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RARE 1940s NORTHROP EXPERIMENTAL FLYING WING N1-M BOMBER JET ORIGINAL PHOTO BAKER DRY LAKE EDWARDS AFB SIGNED LOST ARK WWII
Mounted 1942 bxw photo in excellent condition; old wood frame (no glass), mat and backing paper in poor condition but signature and inscription clean, sharp and completeInscription on back paper handwritten in ink reads:11/11/42NorthropFlying WingExperimentalSignature (name unknown, worth researching)This would require a little imagination to mount and frame into a wonderful piece of history; at least the photo could be cut out of the old mat easily and the inscription cut out and mounted under the photo
The desert background in the photo is of Baker Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert near Death Valley and Edwards AFB in California
From a long-time Hughes Aircraft aerospace engineer - “This Northrop Flying Wing (the N-1M) in the picture is a very early experimental model and is very similar to what the German’swere developing in the 1940s during WWII and also is depicted in themovie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as evidenced by the down-turned wing tips (creatively called the BV-38).”
History - The Flying Wing was an experimental heavy bomber aircraft developed by the NorthropCorporation for the United States Army Air Forces during and shortlyafter World War II. The airplane used the radical and potentiallyvery efficient flying wing design, in which the tail section andfuselage are eliminated and all payload is carried in a thick wing.Only prototypes and pre-production aircraft were built, althoughinterest remained strong enough to warrant further development of thedesign as a jet bomber.
Jack Northrop became aware of Walter and Reimar Horten'srecord-setting "tailless" flying wing glider designs beingtested in Germany beginning in 1934. The N-1M was one ofa progression of experimental aircraft that further developedNorthrop's all-wing concept. The aircraft was produced in the UnitedStates and was developed during 1939 and 1940 as a flying testbed forthe purpose of proving Jack Northrop's vision of a practical FlyingWing. Built mostly of specially laminated layers of glued wood, thedesign of both wooden wings allowed for easy configuration changeswith the central blended fuselage, which was made of tubular steel.The aircraft first flew on 3 July 1941 at Baker Dry Lake inCalifornia. Northrop's pioneering all-wingaircraft would lead Northrop Grumman many years later to eventuallydevelop the advanced B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which debuted in 1989in US Air Force inventory.
Shipped quickly and very carefully flat with frame (not rolled) the day payment is received
