Subdeacon Joe Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Aerial view of Flying Wing planes, the Northrop XB-35, at the Northrop plant in Hawthorne, in 1949. Source: LAPL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 I seem to recall there were some questionable incidents that ended the program... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Lizard Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 21 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: I seem to recall there were some questionable incidents that ended the program... Like they did not stay in the air... Texas Lizard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 John Northrop would not agree to the Air Force wanting Northrop to merge with Convair. Also at the time, Northrop's XB-35 was completing with the Convair B-36. The air force preferred the B-36 Design. Politics got involved and Northrop was on the wrong side. The flying wing contracts were canceled and the planes destroyed. As far as I know only the Northrop N-9M still exists. It is restored after years of moving around to keep it hidden and now lives at the Chino, CA Air Museum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said: As far as I know only the Northrop N-9M still exists. It is restored after years of moving around to keep it hidden and now lives at the Chino, CA Air Museum Alas... she was lost just about two years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Northrop_N-9M_crash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Pretty Close Cliff Hanger The problem was the then Secretary, Stewart Simington (sic) who was financially involved with Convair. His demand was that Nortrup should merge. Northrup told him to go pound sand. The military immediately went out and bought a obsolete airplane for an obscene amount of money. Simington also ordered ALL existing examples of the B49 be destroyed. What a Putz. Stay Safe Out There Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Apart from the political story, part of the problem with the flying wing at that time was inherent instability. It wasn't until advancements in computer technology made stability without human input possible that the flying wing has become practicable in the B-2 and B-21. The same is actually true in "standard" configuration fighters. F-16's, F-22's and F-35's are inherently unstable (which is what makes them so agile). "Fly-by-wire" makes them controllable by the pilots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Saw the N-9M in flight many times when prepping for EOT / spring matches in Norco a few years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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