also fitting that we welcome an organization that is developing the next step in the future of manned spaceflight.”
On Nov. 23, 2015, New Shepard became the first rocket to ascend above the Karman line and successfully return to Earth for a vertical landing. The same booster made four subsequent flights in 2016—on Jan. 22, April 2, June 19 and Oct. 5—successfully demonstrating the reuse of a rocket for the first time. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh attendees will get an up-close look at the historic rocket.
In addition, Blue Origin’s exhibit will feature a 1:1 mockup of New Shepard’s astronaut crew capsule, which has seating for six people. AirVenture guests will be able to climb inside, recline in flight-ready seats and experience a simulated flight to space created with real mission footage from New Shepard’s on board cameras. The crew capsule features the largest windows in spacecraft history, which take up more than one-third of the capsule’s surface area offering every astronaut stellar views during flight.
“We are very excited to come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and showcase our reusable New Shepard rocket and crew capsule so everyone can experience what it’s like to be an astronaut,” said Rob Meyerson, president of Blue Origin. “We hope to inspire the explorers of tomorrow, the ones who will help us achieve Blue Origin’s goal of millions of people living and working in space.”
In honor of EAA’s Space Day on July 28, Blue Origin will give away branded merchandise to the first 1,000 visitors to the exhibit on Boeing Plaza beginning at 12:30 p.m. 
About Blue Origin
Blue Origin, LLC (Blue Origin) is a private company developing vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. Blue Origin has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space so that we humans can better continue exploring the solar system. For more information and a list of job openings, please visit us at www.blueorigin.com.
About EAA
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is a growing and diverse community of more than 200,000 aviation enthusiasts who promote and support recreational flying. Founded in 1953 by a group of individuals who were interested in building their own airplanes, EAA expanded its mission of growing participation in aviation to include antiques, classics, warbirds, aerobatic aircraft, ultralights, helicopters, and contemporary manufactured aircraft. The organization is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and hosts the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention every July. For more information, www.eaa.org.
About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s yearly membership convention. It annually attracts 500,000 visitors from more than 70 nations and in excess of 10,000 aircraft to the weeklong event. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA.

B-29, C-47 D-DAY AIRCRAFT HIGHLIGHT COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE GROUP AT EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2017

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B-17, A-26, B-25s among other warbird aircraft coming to Oshkosh
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 19, 2017) — Some of the World War II era’s most significant military aircraft that have been restored and preserved by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will be among the highlights of the annual warbird gathering at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017. The 65th annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) fly-in convention is July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
Among the airplanes coming to Oshkosh is the Boeing B-29 FIFI, which will join the world’s only other flying B-29 bomber, Doc, on the flight line for the first appearance of multiple B-29s in more than 50 years. In addition, CAF B-25 bombers will appear as part of the 75th anniversary of the famed Doolittle Raid of April 1942.
“While more than 300 vintage military aircraft at Oshkosh each year create the world’s largest annual warbird gathering, the CAF has been at the forefront of restoring and preserving many marvelous examples of flying history,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member benefits who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “At AirVenture, visitors can see the airplanes in the air and on ground display, and also learn more about the aircraft from the people who own and fly them.”
While at AirVenture, the B-29 FIFIwill be available for flights on July 26-27, based from Appleton, Wisconsin. More information is available at CAF’s Air Power History Tourwebsite. At other times, the aircraft will be displayed at Oshkosh for cockpit and aircraft tours.
Other CAF aircraft on display at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh include:
·         C-47 That’s All Brother, the airplane that led the D-Day invasion and is under restoration in Oshkosh
·         B-17 Texas Raiders
·         A-26 Invader twin-engine bomber
·         B-25s Miss Mitchell and Devil Dog, part of the Doolittle Raid 75th anniversary commemoration.
“The Commemorative Air Force is again excited to bring a number of our aircraft to Oshkosh for The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” said Stephan Brown, Commemorative Air Force president. “These airplanes represent an outstanding tribute to the men and women who gave dedicated themselves and sacrificed to preserve our freedom.”
Many of the CAF aircraft will also participate in the EAA AirVenture daily afternoon air shows, including the warbird extravaganzas that take place throughout the week.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA.

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