History was on display at Albany International Airport over the weekend, with the runways and skies hosting World War II-era aircraft.
That’s the engine of a PT-17 Stearman, one of the planes on display as part of the Commemorative Air Force event.
The non-profit is devoted to restoring and preserving historic aircraft, with bases across the United States. Among the other planes, it operates the last flying B-24 Liberator, the “Diamond Lil,” and “Fifi,” one of only two airworthy B-29 Superfortresses — the same kind of plane that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan.
Brian Fenelon, an Albany native and former Southwest Airlines pilot, says the history of this particular B-24 is convoluted.
“It was originally supposed to go to France. It was under contract to go to France. It was made in 1940. But the problem was, the Germans came into France and kind of ruined the plans," Fenelon said.
That didn’t end up happening, as the plane was involved in an accident.
“There were some training that was going on out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and two TWA pilots were doing some takeoffs and landings to get proficient in the airplane. The right main landing gear, the brakes locked up, pulled the airplane off to the side off the runway, the gear folded, the nose gear folded, crunched the bomb bay," Fenelon said.
Despite never making to combat, the Diamond Lil still saw service in the war.
“They ended up using it throughout the war to transport people and cargo through the five different factories that were building the B-24 during World War II, and they also used it as a flying testbed," Fenelon said.
After that, it went to Mexico, where it was used as an executive aircraft for a Mexican oil company, which is where the CAF found it. After acquiring the plane, the CAF ended up restoring the plane to its original configuration.
“Right now we're in the, the aft part of the airplane, basically the defensive area of the airplane. So we'd have 50 caliber machine guns, we can see that there's one that is sticking out the window. OK, we also have a tail gun way in the back there. And then another gun that is sitting on the side of the airplane, which actually sticks out the bottom of the airplane. And a gunner would actually be sitting in a sling. And looking out through the windows there.”
Aside from being one of the last remaining Liberators, Fenelon says the plane is special for another reason.
“This airplane is the oldest operating four engine airplane in the world," Fenelon said.
And that means the CAF has had to be resourceful in keeping the plane running.
“A lot of parts are either remanufactured- You'd be surprised that how many parts we are still able to find. Some are interchangeable, some aren't, like the tires that are out there. The tires on this airplane are interchangeable with the B-17, the B-24 and the B-29. And there is a company that still makes brand new tires for us. Well, not really make new tires. These are all retreads," Fenelon said.
With men at war, many planes were built by women, immortalized in the form of Rosie the Riveter. Several of those women signed the inside of the Liberator.
Planes were often known for their nose art, the designs and names painted on the front by soldiers. Despite never seeing action, the Fifi has its own, chosen by an early member of the CAF, originally known as the Confederate Air Force.
“1971 is when Victor Agather, who was one of the early members of the Confederate Air Force at that time, said, I'd like to get a B-29 for the CAF, and they went out, took a look at the airplanes," Fenelon said. "This was in the best shape, and they were able to get it into flying condition and the name Fifi is Colonel Victor Agather, his wife's name.”
Fenelon says getting a plane like this off the ground is a multi-person job.
“The most important person on this airplane is the flight engineer. The flight engineer, he's the heart of the airplane. He starts the engines, he keeps them operating. If there's any problems, he lets the pilots know. The pilots just move the control wheel and, and that sort of thing," Fenelon said.
Jeff Stearn, also of the CAF, says that B-29s are distinct from other World War II aircraft.
“It was designed to fly from the Mariana Islands, once they were taken, to mainland Japan and back," Stearn said.
A B-29 is so large that it took 10 people to crew each one. Here’s Fenelon.
“In the front of the middle that's the bombardier seat. He could fire guns from there also, but his main job was dropping bombs. The pilot on the left and copilot on the right, OK, their flight engineer here, navigator and then the radio man behind," Fenelon said.
Speaking of the radioman, this B-29 is still registered as a radio station.
Aside from pioneering heavy flight, the B-29’s guns were also home to the advent of another technology often taken for granted: remote control. Here’s Fenelon.
“It was a very early computer-controlled system. You had to aim the system using a sight glass. You would register on the system, and the master gunner would take care of a bunch of that, what airplanes that they would expect would be coming up against it. And you just sight the glass to the wingspan of the airplane that you're shooting at. And the computer would know how fast you were flying, what altitude and that sort of thing, and it would basically do a lead-on shot of the bullets to the enemy airplane," Fenelon said.
While most modern planes are open tubes, the B-29 is compartmentalized. There’s a tube about a foot and a half wide to link compartments, from the cockpit to the aft gunnery compartment.
Another technology that the B-29 pioneered: pressurization.
And if the cockpit of the B-29, with its enormous windowed front, looks familiar? Thank Han Solo. The Millennium Falcon’s cockpit design was modeled on it.
Other planes on display included the previously-heard Stearman, as well as more trainer aircraft, including a T-6 Texan and RC-45J Expediter.
The CAF’s Bob Markert says such trainer airplanes were designed to ease pilots into flying.
“When a pilot was selected to go to training, when a person was selected, they would report to a field, do a lot of ground school, maybe a month or so, and then they would start flying aircraft. This would be one of the first aircraft that they began to fly. And then as they progressed in their skill level, and we're ready to move on to more advanced aircraft, they'd go to more advanced aircraft, but this was one of the primary trainers, one of the first aircraft they would have flown," Markert said.
You can see some of the planes for yourself in the photo gallery on this article.
