Horten HO 229 - $4.50
The German government was funding glider clubs at the time because production of military aircraft was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. The flying wing layout removes any "unneeded" surfaces and, in theory at least, leads to the lowest possible drag. This is a pretty easy model to build and great to display hanging from your ceiling.
The Horten Ho 229 Flying Wing
The first Horten wing (a glider as were many of their designs), flew in 1934 and their devotion to the design carried them on even after the war. What is truly amazing about their story is that often their work was done in secret, even from the Luftwaffe, who did not want a new design interfering with other types.
The final design they were working on during the closing days of the war was one that would be able to carry two atomic bombs to the U.S. and return.
Chauncy Green has designed this really accurate yet easy to build model which, we hope, is the start of a long and intriguing line of Nazi Luftwaffe Secret X-planes..Perhaps it's the start of a collection of flying wings.. Can't ever tell what he's up to next..Watch this space...
The error you made happens a lot. Another error which happens too is to name the jet flying wing the Horten Ho IX. It should be Horten H IX Hope this will help. Keep that brain spawning wings (usual end-phrase), Koen Van de Kerckhove , Belgium, Europe(2-01)
I just finished the Horten wing. What a great job of making a difficult subject easy to build! I found that stuffing a wad of tissue in the center section made it easier to attach the wings. I have built way too many of these thins already, but don't intend to stop any time soon. Thanks for all the hard work.Ed (April 23, 01)
Horton looks great!!! but I see some people have had trouble getting the wings right , here is my slant on it. build the center section and add all the engine parts but leave off the under carriage doors , cut a access hole 
as suggested where the big plate will sit at the back leaving a 1/8 inch lip all around opening I prefer mine without U/C. Prepare each wing by lightly score the leading edge and score the big tab on the bottom of the wing then cutoff all the little tabs ! trust me on this ! bend the wing halves and the large tab so they are at 90 degrees but not further. Now glue just the large tab on the lower wing to the upper wing ,at this point ensure the wingtip/trailing edge line up properly and if necessary insert something into the wing to stop the wing skins from becoming glued together.When this has dried gently pop open the wingtip apply glue and glue the tips together.
Take one wing and apply glue to the body along where the top of the wing will go and at the front just around the small tabs but no further , now attach the top of the wing concentrating on getting the front right and the paint scheme lined up and follow it down to the trailing edge. Start at the front underneath and do the same for the lower part of the wing and when this has dried put some glue in the remaining gap ( where the tabs were cut from and seal up the wing. Whew done ! Large model paper 80gm , paper just strong enough ) How can you get so much fun from a single sheet of paper ! Paul Needham
WWII Horten Ho-229 Horten Flying Wing
The H IX V3 was an unarmed, twin-jet, single"at aircraft. Further production of the fighter bomber was assigned to the Gothaer Waggon~brik (GWF). Well-known for its Go 241 cargo glider, Gotha was considered the company best suited to manufacture Horten aircraft. The aircraft's turbojet engines were installed splayed 15 degrees left and right of the aircraft centerline and 4 degrees nose down. The new installation was tested in a center section mock-up. Construction of the H IX V3 was nearly complete when the Gotha Works at Friederichsroda was overrun by troops of the American 3rd Army's VII Corps on April 14, 1945. The aircraft was assigned the number T2-490 by the Americans. The aircraft's official RLM designation is uncertain, as it was referred to as the Ho 229 as well as the Go 229. Also found in the destroyed and abandoned works were several other prototypes in various stages of construction, including a two-seat version.
In spite of the fact that only two prototypes were
actually completed and flown, the Horten brothers' all-wing, jet powered
fighter, initially known as the H IX, was high on the list of
fighters officially sanctioned for continued development, production
and even operational deployment to a specific Luftwaffe unit.
None of this would likely have resulted, had it not been for a
number of fortuitous events which ultimately positioned the brothers
within the higher circles of the Luftwaffe. The H IX development
began early in 1943, when the Horten brothers first met Reichsmarschall
Hermann Goring and Oberstleutnant i.G.(Lt. Col.) Diesing at the
Reichsjagerhof (Reich hunting lodge) on September 28, 1943. Having
shown Reichsmarschall Goring some photographs, 30-year old Hauptmann
(Captain) Walter Horten outlined the evolution of the new fighter
by his team, which included Messrs. Kaupa and Peschke. He indicated
the new fast fighter would also be able to carry a 2,200 lb. (1,000
kg) bomb at a top speed of approximately 590 mph (950 km/h).
