Air Force·Consolidated / merged·In Memoriam
USAAF Flight Engineer (rated)
Served: 1941–1949
One of the five WWII air ratings — the enlisted-then-commissioned engineer who manned the top turret on the B-29 and ran the fuel/power/systems book on B-17s, B-24s, and B-29s.
The Story
On the B-29 the flight engineer had his own panel facing aft of the copilot, a position no other AAF heavy bomber had — closer to a Navy chief than a pilot. He could fly the airplane through the throttles without ever touching a yoke.
Epitaph
“Flew the engines while the pilot flew the plane.”
Sources
- Wikipedia — USAF Aeronautical Ratingsen.wikipedia.org