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What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

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  • What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

    Question is, What were Darryl Greenamyers plans for the B29 Kee Bird he salvaged from Greenland? Was he going to keep it, sell it and how much would it have been worth if he had made it out of Greenland?

    Did he have or ask for investors or was he using his own money?

    After the fire was out, did they salvage the engines and other parts?

    Did the US Military have a legal claim on it? 11:39 in the video says "No longer claimed by the Air Force, it was available to anyone who could fly it out."

    Here is the video for those who want to watch it.

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/b29-frozen.html

    From the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kee_Bird

    In July 1994, a team of aircraft restorers operating as Kee Bird Limited Liability Co. was led by Darryl Greenamyer to the emergency landing site. The aircraft had made a successful landing on the frozen lake and had remained relatively intact at the site ever since. The USAF had also surrendered any claim to the B-29. It was believed that the plane could be put into flying condition, flown out of the site, and ferried to Thule AFB, Greenland where further repairs could be made before flying back to the United States.[citation needed]
    Using a 1962 De Havilland Caribou as a shuttle plane, the team departed the U.S. Armed Services base at Thule and flew in tools and equipment to the Kee Bird. Over the summer months, the team transported four re-manufactured engines, four new propellers, an engine hoist, and new tires, as well as a small bulldozer, to the remote site. The team successfully replaced the engines and propellers, mounted the new tires, and resurfaced the aircraft's control surfaces. As the winter snows began to fall, the Chief Engineer, Rick Kriege fell ill and was transported to a hospital in Iqaluit, Canada, where he died from a blood clot two weeks later. Although the plane was nearly ready to fly, Greenamyer's team was compelled by weather to leave the site.[6]
    In May 1995, Greenamyer returned with additional personnel. The repairs were completed and the aircraft prepared to take off from the frozen lake on 21 May 1995. A crude runway was carved out of the snow on the ice using the small bulldozer that had been ferried into the site. The new engines were successfully started for the takeoff attempt. As Darryl Greenamyer was taxiing the aircraft onto the frozen lake, the B-29's auxiliary power unit's jury-rigged fuel tank began to leak gasoline into the rear fuselage. Fire broke out and quickly spread to the rest of the aircraft. The cockpit crew escaped unharmed but cook/mechanic, Bob Vanderveen, who was visually monitoring the engines from the rear of the aircraft, suffered smoke inhalation and flash burns.[6]
    Despite attempts to extinguish it from outside the plane, the fire raged and spread through the fuselage. The aircraft was largely destroyed on the ground, with the Kee Bird '​s fuselage being almost completely destroyed. When the lake thawed in the spring, it was feared that the wreckage (with nearly intact wing panels and engines) would sink to the bottom.[6]
    As of 2014, the aircraft sat, broken, on an ice shelf on the surface.[7][8][9][10]
    Last edited by SkyvanDelta; 04-16-2015, 02:29 PM.

  • #2
    Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

    does anyone have any plans to go retrieve the engines and props and can you see it on Google Earth I wonder I thought that thing sank to the bottom of the lake

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    • #3
      Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

      This link should answer some of your questions.

      In September 2014 I was working for a Danish mineral exploration company in Washington Land, NW Greenland. We took the opportunity to fly along the Petermann Glacier to the B-29 Kee Bird site! She still sits in the middle of shallow lake (c. 3 feet deep). With 20 cm of clear ice on the lake it was easy to walk to the aircraft and take a few photos. As there are virtually no pictures to be found on the web since the 1995 recue attempt, I belive we must be some of the first to visit the site in almost 20 years.  During the fire the tail was seperated from the body, and the tail is now positioned upside down in front. Possibly blown over by fierce winter storms.  One thing puzzles me: In the Nova film (Kee Bird / Frozen in Time) we see how Greenameyers team change the old bent propellers with new black ones (which did not get harmed or bent during the fire). But some of the blades are now severly twisted. Strange. A few pictures:   All four of us on our project were deeply moved by the sight. A very special place...! Kind regards Michael Hjorth Copenhagen  

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      • #4
        Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

        Neat footage



        Washington Land, Greenland. 80°16'N 60°32'W
        Random Air Blog

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        • #5
          Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

          that was very heplful thank you very much

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          • #6
            Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

            What were the plans when they got to Thule?

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            • #7
              Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

              Originally posted by Reever View Post
              What were the plans when they got to Thule?
              The plan was to fly the aircraft to Thule air force base and conduct final repairs of things we couldn't deal with at its current resting place. The aircraft had no functioning brakes, but we did have reversible propellers. The plan was to simply fly it out and land at Thule where we could work the squawks off in a heated hanger. There were many issues and concerns with the flight. I was resolved to the fact that we might very well die trying to get the plane out of there. The plane was being repositioned onto the make shift runway so we load up a few items and prepare for the flight to Thule. Nova was there and set up along the runway. They wanted Daryl to taxi the plane down the runway so they could get some shots before our departure. It was during this taxi that the plastic fuel can that had been secured above the APU in the tail became dislodged and fell onto the hot APU. Unfortunately in the excitement to taxi the plane there was a failure of communication to remove the fuel can. You have to understand that we had all four engines running and it was literally minutes away from take-off. The rest is history. The plane was going to be flown to Wally Fisk who offered millions for the aircraft upon its arrival to MN. There was a discussion just prior to the flight where Loyd's of London would insure the plane for the flight. The price was something like 100,000 so it was decided to pass on the insurance. Obviously a big mistake.

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              • #8
                Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                Matt, this story is still one of the most spectacular and heartbreaking stories I've ever come across. Thank God the fuel can came of when it did rather than in flight.

                Craig

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                • #9
                  Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                  I read In a magazine back then that thay had a inturnal fuel tank that leeked fuel into the bottem of the plane the summer prior and that when the APU went up in flames there was still 200 gallons of fuel in the bottem of the plane it had soaked in to the insulation does anyone elese remember hearing or reading that ?? I will look to see if I still have the copy

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                  • #10
                    Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                    Another question I've always had about Kee Bird. How did the Nova guys get to the site where Kee Bird was?

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                    • #11
                      Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                      Matt, thanks for your insight, you always provide worthwhile details in your responses. Always appreciate your input.

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                      • #12
                        Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                        I think a book on Matt Jackson's accomplishments, awesome and heroic episodes in all types of aircraft would be a quick and fascinating read.

                        I was told there were several helicopter base camps set up to get to and from the B-29 site. Matt was part of this task, as well as his involvement in the mission itself.

                        I would think the folks from Nova would have traveled the same route.

                        Warbirds45

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                        • #13
                          Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                          Matt,

                          As always, another big thank you for providing your first hand account. I watched the show and like others I was greatly saddened by the outcome. To this day I still think about that day and wonder what Kee Bird could have been???



                          Hans

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                          • #14
                            Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                            "resolved to the fact that we might very well die trying to get the plane out of there" You think about how long that aircraft had been sitting there, and getting it flyable working on it in such a remote location. Just to attempt that mission showed a lot of courage. Nothing but admiration from me.

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                            • #15
                              Re: What were Darryl Greenamyers plan for the B29 Kee Bird?

                              I'm guessing that 8 3350s are still cheaper to source from somewhere else.

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