Fifi (revisited)

After the events in Texas, I was looking thru some of my older shots and decided to reprocess this one. This is fifi when she was in North Bay, Ontairo in 2018. I happened to be there for a visit back home and didn't realize that she would be there, but managed to get some shots on an impromptu run out to the airport so see if I could manage some pictures.

Nice, these are from a local show in 2015.

love the shots! I didn't notice the names on the engine cowlings before. Do you know the significance of them?

Eastcoast wrote in post #19464619
love the shots! I didn't notice the names on the engine cowlings before. Do you know the significance of them?

Each of FIFI’s engines is named for a Hollywood actress: Betty (Grable), Rita (Hayworth), Ingrid (Bergman), and Mitzi (Gaynor). Betty and Rita are on the starboard wing.

Thank you for the info.

Great photos and a great thread! Thanks for starting it!

Here are two of mine from the 2022 WWII Weekend air show in Reading, PA (USA).

(In 2020, both Fifi and Doc were scheduled to perform, but they canceled the show that year due to COVID).

Photo from mcoren's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (1162248)

dougsmithsatx wrote in post #19464950
Each of FIFI’s engines is named for a Hollywood actress: Betty (Grable), Rita (Hayworth), Ingrid (Bergman), and Mitzi (Gaynor). Betty and Rita are on the starboard wing.

I never knew that before. Thanks for sharing that info.

Nothing against the beautiful an talented Mitzi Gaynor, but she seems like an odd choice. The others were popular in the 1930s and 40s and would have been well known to WWII GI's, but Mitzi Gaynor is much younger. I don't think she was active until the 50s, by which time B-29s were being withdrawn from service.

mcoren wrote in post #19466020
I never knew that before. Thanks for sharing that info.

Nothing against the beautiful an talented Mitzi Gaynor, but she seems like an odd choice. The others were popular in the 1930s and 40s and would have been well known to WWII GI's, but Mitzi Gaynor is much younger. I don't think she was active until the 50s, by which time B-29s were being withdrawn from service.

You're right. Ms. Gaynor didn't start until 1949, so the naming of the engines were certainly done after the aircraft was built in 1945. Possibly in 1974, when the Superfortress was completely restored by the Confederate Air Force (now the Commemorative Air Force) then christened 'FIFI'. I guess if they wanted to be more 'period' accurate, maybe they should've named #2 engine 'Hedy' Lamarr.

This is a great shot! I was only at the end of the runway by a perimeter fence so the angle wasn't as good as this. It was a great experience to be able to view one of the giants first hand.

Eastcoast wrote in post #19466409
This is a great shot! I was only at the end of the runway by a perimeter fence so the angle wasn't as good as this. It was a great experience to be able to view one of the giants first hand.

Thanks. Yes, I got some good shots. I'll have to remember where I was and try to get the same spot this year.

dougsmithsatx wrote in post #19466299
You're right. Ms. Gaynor didn't start until 1949, so the naming of the engines were certainly done after the aircraft was built in 1945. Possibly in 1974, when the Superfortress was completely restored by the Confederate Air Force (now the Commemorative Air Force) then christened 'FIFI'. I guess if they wanted to be more 'period' accurate, maybe they should've named #2 engine 'Hedy' Lamarr.

I guess in 1974 they couldn't just check IMDB or Wikipedia!

How about Marlene (Dietrich)? She was a US citizen by the time the US got involved, was very well known, and did a lot to sell war bonds and aid refugees.

Here is a shot of FiFi making some tire smoke landing during Wings over Dallas 2022

Here are a couple of inside shots from when Fifi was in Hagerstown, MD, in June, 2017, and was open for tours.

Dug out a couple more.

Radio operator's station (sorry it's not in focus toward the top)

I have always been fascinated by the story of the Enola Gay and the dropping of the Bomb. Such history with these aircraft. I still regret not being able to do the tour of the aircraft, but by the time I got to the airport it was all booked up.

Thanks so much for sharing these photos.