As planned, the un powered Horten Ho 229 V1 was towed into the air at Gottingen by an He 45 on March 1,1944, with Lt. Heinz Scheidhauer at the controls. Later, a larger twin engine He 111 took over the task of towing from the small He 45. Meanwhile, work progressed on the first powered prototype, the Ho 229 V2, until it was realized that the promised BMW 003 would not be ready. Accordingly, the decision was made to modify the design to allow for the installation of two larger Jumo 004 turbojets. When the first Jumo 004B units were delivered, the Horten brothers were astonished to learn that their diameter turned out to be nearly 8 inches (20 cm) greater than anticipated. The design had to be modified once again. The wingspan was increased from 52.98 ft. (16.1 m) to 69.9 ft. (21.3 m) in order to improve the aerodynamic qualities of the flying wing.
On June 26, 1944, Luftwaffenkommando IX began construction of the redesigned and improved Ho 229 V3, as well as additional test aircraft began at a small Fliegerhorst (air base) near the city of Gottingen. The technicians worked long hours,often putting in more than ninety hours per week, in an effort to finalize the installation of the turbojets.
Meanwhile, on July 7, 1944, the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt fur Luftfahrt (DVL) at Berlin-Adlershof had finished flight testing the Ho 229 V1. Flight testing was not entirely satisfactory due to the aircraft's excessive yaw (side-to-side movement), but overall, control surfaces were considered to be sufficient.
Two months later, the list of equipment for the full-scale
mockup was compiled by Oberleutnant Bruning (Dept. E 2, Rechlin),
Brune (Horten), Huhnerjager (Gotha), and some other experts. The
production Ho 229 was supposed to have been equipped with FuG
25a, FuG 16ZY, and FuG 125 avionics. It was also planned to fit
two or four forward firing fixed weapons as well as reconnaissance
equipment comprising an Rb 50/30 or Rb 75/30 aerial camera.
The first unofficial flight, with Lieutenant (2nd Lt.) Erwin Ziller at the controls, took place on December 18, 1944. As one of the Horten brothers later recalled, this was the first flight of one of their designs under jet power.
Because of Reichsmarschall Goring's influence the Ho 229 was included in the Jager-Notprogramm (fight emergency program). On September 21, 1944, the first forty production Ho 229 A-1s were ordered. These were to be built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik74 Initially, the firm of Klemm, located at Boblingen, near Stuttgart, was supposed to build twenty Ho 229s. Gotha was to build an additional twenty aircraft. During late 1944, initial attempts to set up a small production line near Gotha failed to materialize. During this period, Mobel May, a small furniture firm near Tamm in Wurttemberg, was brought into the program to manufacture wooden wing sections.
The fate of the Ho 229 V2's test pilot, Erwin Ziller, was sealed when a flame-out occurred on February 26, 1945, during the landing approach of his fourth flight. Unable to recover, Ziller crashed, destroying the prototype. When the US 3rd Army Corps reached the Gotha plant on April 14, 1945, three Ho 229 prototypes (V4, V5 and V6) were discovered in various stages of construction. The Ho 229 V1 was captured at Leipzig. The Ho 229 V3, which was under construction at the end of the war, was also seized, and was subsequently shipped to the USA for evaluation.
The first unofficial flight, with Leutnant (2nd Lt.) Erwin Ziller at the controls, took place on December 18, 1944. As one of the Horten brothers later recalled, this was the first flight of one of their designs under jet power.
Because of Reichsmarschall Goring's influence the Ho 229 was
included in the Jager-Notprogramm (fighteiemergency program).
On September 21, 1944, the first forty production Ho 229 A-1s
were ordered. These were to be built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik74
Initially, the firm of Klemm, located at Boblingen, near Stuttgart,
was supposed to build twenty Ho 229s. Gotha was to build an additional
twenty aircraft. During late 1944, initial attempts to set up
a small production line near Gotha failed to materialize. During
this period, Mobel May, a small furniture firm near Tamm in Wurttemberg,
was brought into the program to manufacture wooden wing sections.
