Northrop's Flying Wing airliner projects

[Sundog]

How about the Northrop Flying Wing Transport from the 40's

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT2650780

 

[elmayerle]

How about the Northrop Flying Wing Transport from the 40's

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT2650780

I've always thought that a cargo version of this one with a set of clamshell doors at the back of the center section, instead of the lounge, would look good.

 

[Sundog]

I've always thought that a cargo version of this one with a set of clamshell doors at the back of the center section, instead of the lounge, would look good.

Being a flying wing fan, I think any kind of flying wing, well most, anyway, look good.

Here's a Boeing Tandem Wing design.

 

[hesham]

Here are the Northrop flying wing and other aircraft ,some of them was a real aircraft.
http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/f/fw/fw.htm

 

[elmayerle]

Any chance of seeing some artr of the proposed airliner version of the XB-49 in commercial service? I'm thinking it might have done better, though, as a dedicated cargo aircraft with the rear lounge replaced by a "clamshell" hatch for cargo loading and unloading.

 

[martinletts]

Interesting! Do you know of any reference images?

 

[Orionblamblam]

Interesting! Do you know of any reference images?

How about a reference *movie?*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6U9CL0K_A

 

[Orionblamblam]

 

[Orionblamblam]

And the turboprop version:

 

[Johnbr]

Great stuf.

 

[martinletts]

Fantastic! Splendid material. I can just imagine it in TWA or Pan Am livery.

Thanks for sharing that.

 

[renax]

I love the airliner,
so romantic compare to an airbus....

 

[airman]

Cool and unfortunate project !

 

[elmayerle]

And I say that I imagine a cargo version of that airliner with the aft lounge replaced by clamshell doors similar to those used on some C-119 variants; it'd make quite a transport. *chuckle* Reminds me of a diorama i've thought to do using one of the less-accurate B-2 models converted to a transport in the markings of "Aerotransportes Medellin" (much like the low-viz version of the Canadian roundel, but with a cocoa leaf, not a maple leaf).

 

[Stargazer]

Except that weights would have to be really scientifically balanced between the left-wing and right-wing (so to speak) payload. I am no expert in aerodynamics, bu I don't think a flying wing would be safe flying with much more luggage weight on one side than on the other. The volume of payload and position of payload in a conventional airliner is pretty much safe in this respect, because the payload remains located in the central axis of the aircraft. Payload that is not evenly spread in an airliner's hatch could affect pitch, but this can be corrected easily by the ailerons. By putting too much weight on one wing, however, there would be great difficulty in controlling roll, which can get pretty dangerous. Could anyone with solid knowledge on these questions confirm?

 

[elmayerle]

Well, yes, there'd obviously have to be some weight and balance concerns and book-keeping done for that purpose, but I don't see any insurmountable obstacles.

 

[Triton]

Snapshots from the Northrop passenger flying wing concept video posted by Orionblamblam.

Source: http://davidszondy.com/future/Flight/northrupwing.htm

 

[Triton]

Snapshots from the Northrop passenger flying wing concept video posted by Orionblamblam.

Source: http://davidszondy.com/future/Flight/northrupwing.htm

 

[Bomiwriter]

Greetings from Bomiwriter. New gateway NB with my first wireless and its like a Lamborgini to my 2005 Gateway station wagon that paid for itself many times over. This is 3rd try and hope to get this rite...wright, no right once and for all. Found some many decades old but very small drawings from Northrop XB-35 engineering team showing three previous fly-wing designs before the finalised XB-35 built. I just cut n' pasted and supposing an interest from various chaps, can send it along this week. They were expanded just a bit so as to remain crips lines and it looks nice.

I need to address the Super-Hustler Marquardt RJ59 thing, cause AAHS asked me to write up a story on the Super Hustler design itself; I have those goods most all in drawings from Convair, simply outstanding nevertheless.

I'll start it as new topic. Hang tuff chaps.
Bomiwriter. I suppose I can find this site again and post the drawings here.

 

[KJ_Lesnick]

I'm looking around for any significant data on the N-31 and N-31A.


I've been searching google and I've found little more than silhouettes and data about one variant having turboprops and another with six engines (jet). I'm uncertain what kind of payload it had and when the project began

 

[Stargazer]

I'm looking around for any significant data on the N-31 and N-31A.


I've been searching google and I've found little more than silhouettes and data about one variant having turboprops and another with six engines (jet). I'm uncertain what kind of payload it had and when the project began

You can't have been looking around real hard... We had no less than TWO separate topics on this forum and this very board! It's all now here, in the same place, and probably as much as you can ever find on the web regarding this topic. Of course there is also Tony Buttler's Secret Projects book which contains an item on the subject.

 

[Stargazer]

From Northrop Flying Wings, by Edward T. Maloney (World War II Publications, Revised Edition 1976):

 

[NUSNA_Moebius]

Moreso than the cancellation of the B-35/49 program (and it's conspiracy theories), to me, the worst part is the literal theft of the XT-37 from Northrop. As great as jet engines are, in the era before turbofans, turboprops made too much sense for many roles and had so much potential that was never realized in the West. Seems the N-31 or a purely turboprop B-47 1 would've made the basis for a good Navy ASW patrol aircraft. It would be interesting for someone to calculate the fuel savings over the years for some of the viable aircraft that could've made do having their turbojets replaced with turboprops despite the slight loss in cruise speed and increased maintenance.

I guess turboprops were just not sexy enough.......

 

[Sundog]

Moreso than the cancellation of the B-35/49 program (and it's conspiracy theories), to me, the worst part is the literal theft of the XT-37 from Northrop. As great as jet engines are, in the era before turbofans, turboprops made too much sense for many roles and had so much potential that was never realized in the West. Seems the N-31 or a purely turboprop B-47 1 would've made the basis for a good Navy ASW patrol aircraft. It would be interesting for someone to calculate the fuel savings over the years for some of the viable aircraft that could've made do having their turbojets replaced with turboprops despite the slight loss in cruise speed and increased maintenance.

I guess turboprops were just not sexy enough.......

The problem the west had with turboprops back then was designing the gearboxes for them. Our designs were less than stellar and turbojets were advancing quite rapidly at the time. Boeing did look at TP's for the B-52, but jet powerplants met the requirements with better performance overall.

 

[cluttonfred]

And don't forget about the historical context we were talking about. Fuel was cheap, so fuel economy was not a driving factor unless it impeded operational requirements like range. The full-size Chevrolets with inline-engines 3.5 liters and bigger were the most popular American car for decades and got about 10-12 mpg around town and maybe 16 mpg at highway speeds. That's 20-24 l/100km to 15 l/100km for the metric folks among us.

 

[RAP]

These two pictures have been posted before, one looks like a screen shot the other in b/w. These two are from Northrop News.

 

[taildragger]

So does any of the literature state whether the flying wing airliner cabin would have been pressurized? The speeds stated for the jet versions anyway imply that this would have been necessary. I suspect that the structural difficulty and weight penalty of a wing-shaped pressure hull was a major reason why the flying wing airliner never got beyond the illustration stage.

 

[Moose]

https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1088859048651513856

Could it be time for commercial tailless flying wings? A cutaway illustration shows the interior of a proposed flying wing commercial airliner developed by Northrop in 1951 from the commercial passenger variant of the YB-49/YB-35 flying wings. #NorthropGrumman #FlyingWingFriday