Rare B-29 Nose & Cockpit Unveil Highlights 27th Anniversary & Veterans Day Celebration at the Palm Springs Air Museum

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11^th, 2023 at 11 am, the Palm Springs Air Museum will unveil its newest acquisition inside its 91,000 square foot facility. "One exciting addition this year is the extremely rare B-29 Superfortress 44-69957 "Hot One" Nose & Cockpit section. She will be dedicated to the memory of Bob McKee, one of the Palm Springs Air Museum's beloved docents and to the City of Palm Springs," said Museum director Fred Bell. The Nose features the city of Palm Springs' logo on one side, and the squadron's logo on the other. Bob McKee was a B-29 radar operation with the 479^th Bomb Group, 20^th Air Force. This particular airplane flew with the 879^th Bombardment Squadron of the 499^th Bombardment Group out of Isley Field, Saipan. It returned to the US after the war and was converted to an SB-29 Search & Rescue Aircraft. She was then sent to China Lake, CA in 1960 to be used as a test target. She took a direct hit in a weapons test. The shell of the nose and the salvageable parts have been lovingly restored by Palm Springs Air Museum's restoration volunteers. "This is an extremely rare airplane and we are so happy to be able to give her a new lease on life," Fred Bell concluded,

In addition to the B-29 unveiling, Heatwave Jazz Band performs and birthday cake will be served to visitors. Vintage warbirds will be landing and taking off from the tarmac behind the museum. Warbird rides are for sale. Kids 12 and under get in free with paid adult admission. Veterans receive free admission on Veterans Day. 

The Palm Springs Air Museum is an educational non-profit museum. It contains over 73 vintage airframes from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the new F-117 Stealth Fighter inside The Jim Houston Pavilion. Aircraft are contained inside 91,000 square feet of open hangars and on the tarmac. Additional displays and memorabilia are located throughout the hangars. Upstairs in the Library are 12,000 volumes and flight simulators. The Museum is open daily from 10 AM until 5 PM, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and on February 10, 2024. For more information, visit https://PalmSpringsAirMuseum.org or call 760-778-6262 during business hours.

Media Contact: Ann Greer – 323-363-8243 – cell
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SOURCE Palm Springs Air Museum