Northrop N-9M
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The Northrop N-9M was a one-third scale development aircraft for the Northrop B-35 flying wing bomber.
On October 30, 1941, the preliminary order for development of the B-35 was confirmed, including engineering, testing, and — most importantly — a 60 ft wingspan 1/3-scale aircraft designated the N-9M by the company that was to be used in gathering data on performance. One was ordered in the original contract; this was expanded to three in early 1943 and a fourth was ordered a few months later. They were designated N-9M-1, -2, -A, and -B, respectively.
The N-9M was of partial wood construction to reduce weight; some wing surfaces were also wooden. The central section (roughly equivalent to the fuselage) was made of steel tubing. It was powered by two Menasco C65-1 engines, driving two-bladed propellers. The original engines were 290 hp; the N-9M-B later upgraded to 400 hp Franklin engines.
The first flight of the N-9M occurred on December 27 1942. Over the next five months there were 45 flights. Nearly all were terminated by mechanical failures of one sort or another. The Menasco engines were the primary source of problems. After about 22.5 hours of accumulated flight time, the N-9M crashed approximately 12 miles west of Muroc Army Air Base on May 19, 1943. The pilot, Max Constant, was killed as he attempted to recover the aircraft from a right-hand, 60 degree nose-down spin.
When the B-35 programme was cancelled completely, every test model was scrapped, with the exception of the N-9M-B. In 1982, volunteers of the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum (Cal-Aero Field, Chino Airport, Chino, Ca 91710 (909)-597-3722) restored one, and Planes of Fame Air Museum has a flying example of one of four surviving flying experimental aircraft for the B-35 and B-49 bombers (Air & Space Smithsonian, October/November 2002, Volume 18, Number 4, p. 12) and another reference of 1993. The N-9M-B is a result of John Knudsen Northrop (aka 'Jack' Northrop) pursuit of flying wing designs of the 1930s and 1940s. The flying wing concept was eventually validated in the Northrop B-2A stealth bomber.
Specifications (N-9M)
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot. (The N-9MB also had an observers seat. This was achieved by removal of the 50 gal fuel tank located behind the pilot)
- Length: 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
- Wingspan: 60 ft 0 in (18.3 m)
- Height: 6.58 ft 0 in (2. 00 m)
- Wing area: 490 ft² (45.5 m²)
- Empty: lb ( kg)
- Loaded: 7,000 lb (3,175 kg)
- Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
- Powerplant: 2x Menasco C6S-4, 275 hp (205 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 258 mph (415 km/h)
- Range: 500 miles (805 km)
- Service ceiling: 21,500 ft (6,555 m)
- Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
- Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
Related content
Related development: Northrop N-1M - Northrop YB-35 - Northrop YB-49Comparable aircraft: Horten Ho VII
Designation sequence:
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