To prepare the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay, Tibbets said he wanted altitude and airspeed, which he got by stripping down the airplane to make it lighter. He also spoke with about 200 people at the Pentagon as he autographed his book. 17 celebration of the centennial of flight. Tibbets spent several days in the nation’s capital attending events leading up to the Dec. WASHINGTON - “Airspeed and altitude” was the flight strategy that positioned the Enola Gay to deliver the first atomic bomb used as a weapon nearly 60 years ago, said the pilot who planned and flew the mission.