The fate of the Ho 229 V2's test pilot, Erwin Ziller, was sealed when a flame-out occurred on February 26, 1945, during the landing approach of his fourth flight. Unable to recover, Ziller crashed, destroying the prototype. When the US 3rd Army Corps reached the Gotha plant on April 14, 1945, three Ho 229 prototypes (V4, V5 and V6) were discovered in various stages of construction. The Ho 229 V1 was captured at Leipzig. The Ho 229 V3, which was under construction at the end of the war, was also seized, and was subsequently shipped to the USA for evaluation.
Following his capture by members of the US. Seventh Army early in May 1945, Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring was allowed to hold a press conference for war correspondents at Kitzbahel. Champagne was made available, and the Reichsmarschall was candid with his views. "I am convinced that the jet planes would have won the war for us if we had had only four or five months time," Goring said through the American interpreter. (Goring was, however, fluent in English.) "If I had to design the Luitwaffe again, the first airplane I would develop would be the jet fighter-then the jet bomber, " he continued. Perhaps one of his more interesting statements dealt with his preference for future aircraft design. "According to my view, the future airplane is one without fuselage (flying wing), equipped with turbine in combination with the jet and propeller. " Following this interview, learning of the cordial treatment afforded Goring, General Eisenhower cracked down. The Reichsmarschall was unceremoniously and irrevocably denied further activity on behalf of the Luftwaffe.
During November 1941 Galland left the famous fighter wing, JG 26, to take over from Molders as General of the Fighters. Shortly after consolidating his new command Galland asked that the technical officer of JG 26, Obit. Walter Horten, be transferred to his staff. Horten, with his elder brother, Reimar, had been working for about ten years on the development of all-wing aircraft, building several successful gliders to test his theories. Now, having the opportunity to converse with some of the Luftwaffe's leading generals (an opportunity further helped by the fact that he was married to Udet's secretary), Horten managed to elicit verbal agreement from Goring for him and his brother to set up a special group {Sonderkommando 9) at Gottingen to build more advanced all-wing aircraft. Of these, the most important was the Ho IX fighter of which two prototypes were to be completed, one as a glider, the other with twin turbojets.
 Thanks to Wayne Cutrell for this nice setting |
After discovering the existence of the construction group early in 1944, RLM officials ordered all further work to be stopped as they had not been consulted. The Horten brothers immediately sought a further interview with Goring who quickly gave them authorization to continue their work.
In March 1944 the unpowered Ho IX V1 made its first flight with Obit. Heinz Scheithauer at the controls, the airfield at Oranienburg being used for the tests as that at Gottingen was too small. This and subsequent tests were so successful that a contract was placed for 40 powered aircraft with the Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG under the designation Go 229. The all-wing fighter was to be powered by two BMW 003 turbojets situated one on each side of the cockpit. Tubular steel was to be used for the construction of the center section with wooden outer panels and plywood covering. The cockpit was set well forward and the pilot was provided with a spring-loaded ejector seat. Lateral and longitudinal control was by means of elevons which occupied most of the trailing edge of the wing, directional control being achieved by the aid of flaps above and below the wingtips.
By August 1944 the Ho IX V2 was nearing completion at Gottingen
when the order came to replace the BMW 003 engines with a pair
of the more reliable, but considerably larger, Jumo 004s. This
order delayed completion by about seven weeks and it was not until
sometime in January, 1945, that the aircraft made its initial
flight from Oranienburg piloted by Fw. Erwin Ziller. Even at this
stage, considerable lateral instability was experienced, making
the aircraft a far from ideal gun platform.
Two further flights followed, the fourth coming on February 26. Following a pass over Bisping's funeral cortege, the port engine cut, leading Ziller to attempt an emergency landing on a lengthened, grassed over, portion of the runway. As the main wheels hit the ground, they broke through a patch of ice, causing the aircraft to ground loop. Ziller was killed.
Despite the fact that the Gotha company had received the first drawings of the Ho IX in July 1944, the third aircraft, the Go 229 V3, was still not complete when the war ended. The main reason for this was that Gotha was more interested in promoting its own P 60 delta wing fighter design than building the Ho IX.
Five further prototypes were under construction as the war ended, the Go 229 V4 to V8. The first of these was a production prototype with a new landing gear retraction system, armament, armor and self sealing tanks. It was virtually complete when the war ended, but, like the center section of the V5, it mysteriously disappeared before the Friedrichsroda plant was captured by U.S. forces!
