roy@fluke.UUCP (Roy Colvin) (08/02/85)
POLITICAL GOSSIP In 1949 all remaining B35's (piston engine versions of B49's) were cut up for scrap by the Air Force (big brother) after John Northrop refused an Air Force order to merge with another company. Northrop was NOT allowed to buy back any of the flying wings and none were saved for the Air Museum. The B35 competed with the B36 as an intercontinental bomber capable of taking off from the US and bombing Germany and returning to the US during World War II. Neither was completed until after the war. B35 was completed June 25, 1946, the B36 ??,1947. Consolidated Vulkee got the contract to build the B36. I believe consolidated later became convair, and convair still later became general dynamics. HISTORY Northrop's first attempt at flying wings was 1929. This first company was later absorbed by Douglas Aircraft in 1939. Then Northrop organized the current company with the specific intention of developing flying wings. In July of 1940 the first wing (N-1M) was completed. N = Northrop, M = mock-up. At about this time during World War II the US considered the possibility that England might fall to the Germans and we would need to have the capability of a bomber that could fly from the US to Germany and return. The XB35 project was proposed and R & D money was provided. On December 27,1942 the N-9M first flew. This was a scaled down version of the bomber. After 30 hours of flying, it crashed. No body on the ground saw what happened, but the remains indicated a spin. This was quite a setback. The B35 was the 13th successful all-wing aircraft built by Northrop. Along the way it was noticed that some of the flying wings were very hard to see on radar. On June 25,1946 the XB35 made it's maiden flight (over one year earlier than the B36). A total of 15 B35's were completed. Big brother decided to give the contract to the B36 any way and it became the last piston engine strategic bomber. Jets had become the "IN" thing and Northrop took the four piston engines out of one B35 and replaced them with eight jet engines and called the airplane a B49. Only two B35's were converted to B49's. The first B49 had disintegrated in flight on June 5,1948 killing the crew. One guess was that the design limits were exceeded in a test dive. Remember this thing could cruise at 500 mph. Another rumor was that the wing was being put through some fully loaded (with sand bags) stall tests and the load shifted causing the wing to tumble until the ground came up and distroyed the airplane. Tumbling is a maneuver characteristic of flying wings that resembles a loop with a radius of about one chord length. In the case of the B49 about 40 feet. The second B49 was used as a demo flying to Washington DC from Muroc California non stop. One month after the DC flight the second one was distroyed doing some high speed taxi tests. An Air Force captain by the name of Glenn Edwards was driving at the time. Muroc was later renamed Edwards Air Force base in his honor. Only one other B35 was converted to jet engines. This one was named a RB35B and had four engines with in the wing and two hung below like a 707. This particular wing first flew on may 4, 1950 and was the last of the big wings. Shortly after the Air Force suddenly canceled all orders and had all remaining B35's cut up for scrap. Big Brother strikes again. In 1980 John Northrop was interviewed on TV and said that the Air Force had canceled the Flying wing contract because he refused to merge with a bigger company. He said that he has kept quiet until now for fear that big brother would inhibit future contracts with Northrop. John died Feb 18,1981 and Northrop corporation got a contract for the stealth bomber in October 1981. I hope Big Brother doesn't step on his own hemorrhoids and screw things up again this time. RELEVANT READING Air Trails (early 1950's) "The Flying Wings of Northrop" by Leo J. Kohn Copyright 1974 Article in the Seattle Times Sept 2, 1984 "Stealth is called an updated 'flying wing'" based on an interview of Dennis Saleh of Seaside California. Dennis is going to write (or has written) a book about the history of the Northrop's attempt to sell the Air Force the flying wings, a kind of aviation watergate I guess. ALL RELEVANT DISCLAIMERS SPRINKLED WHERE EVER APPROPRIATE