Customer Reviews

Nova: B-29 Frozen in Time [VHS]

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B29 Frozen in Time tells the story of a B29 landed on the Greenland Ice cap after running out of fuel in a storm. The aircraft was rediscovered after almost 50 years and thus begins the story of it's recovery. A small group of dedicated aircraft lovers took on the daunting task of replacing the aircraft engines, propellers and repairing other damage caused in the crash landing and by nearly fifty years of weather. Working under the worst conditions on earth they did the job. The movie tells the story of the people involved, you get to know them on a personel level, you laugh when they succeed and cry when they fail. The move is a real 5 star NOVA classic, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. If you love WWII era airplanes this is a must see film.

"B-29: Frozen in Time" is a great, great story. But why? Being an aviation buff, I would obviously be partial. However, this story can appeal to many more people. It is more than just your average, "boring" feature. It's a story of adventure, of risks and shows that even the best of plans can go awry. It is also very bold and involves people who may be perfectly sane or who may be half-nuts (Some spoilers).

The story revolves around a B-29 bomber named "The Kee Bird". In 1947, this plane crash-landed in the Arctic Circle. The crew survived and were rescued days later. But the plane was abandoned, lost but not forgotten. Though it was known where it was, no body attempted any recovery. It would be too risky and expensive and would require an eccentric and bold risk taker. However, one person could do it. Meet Darryl Greenamyer.

A former test pilot, Greenamyer flew the U-2 and SR-71 aircraft for Lockheed. In the 1970's, he built an F-104 Starfighter jet from scrap and set a low altitude speed record. The plane that will be used for shuttle flights on this mission will be another of his wonders: A Caribou transport. After the Caribou and the team arrives, the documentary goes into a brief flashback about the Kee Bird's last flight. The jubilance the modern day crew feels far contrasts to what the original people there felt. Two crewmembers are interviewed, providing details about how it felt afterwards as they waited for help. During their interviews, we see footage of the plane's interior and archive footage taken after the crash.

Greenamyer and his team were trying to beat the clock and thus took many risks. The first one, when the tires lose air from falling off, is to use propane to refuel them. The second is to fly in a bulldozer, even though it is dangerously overweight. Also, as the weather worsens around the site, the decision to try to keep shuttle flights going to Thule Air Force Base.

As the video goes, the team members go through many different feelings and emotions and ours also change with them. We feel the frustration Darryl is facing as work proceeds slowly. We marvel at how backbreaking the work is in this inhospitable region. We cheer for them when they succeed in getting the engines roaring and are saddened at the death of a team member. But even he is daring and fool hardy, Darryl knows when he is beat and wisely decides to leave the location and the B-29 before conditions worsen.

Nine months later, however, he returns to get the bomber out of there. The bulk of the work was done last year, but the team is still kept busy. They battle constant oil leaks and have to keep the engines warmed in order to get the lane out of there. Success seems to be in there reach. But the fates have other plans, it seems.

The ending always brings me to tears. What is so tragic about it was that, essentially, it was finished. It would have flown. However, the attitude of the team members reflects differently. They have been through this stuff before and are willing to do it again. Even though all the money, planning and manpower has been wasted and there is nothing but debts to show, Darryl states at the end "This is my game and I'd do it again".

If you are still one of those who thinks documentaries are boring, you need to watch this inspiring, entertaining and educational program.

A small team of men with a minuscule budget takes on a task that large aircraft companies would have to spend hundreds of thousands of Dollars - maybe millions of Dollars to do properly. It is field ingenuity and successful calculated risk assessment at it's best. This type of skill - long gone in many corporations, enables them to accomplish what they did. A study in brilliance and hard work, all under the most inhospitable conditions imaginable. This documentary chronicles human achievement at it's finest.

Well I veiwed the B-29 "Frozen in Time'' on PBS last evening& what an amazing feat was performed to put a piece of history back into the air.
It really was human endurance tested to the limit,i can't speak highly enough of the sacrafice of all involved with the trajic loss of the chief engineer&ultimatly the loss of the aircraft.
I was speechless.
Everyone involved in the project deserves a medal in my book.
Lifting propellers that way a ton onto splines with hands that are half frozen,this is pioneering stuff that legends are made of.
If you have never viewed any PBS Nova documentaries you are missing out on brilliant production.
I can't speak highly enough for these people.
All invovled deserve a medal.
I will certainly be purchasing this&other documentaries this is history/
Congragulations Nova.

My husband and I first saw this documentary when it was originally broadcast on PBS years ago. It has remained vividly in our memories ever since. The human story here is so much greater than just the aircraft. I've shared this with people who know nothing about aviation and they have been moved by the people and their mission. This is our favourite Nova episode ... wonderful to see it available on VHS. A DVD version with extra footage and interviews would be really special!

NOVA documentaries always seem to capture me, but this one literally left me with my jaw dropped in my lap the first time I saw it on TV. This film focuses on a group of men which attempt to restore a B-29, which crashed and was abandoned in Greenland during a secret mission during W.W.II. Their goal: to completely restore the B-29 on-site, and launch it from the nearby frozen lake bed. The technicalities of what they must accomplish to restore this airplane are mind-boggling. Most NOVA documentaries are very engaging, but besides being a technical chronicle of what these men accomplished in extreme environs, a tragic incident, and finally the jaw-dropping, dumbfounding conclusion, are what set this documentary apart from any other NOVA documentary I have seen. You simply will not want to believe what you are seeing, and I am not exaggerating! You will be on the edge of your seat cheering them on as they start the engines, taxi for takeoff on the frozen lake bed, and then... This is life. This is real ... This is a keeper.

I've read about this attempt many times, and finally watching the video was more than worthwhile. I actually felt for these guys as they got closer to take off. If you want a quick show of planning, adventure, struggle, and goals, this is a great exmaple.

Anyone who appreciates Aircraft, especially WW2 Vintage,this Documentary is a treat.Mother Nature played an extremely important role in this endeavor and I felt every feeling these Professional Mechanics must have endured throughout the entire film.I think it was Richard Crenna who narrated the documentary and he really did a great job explaining what the dangers of the mission were and the critcal timing available to the mechanic crew that tried to bring it back.