Construction of the V6 and V7 also began, various armament combinations being proposed. These included four MK 108 or two MK 103 cannon or two MK 108s and two Rb 50/18 cameras. Some thought was also given to the production of a two-seat night fighter variant.
At one time it had been planned to transfer one of the Go 229 prototypes to the Versuchsverband OKL at Oranienburg, but as has been explained, none of these was completed. A proposal was also made in April 1945 to reequip 1./JG 400 with the Go 229. When U.S. troops captured Gotha's Friedrichsroda plant on April 14, 1945, the partly completed Go 229 V3 was found and transported to the U.S. and is at present held in storage at NASM's Silver Hill facility.
At one time it had been planned to transfer one of the Go 229 prototypes to the Versuchsverband OKL at Oranienburg, but as has been explained, none of these was completed. A proposal was also made in April 1945 to reequip 1./JG 400 with the Go 229. When U.S. troops captured Gotha's Friedrichsroda plant on April 14, 1945, the partly completed Go 229 V3 was found and transported to the U.S. and is at present held in storage at NASM's Silver Hill facility.
In your last email you mentioned some interest in the Horten glider
which was the prototype for the Go 229. Using your model as a
basis I've just From what I can see in the available black and white photographs, the glider was gray on top, probably light blue on the bottom with Balken crosses on top and bottom of wings. I hope in the future to photograph my 1/32nd Fiddlers Green based models and email you a copy. Regards, Jim |
finished a 1/32nd scale model of the Horten Ho
9-V1 glider. The span is 19 7/8". The wing was built strictly
according to F.G. templates enlarged the only concession to size
was that I used poster board instead of paper. The conversion
consists of leaving off the engine housings and retractable landing
gear housing. The landing gear on the glider was fixed, the main
gear was housed in trapezoidal fairing's with the nose wheel exposed.
On my model the landing gear and pilots canopy are plastic everything
else is card. I must commend your design, in spite of the large
size and change of materials, the wing held its shape without
any internal bracing.
| The National Geographic Channel describes it as one of the best-kept secrets of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Toward the end of World War II, a mysterious, futuristic-looking aircraft was discovered by American troops in a top-secret German facility. The prototype jet, which resembled a massive bat wing, and other advanced German aircraft were brought to the United States in the military project “Operation Seahorse.” In the early 1960s, the prototype jet was transferred to a Smithsonian facility in Maryland that is off-limits to the public. It remains there today. “There have been no documents released on it, and the public has no access to it,” said Michael Jorgensen, a documentary filmmaker who secured National Geographic Channel backing to assemble a team of Northrop Grumman aeronautical engineers to study the craft and build a full-size replica from original plans. The completed model, which has a 55-foot wingspan, was quietly trucked to San Diego to join the San Diego Air & Space Museum's permanent collection. The big mystery: Was this a stealth aircraft created more than three decades before modern stealth technology debuted? Could the wedge-shaped jet — almost completely formed of wood — actually evade radar detection? If so, military analysts wonder if the outcome of the war might have been different had the Germans had time to deploy the technology. The prototype craft was successfully tested by the Germans in late 1944. The reconstruction process was filmed over three months last fall by Jorgensen's Flying Wing Films production company. Film crews followed the model to Northrop Grumman's restricted test site in the Mojave Desert in January, where the craft was mounted five stories high on a rotating pole. Radar was aimed at it from every direction and aerial attacks were simulated. “It was a chance to be involved in solving a mystery that has baffled aviation historians for a long time,” said Jim Hart, a spokesman for Northrop Grumman, which created the B-2 stealth bomber. |
The machine was sent to Brandis, where it was to be tested by the military and used for training purposes. It was found there by soldiers of theUS 9th Armored Division at the end of the war and was later burned in a "clearing action." |
In order to simulate the stabilizing effect of
the engines, which were absent from the V1, the aircraft's main
undercarriage legs were faired from the outset; only the aircraft's
nose wheel was retractable. On March 5 the nose gear failed after
it developed a wobble on Oranienburg's concrete runway. A special
pressure suit was to have replaced the absent cockpit pressurization,
but was never used in practice.One beta builder has commented on the fact that he could get one wing onto the fuselage with access through the opposite side. However, when putting the other wing on there was no place to get an index finger inside the model to help attach and align the wing. During mock-ups I found it easiest to attach the second wing by sliding the wing ass'y onto the already glued up tabs and then applying light pressure just inside the joint at the leading and trailing edge of the fuselage. This "puffs up" the fuselage, making it grab hold of the wing tabs. Watch alignment closely! Alene's Tacky, WeldBond or other quick setting glue works well. FWIW, if you don't feel comfortable with this, you can cut a hole in the gray area where the main landing gear housing covers and get a finger in there. This area is completely covered anyway. If there's enough of a problem here I can even draw a cut-out area right on the model for this purpose. Chauncy Green |
BB... Question: Chauncy:...Haven't decided for sure yet,
but am leaning towards a double connecting strip. I've tried tabs
on one half but I don't think that will cut the mustard. We'll
see, things have a way of changing. First attempt was a tracing as RM described. With
an airfoil/chord this thick the problem for me was getting a
straight/true joint at the wing root. Which in this case is the
center of the whole shabang. In addition that center section
has a different profile than the outer One day I'm liable to be in the shower and the force of the water on my head may knock some sense into me and I'll get another brainstorm. This is how the Flea wing curve and the Trieb rotating collar came to me. ...No, really. ;-) FEB 18 addition....
