B-29 Engineering Flight book

[syscom3]

I found this neat photo. When you think about it, the shear size of the factories meant quite a bit of time could be wasted for the workers going to and from a cafeteria.

Here is one of Boeings ideas.

Caption is "New stainless steel rolling cafeterias are hauled by tractor-train down one of the half-mile-long aisles of Boeing's Kansas plants, each filled with sufficient food to feed 250 hungry aircraftsmen. At stations spaced 250 feet apart the wagons will be uncoupled and attendants will set up shop on the feeding line."

[evangilder]

That was aa pretty clever idea.

[Gnomey]

Originally Posted by evangilder

That was aa pretty clever idea.

It was, it will of saved a lot of time as well.

[DaveB.inVa]

The music being played most likely was just radio. Records would require a company DJ and you'd need a lot of them for variety as the only common speed Im aware of until after WWII was a 78. This would net you about 3 or 4 mintues of song time per side.

There is a possiblity that they used reel to reel as this was around before WWII. However my bet is still with radio. Why pay a DJ and put company funding into a private record or reel to reel collection and buy the equipment when all you really need to do is interface a regular ol radio into a probably already existant PA system. That way the radio station does all the music selection and plus you get news reports as well.... all automatically!!

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Interesting info there. I know music really can boost moral though. We listen to it all the time when we are doing maintenance on our aircraft. It helps you forget the boring tedious work sometimes. We mostly listen to Metallica, AC/DC and Guns N Roses and stuff like that.

[syscom3]

I created the attached document to show the B29 production totals at each plant.

This is for ACCEPTED aircraft.

Its interesting to see how the Boeing Renton plant geared up slowly but finished the war as being the most productive.

The Martin Omaha plant had the lowest numbers but had the most consistant quality, and fewest number of reworks.

The Bell Marrieta plant was a mixed breed. Poor managment int he beginning with consequent poor worker morale, hurt the production for many months. Finally in 1945, they seemed to get things right.

The Boeing Witchita plant was the first plant built for the B29, and it shows they had good production numbers throughout the war.

[syscom3]

Its a long read, but it interesting see how the economy of a rural state was transformed by the govt investment in the production of the B29 bomber program.

http://www.hts.gatech.edu/cssi/2ndwave/combes.html

"......This paper addresses the building of Air Force Plant #6 in Marietta, Georgia beginning in 1941 as a component of the massive federal program to manufacture the B-29 bomber. Although the plant was operational for less than three years (April 1943-December 1945) as a B-29 plant, its legacy of a trained workforce of 28,000, mammoth manufacturing facility, and cultural transformation in rural Georgia was sufficient inducement, together with additional federal defense contracts, to attract Lockheed Aircraft Company to establish a permanent presence in Georgia that today remains the largest manufacturing operation in the state...."

[Gnomey]

You are right syscom it is a long read. It was interesting though.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes that it was. Good stuff though, enjoyed it.

[syscom3]

I asked the B29 web group about depressurization. Here was my question: "Were any B29's lost from rapid depressurization due to
battle damage? If depressurization did occur, were the crews issued
with high altitude suits to change into in case this happened?"

Here were the responses (so far).

Orville Blackburn:
We were ALLWAYS pressrurized from the time we reached 10,000 ft for
the entire mission. Yes, several blister blow outs were recorded.
we made safety harneses out of parachute straps loose enough to move
around safely. Sgt Krantz 73rd Bm Wg was blown out of his left blister, sight and all because his safety belt was too long. I have a
photo of him hanging out at 27,000ft.We lost pressure from battle
damage several times, but not a major blow out. We did not have
Pressure suits but did carry heavy gear just in case.

Frank Palazzi
I heard from the son of a B29 crew chief that they shipped over with
a box of wooden, cone-shaped, "plugs" to be used to plug holes from
minor battle damage. Does anyone remember those?

Phil Crowther
Probably so the sound of the air whistling out through the holes wouldn't drive them crazy.

Frank Farrell
We might have been better off with "Pucker Plugs"! Never heard of or had any that I am aware of! I believe that most flak shrapnel holes were so unevenly shaped, and with metal pushed inward, that plugs would have been relatively useless! Dunno!

