Re: Doc, (B29) took his first flight this morning.

KevinM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> et&wnc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Even though the CAF has traditionally liked
> being
> > 'the only circus in town' at any event, it's a
> > given that there's a massive push to have them
> fly
> > Fifi with Doc at some point. Such a shame that
> it
> > couldn't happen at Oshkosh this year (which is
> > going on right now). I think we'd all love to
> be
> > at the photo line when those two come roaring
> > past, alongside one another!
> > Anyone remember the debacle of the of those
> clowns
> > who tried to get that B-29 out of Greenland but
> > wound up destroying it in place (not to mention
> > the mechanic who died during the attempt)?
> Their
> > plan was to first show it at Oshkosh that year,
> > but the funny thing is a pal of mine was on the
> > Base commander's staff at that time and he's
> > adamant that it never would have
> > left Thule except in crates.
>
> The folks who attempted to get the "Kee Bird" off
> the tundra in Greenland were led by Daryl
> Greenamyer, who was definitely not an amateur.
> Darryl was a highly experienced aviator and
> definitely knew what he was doing. His plan was
> just underfunded. He very nearly succeeded.
> The problem was that the runway they carved on the
> tundra was rough and during a high-speed taxi, the
> intense shaking broke the "putt-putt" (APU) loose
> from its mountings. It was a gasoline-fired
> generator that had to be running for takeoff and
> landing. Unfortunately, a fuel line broke and
> without professional CFR crews, they were unable
> to extinguish the fire. No one died in the
> attempt. One guy did get injured fighting the
> fire, but he was not killed. One guy died before
> the accident, during the refurbishment process,
> but that death was due to a blood clot and was not
> related to the effort to rescue the B-29. It
> was a shame to see it lost, but if not for Daryl
> Greenamyer, it might still be under a pile of
> snow.
>
> /Kevin


If not for that clown, it'd still be intact. Now, it's a nose, wing tips and a tail, with a charred center, under a pile of snow. Yep, way better than if he'd never gotten there. Yay, Daryl was awesome, wasn't he? ...NOT.
The fuel tank for the APU was a jug hanging from above, right over the APU. And nobody to monitor the apparently impossible chance that on a runway that had the even surface of a bad washboard dirt road, that said jug might possibly break free, which it did.

-Lee

Flickr photo set of my On30 layout