Rise, Fall & Rebirth of Flying Wings: N-1M to B-2 Spirit & A-12 Through Rare, Restored Footage

For nearly a century, aeronautical engineers pursued a radical question: what if an aircraft discarded its fuselage and tail altogether, leaving nothing but a pure lifting surface? This comprehensive documentary traces the complete engineering, operational, and political history of the American flying wing—from early 1930s experiments to the strategic stealth bombers and procurement controversies of the modern era. The journey begins with Dr. Cloyd Snyder's 1932 glider experiments and the rise of Jack Northrop, whose early work on the stressed-skin Lockheed Vega, Northrop Alpha, and record-breaking Gamma funded his true ambition. In 1929, Northrop tested the twin-boom X-216H before unveiling the N-1M at Mojave's dry lakes in 1940—America's first successful all-wing aircraft equipped with elevons and split wingtip rudders. When World War II threatened Britain's survival in 1941, General Hap Arnold commissioned an intercontinental bomber capable of flying 10,000 miles with a 10,000-pound bomb load. Northrop built four one-third-scale N-9M testbeds—one later restored to flight by the Planes of Fame Air Museum—to validate the aerodynamics of the massive 172-foot XB-35. Plagued by severe contra-rotating propeller gearbox failures, the piston-powered XB-35 gave way to the eight-jet YB-49 in 1947. Despite setting cross-country speed records, the YB-49 suffered dangerous yaw instability and a fatal 1948 stall crash at Muroc that claimed Major Glen Edwards, leading the Air Force to scrap the fleet in favor of the colossal Convair B-36 Peacemaker. Three decades later, Northrop's inadvertent radar-evading geometry returned alongside computer fly-by-wire controls in the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, proving its precision during 31-hour combat sorties over Kosovo in 1999. Following a vintage Air Force film detailing YB-49 aerodynamics and cockpit operations, the documentary investigates the US Navy's ill-fated McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics A-12 Avenger II carrier stealth wing, its 1991 cancellation by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, and the ensuing 20-year Supreme Court battle. To support our work and channel, join @    / @dronescapes   Thank you! 🙏🎖️ ➤ More aircraft and history videos:    / @dronescapes   ➤ Join the channel:    / @dronescapes   ➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesv... ➤ FB:   / dronescapesvideos   ➤ Reddit:   / atellani   ➤ IG:   / dronescapesvideos   ➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes.... ➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescap... ➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj VIDEO SERIES: 🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US 🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation 🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany 🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British 🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown 🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29 🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam 🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet 🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest 🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar 🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2 00:00:00 The All-Wing Concept & Early Glider Experiments 00:02:10 Jack Northrop's Early Career, Lockheed Vega & X-216H 00:06:56 The N-1M Flying Laboratory at Mojave Dry Lakes 00:13:17 WWII Intercontinental Bomber Requirement & N-9M Testbeds 00:19:45 Planes of Fame N-9MB Restoration & Return to Flight 00:21:39 Building the Full-Scale XB-35 & Contra-Rotating Prop Issues 00:27:59 Enter the Jet Age: The Eight-Engine YB-49 Flying Wing 00:30:39 Muroc Flight Trials, the Loss of Glen Edwards & Cancellation 00:38:04 Archival Film: Inside XB-35 Construction at Hawthorne 00:43:45 Northrop's Monocoque Legacy & the Path to the B-2 Spirit 00:58:24 Experimental Wing Fighters: XP-79B, MX-334 & XP-56 01:06:13 The Rival Giant: Convair B-36 Peacemaker & Cold War Deterrence 01:14:13 Radar Evasion, Fly-By-Wire & the B-2 Spirit Rollout 01:21:24 31-Hour Combat Sorties: B-2 Spirit Over Kosovo in 1999 01:28:45 Vintage USAF Film: Flying Wing Aerodynamics & Drag Reduction 01:41:25 Inside the YB-49 Cockpit: Split Rudders, Elevons & Flight Demo 01:51:10 The Navy's Stealth Ambition: Replacing the A-6 Intruder 01:57:32 The A-12 Contract Charade, Radar Flaws & Stealth Realities 02:16:14 Dick Cheney's Aircraft Review & the 1991 A-12 Termination 02:25:31 20 Years in Court: State Secrets, Super Hornets & Fleet Strategy #FlyingWing #MilitaryAviation #StealthBomber