Al Wood
As I recall, all planes flew unpressurised over the target just to avoid
such events. No change of clothes required, just oxygen masks.

bombardierb29
Frank we went overseas to Tinian early March of 45 at that time of the B-29 I had never heard of the plugs (wooden) and also most of our missions were around 10,000 ft. or under a few at 16.000 and we never pressurized over target area (Japan)

Charles Rees
Bud, You know we never got hit with shrapnel, we just lost engines !! <VBG> Chuck

Hilt
On the missions I flew in WW2, we did not depressurize over the target. Fortunately, we also never lost pressure. One time though, at about 30,000 feet, the heat went off and everyone was then in there heavy suites and the blisters had ice on the inside. I asked how to remove it and was told to make the inside colder than the outside and was also told it was then colder, like 35 below.

James
If it had happend, and the aircraft was pressurized there would not have
been time to get into the pressure suits. At roughly 30,000 ft, you could stay concious for some 2 minutes, without an O2 mask. When I went up in a pressure chamber, to 42,000 ft at gunnery school, one person was selected to take his mask off and attempt to write something...it did not take very long, a few seconds and he his writing was not legible and
he was passing out...there was always an instructor in the pressure chamber to make sure the person who took his mask off had his mask back on and breathing ok, in short order...he thought he was OK....anoxia is a dangerous thing to contend with.

Frank Palazzi
As I remember the plug story, these were early deliveries (I forget
where these were delivered, India, Marianas or stateside). I don't
believe the practice continued for very long. Maybe the crew chiefs
knew better than to even put them on board.

jallen
Can't remember ever being depressurized on any high altitude mission.
We never carried or even had any change of clothing in case of accidental
or any other cause of depressurization. Of course, at my age, my memory is not as good as that which most of you seem to have.
J. Allen, Gunner, 869th, 497th, 73d. arrived on Saipan 25 Oct 1944

Frank Farrell
Re this question of "high altitude suits", there were no such things to my
knowledge. And we ALWAYS depressurized on bomb run. If you remained pressurized and took a major hit anywhere OTHER than on pressurized fuselage and had to get out, the possibility of failing to dump pressurization entrapped crew....all hatches - nose wheel well and bulkhead doors - were INWARD opening and could not be lifted/opened against pressurization. Pressurization automatically equalized at 8,500 feet...and hatches could then be opened...MAYBE in time!

Lee Florence
When we were on a bomb run to Tokyo, we were hit by an explosive shot from a fighter, between the #3 engine and the Radio op seat. It created a fair sized hole, and lots of little holes in the radio man. All the dirt and small loose items were sucked out the hole, including three of my favorite cigars. We were wearing our light Khaki's, and no oxygen masks on. We sat on our flak vests. Flak was more dangerous than the fighters, we thought. Three of the throttle cables were cut for engines 2, 3 and 4, which went to auto cut off. Our engineer was able to splice the cables for two and four, stopping our descent at about three thousand feet. This was before Iwo was taken, and we had to make it all the way back to Saipan.The radio man went back to the states real soon, and I think they may have written off the airplane. I don't remember seeing it again either

[Gnomey]

Interesting stuff syscom doesn't seem like they had any problems from rapid depressurisation.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Interesting. Where is this B-29 discussion forum?

[syscom3]

http://b-29.org/

Remember to get on their mailing list. There are several B29 veterans who would bve happy to answer your questions.

Right now theyre discussing the food (crap? hehehehehe) they had to endure in the Mariana's and on their "flight lunch box's"

[syscom3]

I saw this on the B29 website.

Here is a list of work done on FIFI the last 18 months. Gary Austin, crew
chief B29/B24 Squadron says the Lady will fly in about 30 days. The main focus of current work is the left wing and tail/fuselage.
The remaining ribs for the lft wing arrived last Friday and a full crew has
been installing them and the new skin.This work should finish this week and rehanging the 24' of trouble will start next week.
The tail section/tailgunner area is being completely refurbished
structurally. Making it look as good as the Enola Gays will be an ongoing
project. For those who visited FIFI's aft section and found a hodgepodge
mess will be delightfully surprised at the transformation Gary and his crew
have accomplished.
All engines were run last week with some minor bugs worked out. These
engines are purring and are anxious to return the skies.But.. they still
leak.. haha.
If any of you are in the Midland area before we leave on tour contact me and
I will see that you get a VIP tour of the Queen of the CAF's fleet of
Warbirds.

Bill Copeland
CAF main hangar
Midland, Tx.
432-413-4100
"Bill Copeland" <b29bill@hotmail.com>

[evangilder]

Radial engines leaking? They aren't leaking, they're marking their territory.