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An esteemed pilot's reunion with the B-29
Posted by bdk on Fri Dec 07, 2001 04:36:14 PM
In reply top null posted by null on null
An esteemed pilot's reunion with the B-29
Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, addressed a lunchtime crowd of B-29 volunteers and Boeing executives last week in the Experimental Flight Hangar where the B-29 "Doc" is being restored to flying status. (Sonja Dove photo)
By Ronald G. Bliss
Brig. Gen Paul Tibbets visited Boeing Wichita recently and met up with an old friend of sorts: the B-29.
Tibbets is the U.S. Air Force pilot who flew Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb over Japan. He came to Boeing Wichita to take note of the effort in the Experimental Flight Hangar to restore the B-29 "Doc" to flying status.
Tibbets talked to volunteers and autographed copies of his book, "The Return of the Enola Gay," an account of dropping the world's first atomic bomb on Aug. 6, 1945.
"Most of you know the rest of the story. We put the bombs on the target. We caused a bit of a furor. We got Emperor Hirohito's attention. He was the only man who could stop the war," Tibbets said.
Tibbets received a warm response from volunteers and Boeing employees and got a close up view of the B-29 restoration project. Tibbets said he got his introduction to the B-29 when he was a lieutenant colonel who became a test pilot for the airplane at Boeing Wichita.
He said he found out early on that the B-29 was a plane he would love to fly. "I wanted to run it down the runway at a reasonable speed. I did that just to feel the ailerons," Tibbets said. "On the fourth attempt, we pushed the throttle forward and it lifted off beautifully, and from that day on, I knew that the airplane was going to have a wonderful career."
Tibbets said his heart belongs to the B-29. He said it's a wonderful airplane and he is pleased that "Doc" is being restored to flying status.
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