Cubdriver

I love videos like this. National Geographic managed to get Northrup Grumman to make a model of the Nazi Horton 229 in their model shop a few years ago, and this is the video they made. The 229 was probably a smarter design than the Messerschmidt 262, and we all know how smart that one was. I was involved in the aerospace industry for a while and this reminds me of what I loved about it- truly smart aircraft manufacturing. Later CAD designs were better such as the Skunk Works "Have Blue", F-117, and B-2; but there was nothing but smarts driving aircraft design in the 30s and 40s- designs like the 229 were wonderful.

pilot0987

Nice video too watch.

UASIT

Nice video...Back in the day I played around on Flight Sim and the 229 was one of the planes I downloaded from simviation.com and flew around the virtual world...A lot of fun...

UASIT

http://iliketowastemytime.com/sites/...o-229-wing.jpg

flightduck

Heard the Junkers Jumo turbojet of the day was good for some 50 hours between overhauls-?

Great video and pix!

ERJF15

I remember seeing that thing on the floor of the Smithsonian restoration facility in Silver Hill, MD in the mid 80's. I was in the Dulles museum last month and i don't remember seeing it there inside their restoration facility.

JamesNoBrakes

True, but I got to see one up close a few months ago. Absolutely mind-blowing engineering that went into that, the features and design aspects that went on for decades and are still in use. It's interesting how crude the whittle turbojet was in comparison. Everything that they had to get right just for the thing to function (without getting into reliability too far) is just amazing, from the burner cans, to the turbine blades, to the compressor stacks. That's one amazing piece of engineering IMO.

I've always liked the Horton, but I question it's "stealth". Lower observable maybe from head on, but metal engines encased in wood are still a great radar target from many angles. I don't think their reproduction was very faithful as to the real RCS given all the metal parts that were used, except from exactly head-on. I think the design aspects that were groundbreaking were the use of the flying wing and integration of the engine nacelles into the wing, that and being jet powered.