This Day in Aviation History
October 21st, 1947
First flight of the Northrop YB-49, the first jet powered flying wing to fly in the USA.
 
The Northrop YB-49 was a prototype jet-powered heavy bomber aircraft developed by Northrop Corporation shortly after World War II for service with the U.S. Air Force. The YB-49 featured a flying wing design and was a jet-powered development of the earlier, piston-engined Northrop XB-35 and YB-35. The two YB-49s actually built were both converted YB-35 test aircraft.
 
The YB-49 never entered production, being passed over in favor of the more conventional Convair B-36 piston-driven design. Design work performed in the development of the YB-35 and YB-49 nonetheless proved to be valuable to Northrop decades later in the eventual development of the B-2 stealth bomber, which entered service in the early 1990s….
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Northrop YB-49: http://gstv.us/1MFEyd3
 
YouTube, Northrop YB-49 “Flying Wing” – Taxing, Take Off & Flight Operations (1947): http://gstv.us/1MFEzO8
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/1MFEvxZ
 
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