Wee Bee

On Dec 29, 9:22*pm, Monk wrote:
On Dec 29, 1:52*pm, cavelamb wrote:

The Northrop MX-324 rocket powered test plane was flown in the prone
"head first" position.

It landed on skids.

John Meyers was the test pilot on it and commented that during landing
he had to put his chin about 1 foot off of the ground at about 100 mph.

He said it was a "mind expanding experience"...

From the looks of this picture, he's as high off the ground as any
spamcan driver. *http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/...ated_color.jpg

Monk

Never mind. This picture puts in better perspective.
http://northrop.host.sk/images/MX-32...rry_Crosby.jpg

Monk

"Monk" wrote

Never mind. This picture puts in better perspective.
http://northrop.host.sk/images/MX-32...rry_Crosby.jpg

After looking at the two pictures, I would put his eyeballs at between 3 and
4 feet off the ground.

Still, that's quite a perspective, since it is your melon that is out in
front of almost everything else, and it is what would get smushed, if
anything "bad" happened. Hmmm.

Also, I have never read about it's flight characteristics, but the small
fin, and the fact that it would be totally blanketed in a spin, I would bet
a very mean flat spin could develop, if it was ever spun.

I had never seen that one before. Interesting, and probably slick as snot!
It would be fun to build one with the pilot sitting like a sleek glider
pilot, and with a pusher prop.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:
"Monk" wrote

Never mind. This picture puts in better perspective.
http://northrop.host.sk/images/MX-32...rry_Crosby.jpg

After looking at the two pictures, I would put his eyeballs at between 3 and
4 feet off the ground.

Still, that's quite a perspective, since it is your melon that is out in
front of almost everything else, and it is what would get smushed, if
anything "bad" happened. Hmmm.

Also, I have never read about it's flight characteristics, but the small
fin, and the fact that it would be totally blanketed in a spin, I would bet
a very mean flat spin could develop, if it was ever spun.

I had never seen that one before. Interesting, and probably slick as snot!
It would be fun to build one with the pilot sitting like a sleek glider
pilot, and with a pusher prop.


Rocket powered maybe? See the3rd pic down.
http://www.strange-mecha.com/aircraft/FW/Northrop.htm


But THIS is the sweetie...

N9M was a scaled down pre-design version of the XB-35/49

N-9M 1942 = 1-2pC flying wing; two 260hp Menasco C6C; span: 60'0"
length: 17'10" v: 257/100/x range (est): 500 ceiling (est): 21,500'.
One-third-size flying scale model of B-35. Gross wt: 7000#, endurance:
3.2 hrs. POP: 1 N-9M, 1 N-9M-A, and 1 N-9M-B with two 300hp 8-cyl
Franklin O-540-7. Although officially test models for USAAF, s/ns were
never assigned. The first N-9M crashed on 5/19/43, killing test pilot
Max Constant. The N-9M-B was restored by the Planes of Fame Museum in 1994.

http://www.aerofiles.com/north-n9m.jpg
http://www.aerofiles.com/north-n9mx.jpg
http://www.aerofiles.com/north-N9Mcockpit.jpg


For a synopsis of ALL Northrop work...
http://www.aerofiles.com/_north.html


Richard

On Dec 28, 6:52*pm, Dana M. Hague wrote:
On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:18:05 -0800 (PST), Monk
wrote:

I don't know. *I thought of this conecpt, flying prone, before about
twenty plus years ago while in High school. *Then I came across this
bird.

Flying prone is one thing, though I don't see the attraction... it's
been done more than once (not counting all the hang gliders), but the
Wee Bee is so marginal that flying prone is the only option.


A couple of guys from Dayton Ohio had the same idea, probably a bit
before OP was in High School.

--

FF