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B-29 Superfortress "T-Square 54"
To support the effort in the Pacific Theater during World War II, the United States built 3,970 B-29 bombers. Many B-29s have been preserved, restored, and are on static display. About 22 complete B-29 airframes are currently on display or in flight status in the United States.
T-Square 54 in World War II
One of the B-29 survivors, known as "T-Square 54", is located at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The Museum's B-29 fought in the Pacific during World War II, flying at least 37 combat missions with the 875th Bomb Squadron, 498th Bomb Group.
Rescue from China Lake by Lowry Heritage Museum Volunteers
After the war, the bomber was converted to an aerial refueling tanker and served in the Korean War. The aircraft was then retired to the China Lake Naval Gunnery Range, where it remained until a rescue was organized in 1986 by volunteers from Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado.
The Lowry Heritage Museum along with local veterans of B-29 service wanted a B-29 display, and knew that China Lake held the last major collection of airframes. They arranged to transfer an aircraft to the official Lowry AFB Heritage Museum, collected money and volunteers, found a "suitable" airframe, and trucked her to Lowry in bits and pieces. After thousands of hours of work, the aircraft was reassembled, restored and then dedicated on October 2, 1987, the 50th anniversary of Lowry AFB.
The closure of Lowry in 1994 resulted in the aircraft's transfer by the U.S. Air Force to the Museum of Flight.
Read more about the salvage and restoration work done on T-Square 54 in Colorado
The Aircraft at the Museum of Flight
The B-29 was unwrapped in April of 2016 (see video below), and placed in its permanent display area in the museum's Aviation Pavilion. The pavilion is a three acre, covered, outside gallery housing 19 commercial and military aircraft.
The facility is located at King County International Airport, also known as Boeing Field. Established in 1965, it is the largest private air and space museum in the world. A vast array of historical aircraft and space artifacts are displayed. It also hosts the largest K-12 educational programs in the world.
Other Surviving B-29 Superfortress Aircraft
click to see a complete list of surviving B-29s, their names, serial numbers, and locations
Photographs of Boeing B-29 Superfortress "T-Square 54"
Boeing B-29 Superfortress "T-Square 54" at the Museum of Flight in Seattle |
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The unveiling of the Museum of Flight's historic, restored Boeing B-29 in 2016 (YouTube video by the Museum of Flight) |
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B-29 Superfortress "T-Square 54" in Seattle, Washington, restored and shrink-wrapped, prior to its movement to its current location in the Museum of Flight's Aviation Pavilion (Staff photo, May 2013) |
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More about the B-29 Superfortress |
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