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39 inch XP-56 Black Bullet Kit
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$ 0.00
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39 inch XP-56 Black Bullet Kit + 24gm Brushless combo
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$ 0.00
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The kit includes everything you need to build the airframe including carbon-fiber reinforcement.
Detailed building instructions are provided on a CD included with the kit.
To complete the model as shown, you will also need:
- a receiver
- two 9g micro-servos
- 24gm brushless motor and appropriate speed controller (included in our motor combo)
- paint, glue etc.
XP-56 Black Bullet History
In the early 1940s Jack Northrop designed the Black Bullet using the basic wing design of his original flying wing design, in order to create
a fighter plane with excellent performance. The powerful in-line engine that was in development for this plane was cancelled, and so Northrop
installed an R-2800 radial and counter-rotating props. The plane's fuselage became much larger and gave it it's characteristic "bullet" shape.
The original XP-56 had a very short vertical fin and downward-sloping wingtips, much like a paper airplane design! During it's first few flights it suffered a blown main tire on a high-speed taxi run
and flipped over three times, miraculously ejecting the test pilot still in his seat - they found the pilot near the wreckage sitting in his seat with only minor injuries. Northrop build a second
prototype and it had a few modifications such as a much larger fin, and it also made several test flights. The plane was nose-heavy and didn't rotate until it reached 160 mph. The plane was unstable
and difficult to fly, and had difficulty reaching it's expected speed. After some time experimenting with the center of gravity and experiencing various control problems, the project was shelved and then finally cancelled.
(br)
Of course this is a really interesting airplane, and I hope that our model will help prove that the design concept was valid. The first prototype flew in the spring of 2009 and did suffer from some control
issues. It flew much better after the intallation of a smaller propeller, but it needed some changes. I installed a new wing with the same design as our ME163 Komet and
flew it many times during the summer of 2009. It looks really great in the air. The model has an adverse-yaw problem, most likely due to the flat nose acting like a forward rudder. I am planning to make a solid nose for it and hope to
explore this model more in 2010. I am also looking forward to installing a CR brushless motor and 2 props - which will be TOTALLY cool.
-- Coming soon --
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