$639,000
heavy bomber
ten
Wright R
3350
4 x 2,000 hp. ea.
69,610 lbs.
141,100 lbs.
10- .50 caliber
1- 20 mm
20,000 lbs.
99' 0"
141' 3"
220 mph
357 mph
900 fpm
36,000 feet
3,250 miles
1944
The Boeing B-29 was the largest, highest flying, and fastest heavy bomber of World War II. In 1946 one set a piston
engine aircraft altitude record of 47,910 feet while carrying a 1,000 kg payload.
The Boeing B-29 was used only in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Soon after their deployment in early 1944, Boeing B-29 bombers, based in India, flew missions against Japanese held
rail facilities in Thailand.
Beginning in July of 1944, Boeing B-29 bombers were based in China. From there they could fly missions to the Japanese mainland. Once islands
within range of Japan were secured, air fields were built for the heavy bomber.
Boeing B-29 raids were launched against Japan from the Mariannas from late in 1944 and continued until the war ended. During these raids, Japanese shipping
routes were mined in additional to conventional strategic missions being flown.
On August 6, 1945 a Boeing B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9,
1945. On August 15, 1945 Japan officially surrendered, marking the end of World War II.
The Boeing B-29 was employed, after the Japanese surrender, to drop supplies to Allied personnel in Japanese prison camps until they could be evacuated.
The Boeing B-29 was used again during the Korean War. They flew missions primarily at night in an
effort to avoid interceptor aircraft.
The Boeing B-29 also served in electronic intelligence gathering, and as tankers for air-to-air refueling.
By the time they retired in 1960, a total of 3,970 Boeing B-29 aircraft had been manufactured.
The Boeing B-29 by Paul Conrad.
Pictured above is Paul Conrad's scratch built Boeing B-29 with the X-1 rocket. It has a wingspan of 144" and uses K&B 61 engines.
In the first picture below is the Tu-4 AEW version of the Boeing B-29 scratch built by George Maorana. It has a 115" wingspan and is powered by Max N32-13Y geared motors.
Also pictured below is a magnificent giant scale 21 foot wingspan, 100 lb. Boeing B-29 built by Mac Hodges. It is regularly flown at air shows and launches an X-1 rocket.
Don Albright scratch built the 144" wingspan Boeing B-29 seen in the third picture below. Don's scale model rc B-29 airplane weighs
97 lbs. and is powered by Quadra 100 engines.
There are a number of Boeing B-29 toy airplanes for sale. One with a 44" wingspan is shown in the last
picture below taken from an actual retailer ad. Check out the wings and horizontal stab. It also looks like the Boeing B-29
for sale does not have aileron, rudder or elevator control.
A Boeing B-29 by George Maorana.
The Boeing B-29 by Mac Hodges.
Don Albright and his Boeing B-29.
A toy Boeing B-29 for sale.
One of our club members, Bill Johnson, found a new in box two channel Boeing B-29, similar to the one pictured immediately above, at a
garage sale for $10. He heard all about the issues with such toys, but couldn't refuse purchasing what he considered a bargain.
We received the following email review of the Boeing B-29 from Bill:
"If a little care is taken in assembling the Boeing B-29 and carefully applying the decals, it doesn't look half bad, although not a good-looking as the picture on the box cover.
Just a reminder about the fact that you attempt to turn the Boeing B-29, not with ailerons or rudder, but by applying thrust to the motors on each
side of the aircraft. There is no elevator to help control altitude. Climbing the Boeing B-29 is with the radio stick in the
middle and applying full power. With the power reduced it will attempt to fly by doing a shallow climb, followed by a gentle stall.
That is as close as possible that it can come to sustaining level flight. If you get the Boeing B-29 into too sharp a turn, it will cork
screw into the ground, no matter how much opposite thrust you apply.
The illustrated instructions for the Boeing B-29 are minimal and in laughingly poor English. The entire airplane is made from rigid, easily
breakable foam. The wings and tail are affixed to the fuselage using double sided tape and small screws. The tape is surprisingly strong, and
care must be taken to get everything into its proper position because once stuck, making adjustments are nearly impossible.
The main wing comes in two sections, and it too is joined by tape. The Boeing B-29 comes with landing gear. They aren't very good
looking, and aren't needed when landing in tall grass. It would be virtually impossible to take the Boeing B-29 off from a runway.
With the Boeing B-29 put together and the batteries charged, it was off to the flying field. I had a feeling of what to expect, and brought a couple
of my other airplanes so that if the Boeing B-29 did meet its demise I would have something else that I could fly.
There was barely a breeze blowing, and that was perfect for the first flight of the Boeing B-29. I gave it a firm toss into the light breeze,
and it climbed surprisingly well. However, attempting a gentle turn resulted in a cork screw into some tall grass. I
launched it again and this time just pulsed the stick rather than holding it when it came time to turn. That seemed to work better,
although it was extremely difficult to have any directional control.
When the Boeing B-29 could no longer maintain altitude, I tried to set up for a gentle turn and a straight in landing. I got it fairly well
lined up to land, and applied just a little right differential. This time the Boeing B-29 raised its nose, then stalled violently, dropping a
wing and cork screwing yet again towards the earth. Unfortunately, it chose to drop onto hard earth, rather than tall grass. The Boeing
B-29 was totaled beyond repair.
In conclusion, my $10 Boeing B-29 had a total flight time of around three minutes. I thought that it would last a bit longer, but
really wasn't surprised. I have yet to meet anyone who has had any luck flying a toy airplane similar to the Boeing B-29 for any period of time."
Bill, thank you for sharing your experiences with your Boeing B-29. We hope that anyone considering purchasing a similar
rc airplane will read your article and take your advice.
NitroPlanes has a Boeing B-29 for sale. We do not know the specifications, but it appears to be a toy.
Don Smith Plans has two plans for sale of the Boeing B-29. Wingspans are 144" or 169".
The 144" wingspan Boeing B-29 built from Don Smith Plans for sale has a length of 99". Power can come from .91 engines.
The Don Smith Plans for a Boeing B-29 has a 169" wingspan and is 119" in length. You will need 1.20 engines to power it.
Wes Leonard built a Boeing B-29 from his own plans. It has a wingspan of 14 1/2 feet and weighs around 55 lbs. Construction is primarily from balsawood and plywood. Power is by O.S. .91 FS engines.
Michael Freschetti built his Boeing B-29 using wood and foam construction. Its wingspan is 108" and it weighs around 11 lbs. Speed 600 motors provide the motivation.
Frank Dewers has a Boeing B-29 with a 144" wingspan. It uses Saito .91 engines to propel its weight of about 40 lbs.
Kevin Constantine built a 88" wingspan Boeing B-29. Its length is 61" and power comes from O.S. .20 engines. Weight is about 11 lbs.
William Barns scratch built a Boeing B-29. Its wingspan is 174". William uses O.S. 1.20 four cycle engines to power his scale model rc airplane.
We haven't seen any Boeing B-29 kits for sale. If you know of one, or any other Boeing B-29 that should be show here, please email us.
Boeing B-29
