April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Duck Ponderings: Looking back at the Superfortress
Dad was a mechanic and spent time working on the B-29. While rattling off several details about the B-29, there was always a sense of great pride in his voice and facial expression. There were several reasons why this plane was referred to as a Superfortress (some specifications listed below!)
My dad would have recently celebrated another birthday. To honor him, I thought of asking a former student, Rhett Whittington, to come up with a drawing of a B-29 for the cover of a CD we made of Dad talking about WW II and other events in his long life. I knew what Rhett was capable of doing due to still having one of his earliest pieces entitled Indiana Whitt and due to his many other artistic endeavors including the Hope Ride.
To commemorate Dad's birthday even more, I took Rhett's drawing to one of the best wood workers in town, Irvin Mayes, and asked if he might consider constructing a model of a B-29 to give to my mom. Irvin expressed some concerns since it would be unlike any of his other projects. Two weeks later, he called and wondered if I might be able to drop by his home. There, on their kitchen table, was the requested B-29. Irvin had taken the challenge to a level of workmanship never expected.
As I was driving home with it in the passenger seat, tears streamed down my cheeks. I thought of the story when Dad was going to be part of a flight check for a B-29 while serving in India but was allowed to stay behind when someone else volunteered. None of the crew returned due to the engines catching on fire. Then, I thought of how Dad was asked by the Hauser volleyball coach, Jeff Case, to speak to the team about the importance of serving his country. When asked about what the flag meant to him, Dad said one word that will forever stick with me, "Freedom!"
Next, I had to figure out how to best present such a special gift to Mom. I asked Irvin if I might be able to temporarily return it to his home and drop in for a visit with Mom. He agreed. As Mom focused her eyes on the B-29 for the first time, it is hard to describe the emotion within the room. Irvin's wife, Martha, captured it to some degree with her expertise in photography.
It is now the centerpiece of Mom's kitchen table, the same table where we would gather as a family with Dad to pray always ending with the Lord's Prayer. With Dad no longer with us, it is quite different; however, he is always there in spirit and now even in a physical way through the B-29 made by the hands of a man whose gift will remain with our family forever.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress Specifications (vary to some degree depending on source):
- 3,970 Produced & Cost $639,188
- 4 Engines Each 2,200 Horsepower
- Length 99 Feet & Height 29 Feet 7 Inches
- Wingspan 141 Feet 3 Inches
- Empty Weight 74,500 Pounds & Loaded Weight 120,000 Pounds
- Maximum Speed 357 Miles/Hour & Combat Range 3,250 Miles & Service Ceiling 31,850 Feet
- 10 Guns & 10 Tons of Bombs
- Crew of 11
