Northrop N-9M
| Northrop N-9M | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Flying wing bombers - test vehicles |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
December 27, 1942 |
| Number of pieces: |
4th |
The Northrop N-9M (spellings also N9M and N9M ) was one of the Northrop Corporation built, scaled to a third test vehicle for the planned Nurflügelbomber Northrop B-35 .
history
On October 30, 1941, the development contract for the B-35 bomber was given to Northrop. For the first tests, the N-9M, an experimental aircraft reduced to a scale of 1: 3, was built. With it, the expected performance spectrum and the flight characteristics of the planned B-35 should be determined. 4 prototypes were planned, the N9M1 , M2 , MA and MB .
The N-9M was mostly a wooden construction, only the structure of the 6 m wide central part of the flying wing was mainly made of metal. The machine was powered by two 275 hp Menasco C65-1 engines with two-bladed propellers. The machine later received two 290 hp engines and the N9MB even got two 400 hp Franklin engines.
The first flight of the N9M1 took place on December 27, 1942. The Menasco engines, however, proved to be unreliable. On May 19, 1943, after only 22 hours of flight, the machine crashed around 20 km west of Muroc Army Air Force Base , and the pilot Max Constant died. The N9M2 flew for the first time on June 24, 1943 and provided important data on the aerodynamics of a flying wing. It was shown that the wind tunnel data for the planned XB-35 provided a significantly too low air resistance. The third and fourth N9Ms (N9MA and N9MB) flew in May 1944 and January 1945 and represented the final design of the B-35.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 5.4 m |
| span | 18.30 m |
| Wing area | 45.5 m² |
| height | 2.00 m |
| Takeoff mass | 3175 kg |
| drive | two Menasco C6S -4, 275 PS (205 kW) |
| Top speed | 415 km / h |
| Range | 805 km |
| Service ceiling | 6555 m |
Whereabouts
After the B-35 program was canceled, all test models except the N9MB were scrapped. In 1982 this machine was restored by volunteers from Chino, California . Flight testing was completed in 1996. The Planes of Fame Museum has had an airworthy machine since then, which was regularly demonstrated at air shows. The N9MB crashed in Norco, California in April 2019. The pilot was killed and the aircraft was completely destroyed.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Graham M. Simons: Northrop Flying Wings , Pen and Sword Aviation, 2013, p. 31
- ↑ Frank B. Mormillo: Tailless Triumph , Airplane Monthly, March 1995, pp. 6–9 (report on restoration and first flight, English)
- ↑ History of the aircraft at PlanesOfFame , accessed on April 23, 2019 (English)
- ^ Fatal plane crash in Southern California prison yard. April 22, 2019, accessed April 23, 2019 .