CINCINNATI -- Fifi, one of only two Boeing B29 Superfortresses restored to flying condition, will touch down at Lunken Airport on Monday along with other vintage planes for a weeklong visit to the Queen City.
The public can tour the aircraft from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at $10 for adults and $5 for kids age 11 through 17. Tours are free for kids 10 and under.
Fifi's cockpit
If you've got a bundle of cash, you can even ride in the plane on July 15 and 16. The B-29 will be accompanied by a T6 Texan and a C-45 Expeditor and joined later in the week by the P-51 Mustang Gunfighter. The other planes will be available for rides Wednesday through Sunday. The event is hosted by Cincinnati Warbirds EAA Squadron 18.
Ride prices range from $80 to $1,895 and reservations may be made online here.
B-29s were first flown in 1942, began active service in 1944 and are best known as the aircraft whose missions over Japan helped bring about the end of World War II. It was designed as a replacement for the older B17s and B24s, with longer range and greater bomb loads. The airplane represented state-of-the-art technology at the time. The B29 was also used in the Korean War in the early 1950s and was a staple of the U.S. Air Force until the late-1950s.
Fifi was acquired by the CAF in the early 1970s when a group of CAF members found her at the U.S. Navy Proving Ground at China Lake, California, where she was planned to be used as a missile target. The airplane was rescued and restored and has traveled coast to coast for over 43 years.
The Commemorative Air Force honors the men and women who built, maintained and flew in these airplanes during World War II. The organization believes that is best accomplished by maintaining the airplanes in flying condition and allowing the public to experience the sight and sound of the aircraft in flight.
Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the Commemorative Air Force ranks as one of the largest private air forces in the world. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance.
A nonprofit educational association, the CAF has more than 11,000 members and a fleet of 160 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 70 CAF units for care and operation. For more information, visit the CAF website here.
