Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review, May 3, 2019
P. 1
Historic experimental airplane lost in crash
by Peter W. Merlin
staff writer
A one-of-a-kind 1940s-vintage experimental Northrop Grumman photograph
airplane crashed shortly after noon on April 22,
killing the pilot. Photograph by Peter W. Merlin
The Northrop N-9MB was the sole remaining Main: The Planes of Fame Air Museum N-9MB at the 2014 Los Angeles County Air Show at Fox Field in Lancaster, Calif. Inset: A Northrop test pilot
example of its type, one of four subscale technol- flies the N-9MB over the Antelope Valley near what was then Muroc Army Airfield (later renamed Edwards Air Force Base).
ogy demonstrators built during World War II to
prove flight control techniques for a proposed controls consisted of elevons, rudders, and trim 19 several Army Air Force pilots arrived from technique could be mastered without too much
flying wing bomber. The flying wing configura- tabs, but no vertical control surfaces. Wright Field, Ohio, to fly the N-9M-2. These difficulty.â€
tion is so called because the tailless, all-wing familiarization flights were cut short when one
aircraft lacks a conventional tubular fuselage. Test pilot John W. Myers piloted the maiden of the pilots forgot to lower the landing gear. The history of the N-9M family becomes
Purchased in the 1950s by Planes of Fame Mu- flight of the N-9M-1 on Dec. 27, 1942, from Fortunately, the damage was repairable. somewhat murky after this point. The three
seum founder Edward T. Maloney, the N-9MB Northrop Field in Hawthorne, Calif. For safety diminutive demonstrators continued to serve
was painstakingly restored during a 13-year ef- and security reasons, Northrop’s test operations A month later the N-9M-2 was joined by the as trainers, familiarizing aircrew with the han-
fort by volunteers. were later moved to Muroc Army Airfield in the N-9MA, which featured improved flight con- dling characteristics of flying wings. During a
Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles. Over the trols. Completion of the fourth and final dem- May 1947 lecture, Jack Northrop noted, “Only
Although some of the internal framework next several months the N-9M-1 completed 43 onstrator, dubbed N-9MB, was delayed while recently have all desirable test programs been
and the center section surrounding the cockpit more flights. With few exceptions, most were awaiting delivery of more powerful engines. Ad- completed and the [N-9M] airplanes relegated
included metal components, most of the airframe terminated due to mechanical failures of one sort ditional improvements to the N-9MB included to a semi-retirement status from which they are
structure and airfoils were constructed from or another. leading edge slots and a fully powered irrevers- withdrawn only for the benefit of curious pilots.â€
wood. In November 1994, following an esti- ible flight control system. The airplane had split
mated 20,000 hours of restoration, the N-9MB The N-9M-1 was lost in a spin accident on rudders, which were later used on the XB-35, Several B-35 and B-49 variants were complet-
took to the air as part of the museum’s collection May 19, 1943, taking the life of Northrop test the jet-powered YB-49, and decades later, with ed and flown, but never went into production.
of flyable vintage airplanes. Since then, Planes pilot Max Constant. After this loss, Myers re- some modifications, on the B-2 stealth bomber. Those that survived the program were eventually
of Fame volunteer pilot David Michael Vopat turned to the program to fly the N-9M-2. The scrapped along with all other associated spare
logged hundreds of flying hours during air shows second N-9M had a longer career than the first, Harry Crosby piloted the first flight of the N- parts and materials. Only the N-9MB remained
around Southern California. At the time of the but it nearly ended badly on its first flight. Just 9MB on Jan. 26, 1945, and it was subsequently and it was in a state of disrepair by the time Ed
accident the airplane was scheduled to fly at the after takeoff, the canopy suddenly ripped away. flown by a number of Northrop and Army Air Maloney rescued it from obscurity.
Planes of Fame air show at Chino Airport. Myers circled the field and brought the airplane Force test pilots. One of these was Capt. Glen
in for a safe landing with only minor damage. W. Edwards, for whom Muroc would eventu- Once restored, the N-9MB delighted airshow
Sources confirmed that Vopat was at the con- Repairs set the test program back another month. ally be renamed Edwards Air Force Base. “The audiences, though some spectators feared the
trols when the N-9MB spun into a prison yard airplane flew surprisingly well, was more stable unique relic might be tragically lost should a
at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco. Myers served as the principal pilot for the and handled far better than most would expect,†mishap occur. This nearly came to pass in April
The plane did not hit any buildings on the 98- N-9M-2 until September 1943, when Northrop he concluded in his May 3, 1946, report. 2006, when the N-9MB suffered an in-flight
acre medium-security facility, although some test pilots Harry Crosby and Alex Papana joined engine fire. The aircraft was landed safely with
outdoor exercise equipment was damaged, and the program. Due to heavy rains at Muroc, test- He endorsed the N-9M as an acceptable an- minimal damage, and was back on flight status
no one on the ground was injured. The N-9MB ing was temporarily moved to Roach Lake, Nev., alog for the full-scale bomber. “It would take by May 2010.
was completely destroyed. in March 1944. Test results were rapidly assim- hours practice to make good takeoffs and get
ilated into the design of the XB-35. On April proper coordination on turns,†he noted, “but the
John K. “Jack†Northrop’s tailless designs
were among the most exotic airplanes of the ear-
ly 1940s. The company’s first true flying wing,
the N-1M, flew in 1940. Although overweight
and underpowered, it was considered a success-
ful concept demonstrator. This led Northrop
in May 1941 to propose development of a fly-
ing wing bomber capable of cruising at around
40,000 feet, with a desired range of 10,000 miles
while carrying a 10,000-pound bomb load. The
Army Air Forces subsequently agreed to pur-
chase a handful of subscale demonstrators and
several full-scale prototypes.
The first demonstrator, designated N-9M, was
a one-third-scale flying mock-up designed to
mimic the flying qualities of Northrop’s XB-35
bomber prototype. The N-9M was built to pro-
vide flight-test information from which the ma-
neuverability, controllability, and performance of
the XB-35 could be accurately predicted. Four of
these aircraft — the N-9M-1, N-9M-2, N-9MA,
and N-9MB – were built between 1942 and 1945.
Each airplane was powered by twin pusher pro-
pellers, had a wingspan of 60 feet, and weighed
around 7,000 pounds. The N-9M was designed
with an endurance of 3.2 hours with 100 gallons
of fuel, and a service ceiling of 21,500 feet. Flight
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