Horton hears a Who!

[Stillwater]

Inspired by the fantastic warbird discovery series of Martyn (http://www.orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/67317-do-335-around-westfjords/), I searched for another survivor of the operation Seahorse. Another amazing piece of engineering: The Horton Ho-229. It did not enter service, and it is supposed that only 6 prototypes existed. It was the first pure flying wing powered by jet engines. 

 

 

The wings were made from two thin, carbon-impregnated plywood panels glued together with a charcoal and sawdust mixture. The wing had a single main spar, penetrated by the jet engine inlets, and a secondary spar used for attaching the elevons. It was designed with a 7g load factor and a 1.8x safety rating; therefore, the aircraft had a 12.6g ultimate load rating. A drogue parachute slowed the aircraft upon landing. The pilot sat on a primitive ejection seat. The aircraft was originally designed for the BMW 003 jet engine, but that engine was not quite ready and the Junkers Jumo 004 engine was substituted.

 

Control was achieved with elevons and spoilers. The control system included both long span (inboard) and short span (outboard) spoilers, with the smaller outboard spoilers activated first. This system gave a smoother and more graceful control of yaw than would a single spoiler system.

 

 

The H.IX V2 reportedly displayed very good handling qualities, with only moderate lateral instability (a typical deficiency of tailless aircraft). There are reports that during one of these test flights, the H.IX V2 undertook a simulated "dog-fight" with a Messerschmitt Me 262, the first operational jet fighter and that the H.IX V2 outperformed the Me 262. (The freeware model contains only a photo-based 2D cockpit - no eye-candy, but sufficient to fly. Check the speed, please - still accelerating.)

 

After the war, Reimar Horten said he mixed charcoal dust in with the wood glue to absorb electromagnetic waves (radar), which he believed could shield the aircraft from detection. RCS testing showed that a hypothetical Ho 229 approaching the English coast from France flying at 885 kilometres per hour (550 mph) at 15–30 metres (49–98 ft) above the water would have been visible at a distance of 80% that of a Bf 109. Given the high-speed capabilities of the aircraft it would have given the British defences just two and a half minutes to respond, which would not have been enough time. It is believed that, if deployed in quantity, the Ho 229 could have changed the course of the war.

 

 

 

 

The only surviving Ho 229 airframe, the V3 — and indeed, the only surviving German jet prototype still in existence — is at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Paul E. Garber Restoration Facility in Suitland, Maryland.

 

All text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horten_Ho_229. Aircraft freeware from http://www.fs-freeware.net/downloads/viewdownload/13-military-aircraft/316-fs-x-horten-ho-229-v3.

[Yardreamer]

I fly one once in a while from my wings of power collection just the cockpits are a bit of a throwback and mostly 2d... Nice shots ....

 

 

Dreamer

[BradB]

Fantastic shots of a very different looking plane .

 

Cheers

 

Brad

[GroovyMotion]

Great shots...this is a nice piece of history!

[RJ]

Great shots for one more "Thanks heavens they didn't see service". 

[Iain Emms]

Very nice indeed.

cheers

Iain

[VH-KDK]

Well done Gerold, that is a great set and history of an interesting aircraft.

Looks like it should be in a Bond movie.

Another what might have been and like the Do-335 amazing to hear that one still exists.

[Frank Schnibben]

Incredible plane. That's what today might be considered a "bold" design.

[adambar]

Nicely done Gerold, never saw that one before!!

 

Adam