The chance to fly in one of the world's two still-flying B-29 Superfortresses will take place Monday at Charleston's Yeager Airport, as part of the Commemorative Air Force's AirPower History Tour.

Flights aboard "Fifi," the Commemorative Air Force's fully restored B-29 Superfortress, will depart at 9 and 11 a.m. from the ramp at Capital Jet Center, Yeager's general aviation operation, at 300 Eagle Mountain Road.

No ground tours of the aircraft will be provided during the one-day event, although a public viewing area will be available. Only those who have booked rides will be allowed on the ramp during the historic bomber's visit.

Rides may be booked in advance at airpowertour.org, and walk-up bookings will be welcomed on Monday.  Passengers are asked to wear face coverings at all times. The aircraft's interior will be cleaned before and after each flight.

Seats start at $570, with discounts of up to $100 available on online bookings.

"Fifi" was found by a group of Commemorative Air Force members during a visit to the U.S. Navy Proving Ground at China Lake, California, in the early 1970s. There, the B-29 was scheduled to serve as a target for missiles. The aircraft was rescued, restored and made airworthy by 1976, becoming part of the Commemorative Air Force's touring fleet of World War II aircraft for 30 years, until its chief pilot ordered it grounded until a new power plant was installed.

From 2006 to 2010, new custom-built hybrid radial engines were installed and tested,with "Fifi" returning to the skies after work on that $3 million restoration effort was complete. Since 2010, "Fifi" has flown coast-to-coast multiple times as a member of the Commemorative Air Force's fleet of World War II demonstration aircraft.

Boeing's first B-29 was flown in 1942. When production ended in 1945, 3,970 of the bombers had been built. The B-29 Superfortress is the largest and most technically advanced aircraft of its time, and was used mainly in bombing missions over Japan, ending with the dropping of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 returned to combat in the early 1950s during the Korean War, and remained in the U.S. Air Force's inventory of bombers until 1960.

"Fifi" was built in July 1945, near the end of Boeing's B-29 production run. The bomber was used as a training aircraft, then mothballed for several years in a desert storage area before returning to active service from 1953 to 1958, when it was again returned to desert storage.

Reach Rick Steelhammer at [email protected], 304-348-5169 or follow @rsteelhammer on Twitter.

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