U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber sitting on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, USA. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large)
The Photographer
Staff Sgt. Eric T. Sheler, United States Air Force
Posted on 02/25/2013 3:49:20 PM PST by EnjoyingLife
U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber sitting on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, USA. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large)
The Photographer
Staff Sgt. Eric T. Sheler, United States Air Force
That thing is friggin awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for posting.
We ned 100 more of these.
Those things were darn near ivisible to radar at the time.
The Air Force knew that but cancelled them anyway.
Used it on the martians in original “War of the Worlds” Didn’t stop them!
Wasn’t that the prop driven plane at Wright Patt. I think all the jet models were destroyed!
Didja get to see the Valkyrie?
The Air Force knew that but cancelled them anyway.
You can’t really blame them.
The Flying Wing was spec’ed as a nuclear bomber.
It was a difficult plane to fly and an unstable platform from which to drop a bomb accurately. There were a couple crashes during testing and who wants to crash a plane with a couple nuclear weapon on board.
Of course then there were the rumors of Boeing offering cushy retirement jobs to the generals in charge of selecting the next intercontinental bomber.
See my post 22. Ole Jackie boy may have gotten his ideas from the Horten brothers, who actually designed the aircraft in 1935 and build a flying model in the 1940’s.
But hey, lots of ideas strike several unconnected individuals at the same time. God does things like that.
Northrup corporation actually spent its own time and money to re-create the Horten 229. (Which was captured, dismantled and shipped to the US in 1945) The results raised goose bumps when they realized that not only could the plane fly, but it really could slip by radar technology at the time, and even give modern radar a run for it’s money.
Constructed of PLYWOOD, it incorporated an aluminum particle based paint (similar to the Hindenburg) to protect the wood from the jet exhaust.
Hitler’s wet dream was to fly these bombers to NYC and destroy Manhattan.
The pucker-factor? Another 6 months, and it would have been a done deal.
Another speculation for the machines not getting the funding needed was that Adolph was a collectivist. He wrote scathing commentary about “individualists.” He considered them traitors.
He never really trusted the Horten brothers, believing they were recalcitrant individualists. (He was probably correct.)
With five (5) Nuc Carriers sittin side by side tied to the dock in Norfork right now it might be wise to get these airborn...jes saying.
Good Lord.
The only big plane I haven’t seen up close and personal. Some day.
Didja get to see the Valkyrie?
They have one? That and the Blackbird makes the trip worth it.
Thanks for the flying wing ping. It is an awesome bird.
Oh man, I could live there. You NEED a FULL 2 DAYs to do it justice. I especially like the Messerschmidts they have on display. So far ahead of their time.
Walk through the front door, and hanging over your head is a wood and canvas French plane with an engine the size of your family car. You really wonder how it ever got off the ground.
I took my Dad there for a reunion of the boys on his ship. First day, those old boys ran off to a far back corner of the museum. I had trouble keeping up with them. They KNEW where they were going.
There, way back in the corner, was a B29 in pristine condition. The legend said the plane was in flyable condition. Next to it were mock ups of Fat Man and Little Boy.
But what almost had me choked up was all those old boys putting hands on that airplane, openly crying. It was BOCKSCAR, the SECOND plane to hit Japan at Nagasaki. Enola Gay was a good hit, but Bockscar nailed the coffin shut.
All those old warriors knew that that airplane sealed the deal and ended the war. Had it not, most of those guys would have been hamburger on the road to Tokyo.
I stood back and watched a mob of old guys just rub their hands on the belly of that airplane, and openly cry.
Most emotional moment I ever had with my father.
I saw an interview with the test pilot who flew the flying wing over the capital in Washington D.C.
He had a Spanish name, maybe Cardenas. Anyway he was also the pilot who flew the B-29 which launched the Bell X-1 with Yeager piloting it the time the sound barrier was boken.
If I remember right he said the flying wing was very difficult to fly and to be no means stall it as you would never regain control. The plane did crash but I don’t remember why.
About 10-15 years back, I took the by-appointment-only tour of the Smithsonian’s Paul Garber Facility in... I believe it was Silver Spring, MD. They had one of the captured Horton Flying Wings there with the wings off packed in with countless other amazing artifacts. I think they moved everything to Reagan... I just was really amazed to see the “backlot”.
Oh... and I saw the miniature Northrop flying wing fly at the Chino Airshow about 15 years back too. I’d dig for pictures, but anymore I check FR on my phone...
Don’t forget we have the U.S. Air Force ICBM’s, with 450 delivery vehicles that can deliver 550 nuclear warheads.
And U.S. Navy has SLBM’s, with 288 delivery vehicles that can deliver 1,152 nuclear warheads in 30 minutes or less.
Yes, the Air Force Museum has the one and only XB-70 left. I really want to see it myself.
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