Training

The training of a Flight Engineer began with a ground school devoted to the B-29 Aircraft, its' systems and its operation -- the aim of being able to maintain the Aircraft mechanically if need be. Each system, electrical, hydraulic pneumatic, aux. power, engines, propellers etc. was taken to its basic components and then built into the system as it would be on the actual airplane. Each lever, switch, motor, actuator, pump, and valve were gone over in detail with the operation and maintenance of it, such as its replacement and/or repair and its importance to the reliability of the airplane. The basic idea was that the Flight Engineer on the B-29 was to be the Pilot's chief resource for the condition of the airplane mechanically, and an advisor when things failed regarding safe flight and alternatives.

The second phase of training for the Flight Engineer was a concentrated course in Aircraft Performance Engineering (really a cram course in aerodynamics which went by the name of the "cruise control"). This was really a brain expander.

In this course we were introduced to weight and balance, the ballistics of falling objects, terminal velocities thrust, lift, drag (induced, parasite and variable), computing drag factors, computing thrust requirements, operating parameters, effects of temperatures, density altitude's effects on speed, propeller efficiencies, and drag polar flight test data for the B-29. We were taught flight planning, fuel used, fluid weights, predictions, airspeed calculations (the B-29 instruments were in statute miles per hour.) Cruise control data was all based on nautical miles per gallon, Vs airspeed in knots and thrust in brake horsepower.

To do all this we had either an E-6-B circular navigation computer, or a straight slide rule, an engineer's scale, of course a pencil with a big red (unused) eraser, and a pair of dividers, a book of test data for the B-29 which contained charts for temperature conversion, a density altitude chart with a line way away from the norm labeled {Marianna's Hot Day).[ I bet I jogged a memory or two with that!] We also had time to climb to altitude charts, dist. to altitude; a series of nautical miles per gallon cruise charts containing fuel Vs power and recommended airspeeds to fly; descent charts with time and distance for range and time. This was the Flight Engineer's main occupation --getting the most miles for the least gas and also trying to keep the engines operating at their most efficient power settings for economy, plus coordinating with the pilot on thrust needs for flight conditions.

That in a nut shell is the background of a Flight Engineer.

Actual engineer's station from B-29

A Day in the Life . . .

The day of a Flight Engineer really begins the day or night before a mission or as soon as the target information is available. The Flight Engineer and the Navigator begin flight planning the mission. The Navigator has the route and distances, so he and the Flight Engineer do a flight plan for "0" wind. The engineer works up a plan to the target, basing his predictions on the maximum gross weight possible at the takeoff point, planning the lowest economical altitudes while reducing the weight as fuel is used and the point along the route where they are light enough (due to fuel burnoff) to climb to bombing altitude, and the gross weight at the IP and target.

Next a reverse flight plan must be done starting at the landing airfield with the airplane empty of expendable, with a minimum reserve fuel so you can land and park the airplane. The plan takes the airplane up the descent and back along the route adding fuel weight until it is at the bomb release point. At this point, the difference of the weights is the maximum bomb load. This is the starting point for determining the weight of the bomb load that can be carried.

A second flight plan is then done using the predicted winds enroute, planned speeds altitudes, etc. Adjustments are made to the fuel required and times and distances due to true airspeeds and expected ground speeds found when winds are calculated. The flight engineer's flight plan will contain all expected power settings and fuel burns for each segment of the flight and speeds to be flown for long range cruise control. He also calculates what weights to be at for climbs, descents, and other pertinent information for the fuel needed to fly the mission. When this is done, you have a good start on the day. Of course it is midnight and you must be up at "O Dark:30."

Day of the flight
On the day of the flight, you attend the general briefing and then it breaks up to specialties i.e. navigators, radars, pilots, who all get their targeting data, codes, takeoff intervals, flight route changes, current weather information, etc. The Flight Engineer and the Gunners usually head for the airplane. The first sound of the B-29 you hear is the Put-Put. It's a sound once heard and never forgotten.

