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KB-29 Superfortress Tanker Flight Line
KB-29 Superfortress Tanker Flight Line 
KB-29 Tanker Ground Maintenance at Castle AFB
KB-29 Tanker Ground Maintenance at Castle AFB 
KB-29 Tanker Preparation for Flight to Midway
KB-29 Tanker Preparation for Flight to Midway 
KB-29P and B-29 Superfortress In-Flight Refueling
KB-29P and B-29 Superfortress In-Flight Refueling 
KB-29 Tanker Final Assembly
KB-29 Tanker Final Assembly
KB-29 Tanker Aerial Refueling F-84 Thunderjets
KB-29 Tanker Aerial Refueling F-84 Thunderjets 
KB-29 in Flight
KB-29 in Flight 
KB-29P Refueling B-50D in Flight
KB-29P Refueling B-50D in Flight 
KB-29D Tanker Flying over Mountain
KB-29D Tanker Flying over Mountain 
KB-29D and B-50D Refueling in Flight
KB-29D and B-50D Refueling in Flight 
Three KB-29 Tankers Flying in Formation
Three KB-29 Tankers Flying in Formation 
Seven B-29 Superfortresses on Tarmac
Seven B-29 Superfortresses on Tarmac 
B-29 Superfortress Engine Maintenance
B-29 Superfortress Engine Maintenance 
B29 Superfortresses on Wichita Flight Line
B29 Superfortresses on Wichita Flight Line 
B-50D Refueling in Flight
B-50D Refueling in Flight 
B-29 Superfortress on Tarmac
B-29 Superfortress on Tarmac 
Two Men Turning a Propeller on a B-29 Superfortress
Two Men Turning a Propeller on a B-29 Superfortress 
B-29 Superfortress Manufacturing
B-29 Superfortress Manufacturing 
B-29 Superfortress Armament
B-29 Superfortress Armament 
B-29 Superfortress Manufacturing
B-29 Superfortress Manufacturing 
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Maintenance on KB-29 Superfortress Tanker

An entirely new career began for the B-29 Superfortress bomber when the Strategic Air Command decided to use aerial refueling to extend the range of bombers and fighters rather than ordering new, longer range bombers. In 1948, Boeing reactivated its Wichita Plant, nearly idle since the war ended, to convert B-29s into KB-29M tankers. The KB-29Ms had about 240 feet of hose and jettisonable tanks, holding about 2,300 gallons of fuel, installed in their bomb bays. However, hose-type aerial refueling required a slow airspeed and was difficult in poor weather. To solve these problems, Boeing developed the flying boom, an aerodynamically controlled swiveling and telescoping arm that a crew member, using cockpit-like flight controls, guided into a receptacle on top of the receiving aircraft's fuselage. In 1950, KB-29P tankers - B-29s equipped with the Boeing flying boom - began operation. The boom became the aerial transfer system of choice and was subsequently used in the KC-97 tankers, and, later, in the K-135C jet tankers. The development of aerial refueling techniques provided the Air Force with a fleet of fighters and bombers that could fly anywhere in the world without landing for fuel. 
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Unique identifier BI22470 
Boeing ID p12833 
Type Image 
Size 5998px × 4796px   27MB 
License type RM 
Keywords
1940s
adults
airplanes
bombers
clear skies
close-ups
day
engines
exteriors
flight lines
full body views
ground crews
ground shots
historic production status
maintenance
male
mechanics
military
military livery
monoplanes
nacelles
occupations and work
perspective lines
photos
propeller planes
propulsion systems
repetition
right side views
structural systems
sunshine
tankers
tarmac
three-quarter length views
two people
unpainted
viewed from above
vintage / retro
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