“I’ve known (Tibbets IV) for years and we’ll each get a turn to fly. “Doc is a piece of history, and the Tibbets name is historic because anyone who knows WWII knows about the general’s grandfather, Paul Tibbets Jr.,” said Novak. “When we have the opportunity to embrace that kind of heritage and that kind of history, it’s a real privilege and an honor.”īefore the flight, Doc’s pilot, Mark Novak, described the significance of having Tibbets IV on board. “It’s really about upholding the legacy of those who have come before,” he said. Now, 72 years after the historic WWII mission and nearly 10 years after the passing of his grandfather, Tibbets IV, who is traditionally a B-1 Lancer pilot and currently a B-2 Spirit pilot, once again boarded a B-29 to honor his grandfather. It was a great opportunity for me to be with him.” He and I got to fly Fifi together, which was awesome. “He had given up aviation and had not flown in any aircraft in a very long time. “The only time I ever flew with my grandfather was with Fifi,” said Tibbets IV. Paul Tibbets Jr., who piloted the B-29 Enola Gay when the aircraft and its crew dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, helping end World War II. In 1998, Tibbets IV, flew Fifi with his grandfather, retired Brig.
Taking control of the aircraft means he has now flown the only two currently operational B-29s, Doc and Fifi. Paul Tibbets IV, the 509th Bomb Wing commander. (AFNS) - Wichita’s beloved B-29 Superfortress, Doc, took to the skies yet again June 9, 2017, from McConnell Air Force Base, this time with an added aspect of historical significance and Air Force heritage. He lives in Winter Haven.MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. Eugene Nagel is a retired anesthesiologist. 12, gunfire broke out in our camp as V-J Day was declared.ĭr. There was scattered cloud cover, but Sweeney chose to drop the bomb at 11:02 a.m., 1,650 feet above the city, which was devastated.Īt Camp Twenty Grand on Aug. Sweeney had to fly a couple of hundred miles to Nagasaki, a ship-building center, the very industry intended for destruction. Bock, took off from Tinian Island piloted by Sweeney and co-piloted by Albury.Ĭloud cover prevented the bomb drop as the orders were a visual rather than instrumental drop. So at 1:56 a.m., a specially adapted B-29 bomber, called Bockscar, after its usual commander, Capt. But expected bad weather pushed the date up to Aug. had already planned to drop their second atom bomb, nicknamed “Fat Man,” on Aug. That bomb was a different type and was armed on the ground rather than in the air during the flight to the target, which, by the way, was Keokura, the "West Point" of Japan. It was decided to drop the remaining bomb. The three-plane flight dropped a perfect strike on Hiroshima, detonating at 1,500 feet over ground zero.īut the Japanese military did not surrender when asked. Albury flew the telemetering and photographic planes. Tibbets's plane held the bomb and three technicians who armed the bomb while in flight. 6, seven B-29s took off and four went on diversionary raids over Japan. They, along with other volunteer pilots, went to remote Wendover Air Field in Utah to train in dropping "a heavy object." On Aug.
Charles "Don" Albury, whom I had the pleasure of knowing during his retirement as chief pilot for Eastern Airlines following World War II, and who provided the information below. Three pilots had extensive experience on the B-29 as test pilots: Tibbets, Capt. In early 1945, it was decided to use atomic weapons to end the war. This time the Japanese emperor ended that part of World War II, despite the objections of the Japanese military. Sweeney piloted the plane that dropped the second A-bomb on Nagasaki. But the Japanese military refused to surrender, and on Aug. Paul Tibbets piloted the Enola Gay when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. We were issued arms and uniforms suitable for the invasion of Japan scheduled for November 1945.
Each camp held about 80,000 American troops. We were then transferred to Camp Twenty Grand, one of six camps in France, all named for cigarettes. When Germany began surrendering in April 1945, I was in Bremen, Germany. Army Signal Corps and went to England in October 1944.