Arrival at Plane

You meet the maintenance crew chief - who's been with his plane probably all night. First you go over the aircraft maintenance book (41B) discrepancy log, and discuss all the things that don't work or have been replaced and the general condition of the airplane. (At the same time, the gunners along with the armorers are going over their guns, turrets and mission equipment.) Then you get the weight and balance book and check the status of loading the fel, bombs, ammunition, crew, and anything that has been added or removed, to get as accurate a weight as possible to insure that the center of gravity (CG balance point) is within limits. To do this you use another slide rule called a "load adjuster" to put each weight in the aircraft at its desired location and using the rule locate the "CG". you also compute the landing "CG" by mathematically removing the expendable and predicting the weights at landing. This gives you the data for the weight and balance form which you give to the pilot for flight clearance. Now that the paperwork is under control it's time to look at the airplane you're going to fly.

The Flight Engineer has to make a walk around visual inspection of the entire aircraft, beginning at the nose wheel. He must look at everything -- wheels, tires, struts, the wheel well, all the lines and wiring visible. Proceeding around the right (starboard) side he looks at the engine cowlings on number 3 & 4 engines, the propellers, blades, and hubs looking for any damage, (It's amazing how many things get banged into prop blades, damaging them.) He also looks at the wing leading edges, landing lights, navigation lights, wing tips. (Like the props, they are candidates for being pronged by carelessly moved objects.) Moving along the walk around route he looks at the trailing edge of the wing, the flight controls and landing flaps. Under the flaps are the fuel lines on the back of the wing spar. Next he inspects the main landing gear wheels, tires, brakes, and all the lines and fittings in the wheel well. Continuing along he enters the aft bomb bay (if loading is complete) or looks at the aft right fuselage, sighting blisters, aft entry door, tail skid, stabilizers, elevators, rudder, tail gunner's hatches, tail light, etc. He then repeats the inspection on the left side (port) looking at the same components. The bomb bays are inspected when the load is finished. When the inspection is complete, he's right back at the nose wheel well - which just happens to be the entry hatch for the front compartment crew.

Personal Equipment Inspection
The oxygen mask, parachute,and flight gear are inspected and it's time to final the weight and balance, the bomb and fuel load and board the airplane.

On Board
Once on board the flight engineer gets all personal equipment hooked up; oxygen mask, headset, heated suit, brief case with flight plans, charts etc. (Notice there is no DESK at the engineers position for all the paper plans, logs, pencils, slide rules, etc.) Flight engineers looked for the widest clip board they could find, as that was the nearest thing to a desk there was available. The nose wheel well hatch was nearly always occupied by someone going along for one reason or another, so there was no room for paperwork there. Thus the trusty clip board and brief case were stowed in the foot well. The flight engineer actually sat in a hole in the floor next to the nose wheel well. (Cold Feet? You bet!)

When the crew was all in position and had their equipment stowed, the AC (pilot flying the left seat) would call for check lists. Before starting engines, check would have the engineer position his switches, fuel valves, throttles, mixture controls at the FE's panel to get set to start the engines on the pilot's command. Engines were started in the sequence of #3, then #4 to allow the fire guard outside under the engine to back out and not have to stand in the prop wash from a running engine. The same was true for starting #2 then #1. After engines were running and all pressures and temperatures were normal we would go to the taxi check list - more items to be checked that could only be checked with operating engines. Some of theses are the vacuum operated flight instruments, cooling flaps and electrical system components, etc.

At the end of the runway hammerhead we would do a complete check of the engines, checking the magnetos (ignition system), fuel injection pumps, propellers RPM controls and turbo superchargers to insure all was safe for flight. Next we would plan the turbo boost setting needed for takeoff. Now the flight begins.

