B-29 Superfortress, other World War II-era planes on display in Oklahoma City, rides available for purchase

McPhail, 70, of Oklahoma City, was among the onlookers Tuesday who got a close-up look at one of the World War II-era bombers best known for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

A B-29 nicknamed FIFI, the last Superfortress still flying, landed at Oklahoma City's Wiley Post Airport, where it will be on display until Sunday along with several other World War II aircraft.

Dozens of aviation enthusiasts and military veterans watched the Superfortress as it landed about noon and then gawked at the bomber and the other planes on display, including a combat-used P-51 Mustang.

McPhail said he found out the B-29 was visiting Tulsa and considered driving to see it. When he heard it was coming to Oklahoma City, he told his wife he had to go.

“It's all the difference in the world seeing it fly instead of in a museum,” McPhail said. “You can smell the exhaust from the engines.”

The B-29 is operated by the Commemorative Air Force, a nonprofit educational group that preserves and flies historic aircraft across the country. The group offers tours and sells rides on the planes to help pay for the cost of preserving them.

David Oliver, one of FIFI's pilots, said giving people a chance to see planes like the B-29 in action helps teach the history of World War II to the next generations.