I'm working on the engine nacelles now. Kinda tough because of the odd angle that the engines were mounted on. (Down and In). It's based on the V3 that unlike the Fly model Nachtjager, which is based on the V7, has full-length nacelles instead of just humps on the upper wing. It'll come, soon as I get some time to do some testing/adjusting. ;-) As far as color schemes go, I'm leaning toward
the one depicted in the 3-view on page 250 of the book "Warplanes
of the Third Reich" by William Green. Doc (or anyone else)
if you have this one, can you be any help with the colors as
it's printed in B&W. RLM 74, 75, 76 |
As far as progress on the 229 goes, I've joined
the two halves of the center (fuse) section together at the bottom-rear
and will use tabs up one side of the center joint to make it
come together like a zipper. ;-) I did a test build with two
separate sections and a connecting Every design I've done so far for Fiddlers Green has been of a subject that I have little actual knowledge of but have grown to love through learning and the more I learn about these Horten brothers and they're work, the more amazed I am. Think about it... that's a billion dollar airplane being stalked by something that flew off the drawing boards fifty years earlier! Yep, those 229s with their wooden construction were pretty "stealthy" too and just as fast as a B-2. Shivvvvver. Chauncy |
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I've attached a graphic that
is just nothing but "scary" to me. I pulled this off
Usenet some time ago and wish I knew who rendered it
(so I could give credit) because it's really well done. Pretty
cool composite of a real B2 being stalked by a pair of rendered
ho-229s.
In order to simulate the stabilizing effect of
the engines, which were absent from the V1, the aircraft's main
undercarriage legs were faired from the outset; only the aircraft's
nose wheel was retractable. On March 5 the nose gear failed after
it developed a wobble on Oranienburg's concrete runway. A special
pressure suit was to have replaced the absent cockpit pressurization,
but was never used in The machine was sent to Brandis, where it was to be tested by the military and used for training purposes. It was found there by soldiersof the US 9th Armored Division at the end of the war and was later burned in a "clearing action." |
Northrop N9M-B Flying Wing The N9MB was built in 1944 as the last of four 1/3 scale prototypes
of the B35/YB49 Flying Wing Bombers. It was built to The N9MB took 13 years and over 20,000 man hours to rebuild by a group of volunteers at Planes of Fame, and was supported by aircraft component manufacturers. Two of the volunteers were original "Norcrafters" who worked on the wing during the original construction. The outer wings are wood construction and the engines are mounted in a steel frame center body. The engines are the original eight cylinder Franklin's, which are supercharged to obtain 325 horsepower. (Less than 20 of these engines were built by Franklin in the 1940's.) The N9MB first flew November 11, 1994, flown by Don Lykins. This plane is based at the Fighter Jets Museum in Chino. |
test the
full power irreversible hydraulic
flight control system used in the B35 bomber and to check out
pilots prior to flying the big wings. This is the only 60 foot
N9M known to exist. Ed Maloney obtained it in the 1950's when
it was being scrapped at Edwards Air Force Base. The N9M was test
flown by both Bob Hoover and Chuck Yeagar during Air Force test
flights. An earlier model N1M 30 foot wing is on display in the
Smithsonian Museum, but all of the full scale bombers were scrapped. |
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