The pilot rolls the airplane out on the runway and begins the flight by increasing the power on the engines to maximum and calling for takeoff power. The Flight Engineer then follows the pilot's throttle movements with his set monitoring engine intake manifold pressure limits and prop RPMs, while closing the cowl flaps to maintain the engine cylinder head temps to prevent them from getting too hot. He must also watch the turbos, oil pressures and temps -carburetor inlet air temps. ("The pucker factor Is INTENSE!!) The trundling down the runway fades... we are airborne. (The high pitched whine of the nose gear motor retracting is a sign that we're climbing. The first power reduction after takeoff (when we set climb power) eases the tension a bit. The takeoff to first power reduction is usually around two minutes (two lifetimes when you're heavy.)

The climb power setting, as with all RPM changes, requires the pilot to reduce the engine RPMs. To do this there are 4 toggle switches (switches that are spring loaded to neutral). There is one for each propeller, with increase-decrease RPM positions which must be held while RPM is set. There were no synchronizers. The synchronizing was done by ear after using the tachometers to get close. The sound of the engines was the only way to do it in daylight. At night, we had the gunner's shine the Aldis lamp on the props and used the shadows to strobe the blades and synchronized visually. After RPMs were set, the manifold pressures and turbosuperchargers were set.

The Flight Engineer then had to adjust all the cooling flaps on the engine systems to get every temperature into the desired operating ranges. These temperatures are the cylinder head temp (cowling flaps), the carburetor inlet air temp (intercooler flaps for fuel efficiency), and the oil cooler flaps to keep the oil from getting too thin. At the same time the Flight Engineer set up the cabin pressurization to maintain 8,000 feet in the pressurized areas.

Cabin heat was supplied by the turbosuperchargers and controlled by the aftercooler flaps. Fuel system management began in climb, burning fuel from auxiliary tanks first. The climb was a busy time for the FE. Every RPM, manifold pressure temp had to be continuously monitored and adjusted as the outside temperature was constantly changing. Plus everything had to be written in the Flight Engineer's Log and the Fuel How Goes It Log, which was an actual Vs planned fuel use chart so you knew how much range you had left. Somewhere in here the first cigarette was lit.

About the time you thought you had it all under control you were at first level off altitude and power setting began anew with the pilot reducing RPMs to the first cruise power computed by the Flight Engineer. All the cooling flaps had to be repositioned due to the change in airspeed and outside temp. Then a cruise drag factor had to be computed for cruise control purposes to get the power just right to fly the correct speed for the weight and altitude being flown. Long Range Cruise Control would get the best miles per gallon of gas. The FE was tuned in to every sound the airplane makes...and every deviation "hiccup" would have him looking at all the instruments for the cause. The adjustment of the cooling flaps was a never ending process-- and for the time you weren't moving them there was always the myriad of items to be written in the log. Staying busy was not something the FE had to worry about as he was too busy to think about it.

The secondary climb to bomb run altitude was a repeat of the first climb -- playing all the flaps and temps and getting the airplane set for high altitude. We depressurized the bird and went on oxygen as the compartments went over 10,000 feet and the inside cooled off. We had our heated suits plugged in. The tail gunner usually went back to the tail when we got unpressurized. The power for the climb was kept up at high altitude for the bomb run and target exit. The airplane always felt like it was straining every rivet to be up there when you had it over 25,000 feet and it was always a relief after the bomb run to get the power reduced and start downhill and minimize all the flaps up for repressurizing.

After the tail gunner was back inside the aft pressure compartment it was always desired to do a long range type cruising descent, letting down slowly as we headed en route to the home base. Leveling off and cruising at lower altitudes was a repeat of flying -- cruise control for the best miles per gallon. The approach and landing called for more check lists, and then after 12-14 hours flying, the gear hit the runway, we taxied in and parked the airplane. The flight engineer and pilot would then have a meeting with the crew chief to go over all the discrepancies (things that broke) and do an after-flight walk around of the aircraft. (While we were doing this someone was emptying the honey bucket). At the end of the crew chief's session we would then go into Intelligence Debriefing and then after that was over, we could take the rest of the day off.

I hope that helps you to have a better understanding of the day in the life of a B-29 flight engineer.