YB-49 Flying Wing

The YB-49 was a jet powered development of the propeller driven XB-35 and YB-35 Flying Wing designs. Its first flight took place on October 22, 1947. There were three aircraft built in total. During testing the airplane it set an unofficial endurance record for remaining above 40,000 feet altitude for 6.5 hours. The airplane also showed a small radar cross section. The second aircraft was unfortunately lost on June 5, 1948 when it suffered structural failure in flight. All crew members perished. On February 9, 1949, the first YB-49 flew from Muroc AFB in California to Andrews AFB near Washington DC. The trip was made in 4 hours and 29 minutes. This print is a depiction of that flight. Knowledge and experience gained from the XB-35, YB-35 and YB-49 Flying Wing programs proved valuable decades later when the B-2 was designed and developed.