N9M destroyed

The only example of Jack Northrop's N9M flying wing to have survived, was destroyed in a crash today. The aircraft was restored in the early 1990s, and returned to flying status in 1996. It was owned by the Planes of Fame museum. The only recognizable piece left is a wheel.

abc7.com...

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originally posted by: Zaphod58
The only example of Jack Northrop's N9M flying wing to have survived, was destroyed in a crash today. The aircraft was restored in the early 1990s, and returned to flying status in 1996. It was owned by the Planes of Fame museum. The only recognizable piece left is a wheel.

abc7.com...

ktla.com...

Bummer.... A friend of mine is a docent for Planes of Fame.
I also used to live in Norco, the facility called CRC was about a half mile away.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Last one!, should have gone to a museum on permanent exhibit....

Not sure why they take such risks with one of a kind pieces of history.

Time to fire up the spirit of saint Louis now?

a reply to: Bluntone22

They're breaking out the Wright Flyer for old times sake.

I was really hoping to see that one day too, one of my favorite airplanes.

Imagine if Jack had merged with convair. They would have had the two best flying wing designers in the same company (Alexander Lippisch worked there post WW2). Perhaps the flying wing would have caught on much more than it had that way. But alas, history didn't go that way, and the N-9M won't hold the place in history it deserves.

a reply to: dubiousatworst

It's long been rumored that the YB-49 was sabotaged to ensure that the design failed. On the return flight from Andrews they had to shut down 4 engines and make an emergency landing, where it was found no oil had been serviced at Andrews.

She was saved from a scrap yard by Ed Malony.If it wasnt for him the last example would have been dead 30 odd years ago.RIP the pilot.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Such a shame to have lost it.

I wonder if sufficiently detailed enough drawings exist from either the original construction or the restoration to at least build a static replica?

a reply to: Zaphod58

The B1 Bomber is Still here . For Now though .......

a reply to: Zanti Misfit

The B-1 isn't Northrop or a flying wing. I think you meant the B-2.

a reply to: thebozeian

Wasn't it essentially a Horton brothers design but apparently without ceramic ball bearings?

originally posted by: Slichter
a reply to: thebozeian

Wasn't it essentially a Horton brothers design but apparently without ceramic ball bearings?

Considering work started around five years before the US got it's hands on Horten's work, I'd politely suggest not...


Horten did get their glider into the air before the N9M first flight, though.

There was lots of interest everywhere in the twenties and thirties, but some real obstacles, too. Took a lot of work to build the knowledge base and work out the kinks.

No prison guards or inmates killed?

a reply to: Slichter

From what has been said, there was no one in that portion of the prison.

a reply to: Bluntone22

They're meant to fly, dude. Planes sitting gathering dust are sad. It's like a maseoleum without the smell of rot. It did more flying than it would in a dark corner. It's a machine. If it's gone it is gone but let it go out doing what it was dreamt to do. The thing worth morning is human life. Thoughts and prayers to the family of the departed.

a reply to: Caughtlurking
But it would have made more sense in hindsight with only one in existence to have built a replica or three and flown them instead. We have a number of other rare aircraft for which only one or two exists and replicas have been constructed and flown instead. We have a famous Fokker Tri-Motor in Australia that was used to set a number of record firsts like the the first crossing of the Pacific. It resides in a permanent display at Brisbane airport. During the 1980's a replica was constructed and flew the airshow circuit before being grounded for a few years and becoming flight worthy again. It then crashed some years ago and was badly damaged, it is now however in the final stages of rebuild and will probably take to the air in the next 6-12 months. I personally know some of the people working on it. The point is, if it had been the original it could have been lost with nothing to show for it. At least if a replica is damaged or lost we still have the original for future generations to admire. I also have a friend who is building a replica of a WWI German Albatros D.V, there are only two originals in existence, one in the Smithsonian and the other held and on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. New Zealand film director Peter Jackson funded a number of replicas to be built and my friend is doing one as well. If one of them is lost, that's sad, but we still have the originals. Sometimes we forget its not just our generation that deserves to see them

a reply to: Caughtlurking

So we should start taking the Wright Flyer up again? How about Enola Gay? Spirit of St Louis? Yes, planes are meant to fly, but what about history? Shouldn't we preserve history too?