Reimar and Walter Horten tested their first piloted nurflugel (only-wing) sailplane in 1933, while they were still in their teens.
After further experiments, including a motorized sailplane, they built a twin-engined pusher that looked remarkably like the N-1M Flying Wing Jack Northrop would fly in 1940.
Alas, this Ho 5 crashed on its first flight in 1937, breaking the aircraft, Reimar's jaw, and one of Walter's teeth. The problem was that bugbear of all-wing aircraft: the center of gravity was too far back.
The Hortens moved the engines forward and lengthened the propeller shafts, so that their all-wing looked even more like the N-1M. Their Ho 5-B flew successfully in 1938--two years before Northrop's.
Nog even een anekdote over Jack Northrop.
Toen ze hem het prototype van de huidige B2 Bomber lieten zien schijnt hij gezegd te hebben, “ My God, now I know why you have let me live that long, to see this”.
Captain Kebab can have the floor.
Cheers
Art