SB-29

Wow,
after such a long time I just received this link showing images from September 1952 with SB-29 44-84084 and the EDO A-3-610 lifeboat.
http://tinyurl.com/2amg7ym

Martin

Thanks Joe for this detailed post! It seems quite clear – there were more SB-29 than sixteen…
Martin

Hey Joe,

Thanks I can’t find my copy of Manns book still unpacking from the move.

As for 84123 my source is from Maxwell AFB Crash records this aircraft was lost with three on board being killed the aircraft is list on the accident report as a SB-29B converet from the KP a few of the KB later in life were retro fitted with some SB items but were never list as official SB by the Airforce.

Since I don’t live to far from the National Archives and I have to make a trip up there sometime soon I’ll see what is avaible for photos of any of the SB-29s it might take me awhile since I’m working on going thru all the capture German Aircraft records right now.

Looking for the serials and every information available of the sixteen B-29 which were converted to SB-29 to carry lifeboats in rescue missions.

The best published source on B-29’s by serial number is “The B-29 Superfortress-A Comprehensive Registry of the Planes and their Missions” by Robert A. Mann. As the title implies, the book consists entirely of tables with career of each plane by serial, sub-type, use in Korea, use by the RAF, etc. mainly based on examining all Individual Aircraft Record Cards of B-29’s; plus some tables of WWII B-29 missions. There’s a link to a sample chapter in a post above. As I said best published IMO, but per my own research on Korean War B-29’s, using IARC’s and records to determine various things plane by plane, the book is not infallible, though nothing so large could be.

Mann lists 25 confirmed SB-29’s per IARC’s, plus 4 listed by Lloyd “B-29 Suprefortress in Detail and Scale Part 2” which were not or couldn’t be confirmed by IARC, all 44- prefixes:
61671 SB-29 per Lloyd, IARC not found (Papa Lima’s post notes photo)
69957
69971
70119
84030
84078
84084
84086
84088 SB-29 per Lloyd but not per IARC
84112
86303
86308
87644
87665
87761 SB-29 per Lloyd but not per IARC
47308
27312 SB-29 per Lloyd but not per IARC
62190
62194
62210
70089
70101
70117
70131
84034
84096
86259
86335

Among others listed already on this thread but not in Mann’s list:
44-69982: this first hand account link describes it as SB-29
http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36%20wrecks.htm#44-69982
Mann lists only its career with 444th BG (which is mentioned on web too but with Mann as source it seems)

44-84123: as noted already Mann includes it in the KB-29P conversion list, and in the main body of his book it’s listed as serving w/ 91st Strategic Recon Sdn (which did operate KB-29’s during the KW)

Joe

Another one to add to the list is
44-84123 B-29-65-BA SB-29

Scorpion89, please could you add your source? Thanks in advance. Martin

Another source mentions 123 as a KB-29P-65-BA
http://216.219.175.113/mann/contents.html

I knew she was with the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron.
http://www.315bw.org/b29list.html

Another one to add to the list is

44-84123 B-29-65-BA SB-29

Yes, some KB-50s…the KB-50J & Ks…were converted bombers and fitted with J47 jet pods under each wing in an attempt to boost speed to better match the fighters they refueled. 136 were converted and they entered service in 1958.

You can see the jet behind the prop in the photo in post 11.

I can’t recognize a jet between the outer port engine and the wing tank as you can clearly see on the photo.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/060320-F-1234P-010.jpg

B-29 type

I seem to recall it had a jet engines (one each wing!!)or am I imagining this? This was B of B day sept 58.

Guess I go with J Boyle – it’s a B-50D – if there is really a droppable wing tank on the port wing.

edit: 49-368, Boeing B-50D-125-BO Superfortress, converted to KB-50 tanker, later to KB-50J. To MASDC. Declared excess Jun 26, 1964

It may be my imagination, but I think I can see the bulge under the rear fuselage which housed the inboard end of the KB-29’s flying boom. That would make it a KB-29P if it is.

Sorry Papa Lima, the chin intakes under the engines and tall tail make it a B-50 variant.

It may be my imagination, but I think I can see the bulge under the rear fuselage which housed the inboard end of the KB-29’s flying boom. That would make it a KB-29P if it is.

Not the lifeboat varient ,just thought you might like to see it!! RAF St Athan sept 1958.

That’s a KB-50 (at least I think it’s a “K” I can’t see the back end. But by `1958, there weren’t any straight B-50 bombers in service) not a KC-97.
You’re close in calling it a KC-97 as it had similar wings, engines and tail, but a transport fuselage.
Both types were developed from the basic B-29 airframe.

KC-97?

Not the lifeboat varient ,just thought you might like to see it!! RAF St Athan sept 1958.

Another serial is 44-70119, pictured on page 337 of the 1988 edition of Peter M Bowers’ Boeing Aircraft since 1916, published by Putnam.

Thanks PL, 91Regal and Scorpion89!

Martin

Here are few more,

44-84084 B-29-60-BA SB-29B
44-84078 B-29-60-BA SB-29B
44-69957 B-29-70-BW SB-29
44-69982 B-29-70-BW SB-29
44-84124 B-29-65-BA SB-29
44-86308 B-29-45-MO SB-29A

Also during the Korean War the 3rd Rescue Squadron operated a mix of aircraft including the SB-29s.

The Schiffer book on the B-29 does not list the serial numbers, but says they were Wichita built B-29-80-BWs. The book contains a photo of one specimen with the tail number 484078. There is one of this variant preserved, 44-84084, in California.

Known as the Super Dumbo, the SB-29 carried a 12-man crew (extra nav. and radio operator).

Dennis

One of them was SB-29A-40-BN 44-61671 as shown in a photograph on page 77 of Volume 14 of the Warbird Tech Series by Peter M Bowers, publshed by Specialty Press, ISBN 0-933424-79-5. This book also contains a brief description of the SB-29 variant.