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B-29 Superfortress S/N 44-87627
The Global Power Museum is located at Barksdale Air Force Base and is a major national repository of historic Air Force airplanes. It is free and open to the public, accessible via the Barksdale AFB north gate. It was formerly known as the 8th Air Force Museum.
The facility features a series of indoor exhibits and displays, and an outdoor airpark of restored, historic aircraft and related equipment. The airpark also includes numerous sculptures and monuments to various groups and heroes of the Eighth Air Force.
The collection includes over 20 historic aircraft including the B-29-80-BW Superfortress S/N 44-87627. It was assembled at the Boeing Wichita plant as Construction Number 12430, and delivered to the Army Air Force on June 1, 1945.
It was used as a TB-29 training aircraft, and stationed at Chanute Field, Illinois. It later may have been stored with other B-29s at China Lake, California, where the B-29 "FiFI" was also in storage for a time.
During the early 1950s it was assigned to the 582nd Resupply and Communication Wing at RAF Molesworth, UK, and reportedly was used to drop agents behind the iron curtain.
After its return to the U.S., the B-29 was assigned to the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland wherethe plane remained from 1960-1985 as a potential training target and for survivability studies.
However, a team of volunteers from the 2nd Bomb Wing dismantled the B-29 and airlifted the plane to Barksdale AFB in a C-5 Galaxy transport.
Today, the B-29 is painted in the colors of the 2nd Bombardment Wing's 96th Bombardment Squadron while stationed at Hunter AFB in Georgia in 1950.
Partial List of Other B-29s at Aberdeen Proving Grounds Also Saved
- B-29A-55-BN "Jack's Hack", S/N 44-61975, now at the New England Air Museum
- B-29 "Big Red" S/N 44-70113 moved in 1983 to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia (formerly known as "Bonnie Lee")
- B-29 "Tinker's Heritage", S/N 44-27343 at the Charles B. Hall Airpark at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City
- B-29A-40-BN "The Great Artiste", S/N 44-61671, gatekeeper at Whiteman AFB, Missouri
- B-29-80-BW "Sweet Eloise", S/N 44-70113, at the main gate of Dobbins ARB, Georgia
Other Surviving B-29 Superfortress Aircraft
click to see a complete list of surviving B-29s, their names, serial numbers, and locations
Original Photographs of the B-29 Superfortress 44-87627
Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 44-87627, Buzz Number BF-627, at the Global Power Museum |
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Left fuselage view of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana |
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Nose view of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana |
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Right fuselage view of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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Tail section of Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 in Bossier City, Louisiana |
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Tail section of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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8th Air Force logo on the Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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Tail guns on the Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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Close up photo of engine on the Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627 |
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More about the B-29 Superfortress |
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