Flying the Northrop N9M Flying Wing | Aviation History
PLANES OF FAME MUSEUM | CHINO, CALIFORNIA
Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, CA held an event this past Saturday showcasing the last remaining Northrop N9M flying wing! This was a 1/3 scale prototype of what would was to become the Northrop XB-35 and YB-49. There was three of them built (N9M-1, N9M-2 and N9M-3) as a proof-of-concept and way to train pilots how to fly without a tail. One of them crashed (N9M-1) during a test flight and a fourth was produced (N9M-B). When the XB-35/YB-49 program was cancelled and the wings destroyed, N9M-2 and N9M-3 were also destroyed. Luckily, N9M-B hadn't been turned over to Air Force inventory yet and was able to be salvaged. Planes of Fame now has it in their possession and actually maintain it in flying condition.
The plane flies at local air shows and Planes of Fame has heritage days once a month and showcases a plane. This week was the N9M's turn! It was great to see the plane fly and hear the history that goes along with it. It was a major feature in the Northrop Grumman museum that I built at Space Park and being able to actually see it and touch it was pretty amazing.
I took some photos as the guides toured me around to see some of the other legacy Northrop Grumman companies and put together a video. I hope you enjoy it and subscribe to my blog and YouTube channel to follow my adventures.
