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Recollections of an RB-29 crew in Japan
Mission — Departure
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| With the full crew and a passenger on board, we proceed to organize ourselves and the aircraft for the actual departure. For those of you who may be interested, the Before Starting Engines, Before Taxying and Before Takeoff Checklists are included for your review. Click here to go to this page, and then return.
The Aircraft Commander (right) alerts the crew that we are ready to start engines and the Flight Engineer (below) leads us through the process.
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Flight engineer at his station.
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With four churning and none burning, we taxied out to the number one take-off position, completed our Before Takeoff Checklist and waited clearance to the runway.
A look back at the Yokota Air Base
aircraft main parking ramp
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Here (Left) we see the F-84 cleared for takeoff in front of us due to its more limited fuel supply.
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The typical reconnaissance mission, where we carried electronic and camera equipment in lieu of a load of bombs, had a relatively short takeoff roll, as you can see from this photograph (Right).
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RB-29 ready to start climbout.
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Contrary to the typical steep climb-out patterns used by modern jetliners, we allowed the RB-29 to pick up speed with a slow rate of climb to give the engines time to cool down to a more comfortable operating temperature. When all of the gauges were in the green, we would then begin a more serious climb to our cruising altitude.
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The flat terrain surrounding the Yokota Air Base, an intensely farmed area, was a relatively rare sight as you will see later in this story.
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Home - Contact Us - Cold War Hist. - 91st SRS Hist. - Stardust 40 Mission Story
RB-29 Crew Hist. - Hiking Rural Japan - Extended Stories - Short Stories
Biographical Notes - Current Commentary - Art Gallery - Fun Stuff - Education
Programs - Locator- Reunions - Memorials - Cold War Museum Web Site
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