On Mon, 22 Jun 2015 23:53:12 -0500, "David R. Birch"
wrote:

On 6/22/2015 6:22 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"David R. Birch" wrote in message
...
On 6/21/2015 8:09 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

This afternoon I was listening to the crew of a machine of similar
complexity, the B-29 bomber "Fifi". They had removed the turbos and
replaced the direct mechanical injection with carbs to cut down the
enormous maintenance, since they don't need the original high
performance.
http://www.aviation-history.com/engines/r3350.htm

-jsw

When the Soviets built the Tu-4, based on interned B-29 they
studied, they're tech was not up to replicating the Wright R-3350,
so they installed a carbureted radial which meant the Tu-4 had much
less range.

When my Dad flew B-29 missions out of Tinian, they never flew with
all new or rebuilt engines, at least 2 were engines that had already
proved they were reliable.

David

The crew said WW2 B-29 pilots tended to have more 3-engine than
4-engine time. By the 1960's the R-3350 engine had become very
reliable. Fifi's R-3350 engines were custom-built from A-1 and C-119
components, derated for reliability since the airplane now flies only
VFR below pressurization altitude.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-1_Skyraider
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairch..._Flying_Boxcar

-jsw

When my Dad's B-29 ditched, it had 1 functional engine. B-29s couldn't
fly on 1, they just descended slowly.

http://www.444thbg.org/birchjohn.htm

David

Well, the article said that they ran out of gas :-)

From the date I am assuming that your father would have been flying
the earlier carbureted models and I never saw one of those. By the
time I worked on them they were all injected and probably the last
version to have been made.

Certainly the engine failures that I read about were pretty well cured
as I don't remember an excessive number of engine changes for that
sort of airplane although I d remember that an engine change, working
10 - 12 hour days was a several day job. and anything that you did on
the engine was difficult to get to.

--
cheers,

John B.