Northrop YB-49

The Northrop YB-49 was an American prototype jet-powered flying-wing heavy bomber developed by Northrop Corporation shortly after World War II for the United States Air Force. It was a turbojet-powered development of the piston-engined XB-35 and YB-35, and the two YB-49s built were both converted YB-35 test aircraft. The first flew on 22 October 1947 from Northrop airfield in Hawthorne and immediately proved more promising than its piston counterpart. On 9 February 1949 one flew from Muroc to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington in 4 hours 25 minutes, after which President Truman ordered a flyby of Pennsylvania Avenue at rooftop level. The last operational prototype was destroyed on 15 March 1950 when its nose wheel collapsed during high-speed taxi trials and it burned.