B-29 Superfortress "Fifi" Coming to Cutter Aviation DVT - Nov. 14-18

[Ryan Keough]

Here is the latest...

The B-29 is ENROUTE - According to FlightAware, she is 54 minutes out of Long Beach and is Southeast of the Salton Sea at 9600 ft (avoiding active MOA and Resticted areas?) - 1 hour and 35 minutes from landing.  Estimating 1245 arrival DVT. 

According to Alan Brooks, one of the crew, the B-29 will most likely be departing on Wednesday afternoon due to crew scheduling issues... but considering Thursday was a departure day, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The biggest help they need now is getting people to take rides in her... they did a fair amount of activity in LGB to pay for at least the flight out and back, but the debt of FOUR engine changes (and the re-engineering of those engines) and getting her back in the air needs to get worked off, and rides are one of the only ways to get it done.  Tell your friends... especially if they live in the more well-to-do areas of our city and have done well in the stock market :-)

I won't be out there today because of a VERY important deadline I need to make by tomorrow AM... but I might be coming out later Monday or Tuesday (or both) and possibly Wednesday.  I figure you guys will have more than enough photos to make it like I am there today :-)  Good shooting everyone!

Thanks,
Ryan

[Ryan Keough]

OK - It's now showing them for a 12noon arrival - but I am sure there may be some vectoring around with traffic in the pattern.  They are just West of Gila Bend now. 

Thanks,
Ryan

[cholubaz]

Nice to meet Chris Kennedy and Brian Lockett out at Deer Vally this morning to watch the bombers come in.
My Pics are still uploading

Cheers,
Chris

[Chris Kennedy]

If anybody is planning a trip to DVT tomorrow (Monday), Fifi has a confirmed flight at 10:00 AM, although their times seem to slip a bit, so it might be later.

[Brian Lockett]

Nice to meet Chris Kennedy and Brian Lockett out at Deer Vally this morning to watch the bombers come in.
My Pics are still uploading

Cheers,
Chris

Pleased to meet you Chris.  I'm sure we'll run into each other out there again.

Here's a few shots from the day at Deer Valley

P-51D N151BW Cripes a Mighty

B-25J N125AZ Maid in the Shade and B-17G N9323Z Sentimental Journey

B-29 N529B Fifi

B-25J N125AZ Maid in the Shade , B-17G N9323Z Sentimental Journey, and B-29 N529B Fifi

[Chris Kennedy]

If anyone is still planning to travel out to DVT to see Fifi, you need to do it soon. One of the people with the operation there told me that the plane is leaving Wednesday morning about 9:30 to go back to Texas. That is a day earlier than we had heard earlier. As of about noon today, they had one flight scheduled for noon tomorrow (Tuesday) and an early flight at 8:00 on Wednesday, after which they would be departing.

Flight schedules, as always with this type of operation, are somewhat flexible, to say the least. It all depends on ticket sales, but the guy said these two flights were "definite."

The Arizona Wing people said they had a B-17 flight scheduled for noon tomorrow.

[Joe Copalman]

Just spoke w/James O'Rear who is out at KDVT.  FiFi's "noon" flight was over an hour early today, with an arrival time of 10:57.  She is not scheduled to make another flight today.  The Arizona Wing bombers will be heading back to Falcon at 3pm today.

[Chris Kennedy]

I want to apologize to the guys that came up from Tucson to see Fifi at "noon" based on my information. They must have changed the schedule after I spoke with them.

The AZ Wing planes went back to Falcon for the event tonight. They are supposed to be back at DVT in the morning. They did a nice "show" on departure, both circling around for high speed passes down the runway and pulling up sharply to the left just past the terminal. Will post some pictures if I got anything good.

I hesitate to say this after what happened today, but one of the B-29 people said they are flying at 8:00 tomorrow morning and then departing for home as soon as they are packed up after that.

[Chris Kennedy]

[Chris Kennedy]

[Joe Copalman]

Anyone headed out there for the departure today?

[cpasley]

Hey Joe ,what time are they slated to go home?

[Joe Copalman]

I just talked to Jack out there, he said the crew was currently filing a flight plan and that it looked like they were already all packed-up.

[cpasley]

Damn I dont get outa here till 1:30 looks like im gonna miss it

[Joe Copalman]

Nothing on Flightaware yet.

http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KDVT