Can a Chinook airlift a B-29 in pieces?

[DH106]

For the helicopter guys...

OK, in 1993, Daryl Greenameyer (former Lockheed test pilot and millionaire daredevil) went to Greenland to get the derilict B-29 "Kee Bird" flying in ferryable condition. After months of work and enormous cash burn, they were ready to fly it off the rough dirt/ice of Greenland. But, the airplane burned-up immediately before it's first flight in 46 years. They left the gas-powered APU running in the back of the plane, and the bouncing-around due to the rough ground caused it to come loose, starting a fire.

My question: instead of making it flyable, would they have been better-off dismantling the B-29 wings and airframe, and hiring a Chinook, or Chinooks, to fly the wings, tail, and fuselage the 250 miles to the nearby AFB? Could it carry the fuselage and wings separately? Could a Chinook make the 250-mile trip to the AFB?

In other words, instead of making the B-29 flyable, would it have been better to airlift the major airframe sections the 250-miles, instead?

 

[ghostrider64]

Maybe, maybe not. It would depend on the load, and the drag of the load itself. Without a bladder the chinook holds about 3 hours of fuel. At high speed cruise you would be doing around 140KIAS. However when you sling something under it the speed varies quite a bit. Not to mention the fuel burn goes through the roof.

My guess you would be hard pressed to sling a section of another plane 250 miles.

 

[Traderd]

maybe, maybe not. It would depend on the load, and the drag of the load itself. Without a bladder the chinook holds about 3 hours of fuel. At high speed cruise you would be doing around 140kias. However when you sling something under it the speed varies quite a bit. Not to mention the fuel burn goes through the roof.

My guess you would be hard pressed to sling a section of another plane 250 miles.

farp?

 

[DH106]

Ghostrider, thanks for the info. I was curious, and I'm sure what you say about the Chinook is right-on.

It just doesn't seem like flying that B-29 out was the smartest decision. I mean, just consider the condition of all the various rubber gaskets in the fuel and oil systems? How dilapidated would those be like after sitting for 50 years? And, you're gonna' fly this thing for 250 miles? I bet they would have been leaking fuel and oil the whole way, and they probably wouldn't have made it. There had to have been a way to dismantle it and get it out in pieces.

 

[stupidpilot]

Cut up in pieces, yes. A Chinook weighs about 31K with a full bag of gas with 50K max gross. Your forward A/S is limited due to the aerodynamic shape and/or drag of the piece. If the load is light and tries to fly, it may come in contact with the fuselage or rotor system of the helicopter, therefore you need to be at a slow enough speed so that it won't. If it is a heavy, high density piece then you can fly faster. But the ol' Fat Girl should be able to do it no problem. But the other guy was right, you'll need a fuel stop.

 

[DH106]

stupidpilot, "ol' Fat Girl" made me laugh! That's a good one. Thanks for the info. Maybe ol' Darryl Greenameyer should have rented himself a couple of Chinooks instead of relying on a ragged-out DH Caribou and a faulty scheme of flying the B-29 out. Thanks again.

 

[propsarebest]

He also should of strapped down the APU and not worked his mechanic to death...

 

[DH106]

That's for sure. Why nobody thought about the APU running is beyond me. Didn't they write-out a preflight checklist? It seems like they were ready to just fire the thing up, warm it up, check the guages, and go.

 

[embpic1]

Here is a recent picture of what is left of the plane. Reports I have read say it sank to the bottom of the lake. Must be a pretty shallow lake. I think there are some salvageable parts that can be retrieved.

http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/f...recent-kee-bird-picture-116-b29-greenland.jpg

 

[Lynxman]

I just cant see how it was going to be ready to fly after sitting for so many years. Seriously just hop in start and go. Wow