Restored 1940s Northrop Flying Wing

This is a video of the Planes of Fame Museum's (Chino, California) Northrop N9MB Flying Wing during a recent (March 2009) engine run-up of its remaining serviceable engine. This aircraft was originally built as part of the November 1941 contract that Northrop was awarded for four, 1/3-scale aircraft, designated N9M, that were to act as flying test beds for various flight systems for the full-size XB-35 flying wing program and also to familiarize Air Force pilots with flying wing operations

This aircraft experienced an in-flight engine fire in 2006 in its left, 300 hp., 8-cylinder Franklin 0-540-7 engine. The Flying Wing has since been totally restored, but the restoration of the rare Franklin 0-540-7 engine is another matter. There were only about 27 of these engines ever built and it is believed that only three of them exist today. The needed parts will need to be newly manufactured as necessary, but the museum has committed to getting this aircraft back in the air. Common parts from a 12-cylinder Franklin engine are already being scavenged to help in the restoration. The flying scenes in this video were taken just before the engine fire. Progress towards flying staus is well on its way and this aircraft will definitely once again fly, no doubt!
Best,
- Octane130 -

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[kondakor1998]

wow that thing is awsome! i wonder when someones going to make a flying horten 229 replica cause that would be awsome!

[octane130]

@kondakor1998: The Planes of Fame museum (which owns the Northrop Flying wing, the subject of my video) also has an ORIGINAL Horten flying wing GLIDER on display, built in the 1930s. This is the aircraft (among others) that all Luftwaffe pilots trained on early in their training. Come to our museum at Chino airport, Califorinia sometime if you can; you will really like it! Contact me on YouTube if you want and I will personally show you around the museum.

Thanks and fly on!

[kondakor1998]

@octane130 oh and i forgot to ask since it hjas no rudder does it use ppropeller pitch or throttle on the yaw axis or maybe airbreaks in the wings?

[octane130]

@kondakor1998: The yaw control is handled by the "rudders" which are the split control surfaces nearest the wingtips. They open up to provide yaw control in turns. They also can be used as airbrakes for speed control when you push both rudder pedals down at the same time. These control surfaces also serve as the pitch trim, which is electrically controlled whereas all of the other control functions are hydraulic. Nose-down pitch attitude is quite pronounced when the flaps are dropped. Thanks!

[dregerclock]

I got to see the N9M-B fly a few years back at a Chino Airshow. I didn't hear that they had a fire in one of the engines! Yikes! Is there any update on finding one of the remaining replacement engines?

[octane130]

@dregerclock : Yes, the Flying Wing now has two new rebuilt engines and took to the air in May 2010 and flew in the Planes of Fame airshow a week later!

[EVISEH]

@oiseautempete Not true. Flying wings were first build by an English man named Dunne beginning around 1911. His designs were commercially produced in America and he even sold one to the Canadian military. After Dunne came Gefferory Hill who was contempory with Cheranovsky, Fauvel and the Hortens

[WulfBand]

I have 1 of these in my barn :)

[moyadapne]

53secs. Sharp intake of breath. Stunning.

[RCllamadude]

Would any of you go up in a plane making that kind of noise on start up?

[teamerica]

That fly-by was not at Chino. It looks more like Palm Springs to me. I know you didn't say either way.

[bnecity57]

one thing americans do really well is preserve their flying history !! great to see !!!

[EVISEH]

@scwtrials The XB-35 was designed from the start to be piston powered. The YB 49, a hasty conversionof the B-35, came about only because the newly formed US Air Force had annouced a policy of only procuring jet powered bomber designs. The XB-35 was never "rushed in to production" its gestation in fact taking several years. If anything it was the YB-49 which was hastily produced and solely for the reason stated. Douglas & Convair also took the same route with their Mixmaster and B-60

[EVISEH]

@lordandprotector Being essentially the earier piston engined airframe made in to a pure jet and therefore having an airfoil section which was quite "adequate" [although I use that term advisedly] for the lower flying speeds originally intended for the original piston engine design and which was not changed on the YB49 conversion, it was unsurprising that the jet powered YB49 exhibited adverse and undesireable flight characteristics

[EVISEH]

@lordandprotector The YB49 had undesireable flying traits because it was a hasty redesign/conversion of an existing airframe designed to fly slower and be pistoned powered. Douglas did the same with its piston powered Mixmaster as did Convair which produced a jet version of its B36. As all 3 manufacturers found, aircraft designed to fly at lower speeds with piston engines tend to have flying problems when adapted to jet power and be expected to fly at higher speeds.......

[bestamerica]

'

are 2 propellers same spins or 2 opposite spins