NORTHROP'S
ROACH DRY LAKE SITE
"THE
OTHER HIGH DESERT FLIGHT TEST SITE"
By: T.D. Barnes & Robert E. Friedrichs
Ever
wonder about those UFO sightings that were reported to the local police and
Nellis AFB in the 1950’s? Could they have been rooted in things remembered
from the 1940’s, long before the infamous Groom Lake at Area 51?
World War II prompted advances in aircraft technology and in the design of new
aircraft. These wartime developments influenced postwar research, development,
and production in ways that could not be anticipated at the time. New
technologies came to the fore during the cold war that followed after World War
II. These included the development of rocket power, supersonic flight, use of
exotic materials, and more recently the development of stealth technologies.
NORTHROP
AIRCRAFT INC.
The
founder of Northrop Aircraft Inc. was John Knudsen "Jack" Northrop,
who at one time worked for Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company (later
changed in spelling to Lockheed) as well as for Douglas Aircraft. It is not
widely known, but there were actually THREE separate and distinct aircraft
companies that carried Jack's name.
"Northrop I" was founded by Jack Northrop in 1927, initially under the
name of the Avion Corporation. For the first couple of years as head of the
California-based Avion Corp., Jack Northrop spent his time experimenting with
ideas for all-metal construction and for flying-wing designs. Unfortunately for
the bottom line, nothing actually got built or sold by Avion in the first two
years of its existence, and economic reality eventually made itself felt.
Lacking sufficient capital to carry on by itself, the Avion Corporation was
absorbed in 1929 by the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, and operated
until 1931 as the Northrop Aircraft Corporation, a division of UA&T Corp.
During this period, Northrop built the Alpha (a single-engined passenger- and
mail-carrying aircraft) and the Beta (a two-seat sports aircraft).
In
1931, UA&T consolidated its two subsidiaries--Northrop Aircraft Corp and
Stearman Aircraft--into a single unit and moved everything to Wichita, Kansas.
Jack Northrop was a dyed-in-the-wool Californian, and found the prospect of
facing Kansas winters unpalatable. Consequently, he left UA&T and tried once
again to establish another California-based aircraft company. He got together
with his old friend and former employer, Donald Douglas, to found the Northrop
Corporation ("Northrop II"), with Douglas retaining 51 percent of the
stock and Jack being named as its president. The main factory was located at El
Segundo, California, ensuring that Jack could remain living in the state that he
loved. The Northrop Corporation was responsible for the famous Gamma and Delta
commercial monoplanes that were so successful during the 1930s. The Northrop
Corporation was also responsible for the 3A monoplane fighter of 1935 and for
the A-17 attack plane of 1935/36. Northrop was also responsible for the BT-1
attack bomber, which was to evolve into the famous SBD Dauntless of World War II
fame.
However, the Northrop Corporation began to experience some serious labor strife
in the late 1930s. The labor problems eventually got so bad that the Army
refused to accept any further deliveries of 
A-17
attack planes until they were corrected. In an attempt to correct the labor
problems, on April 5, 1937, Douglas decided to acquire the rest of the stock of
the Northrop Corporation. Continued labor difficulties forced Douglas to
dissolve the Northrop Corporation altogether on September 8, 1937. It was
immediately reformed under the direct aegis of Douglas, the name of the company
changing to the El Segundo Division of Douglas.
By 1939, the Northrop Corporation had become just another division of Douglas
Aircraft, and Jack Northrop went out on his own for a third time to found yet
another California-based aircraft company bearing his name, this one named
Northrop Aircraft Inc. of Hawthorne, California ("Northrop III"), the
forerunner of today's Northrop Corporation, the maker of the B-2 stealth bomber.
Northrop
Aircraft used Roach Dry Lake as an alternate test site in the 1940's when Muroc
Dry Lake (now known as Edwards AFB) was unavailable, especially during the
winter of 1944 when rain-swollen floods filled the California lakebed. Aircraft
known to have been tested at this site were the XP-56 Black Bullet, N-9M Flying
Scale Model Wing, and MX-334 glider. These aircraft were used for scientific
experiments or other research that led to the development of modern military
aircraft test flown at Area 51.
The
experimental Northrop XP-56 "black Bullet" flying wing fighter of 1943
was one of the most unusual fighter aircraft to be evolved by any of the
combatants during World War II. Although unsuccessful in attaining production,
the XP-56 gained a lot of valuable data on flying wing designs, some of which
was ultimately used in the design of the Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber of
the 1990s.It was one of three responses to a 1940 proposal for a high-speed,
heavily armed fighter aircraft. This distinctive design included a rear-mounted
Pratt & Whitney R-2800-9 engine driving counter-rotating propellers pushing
the aircraft from the rear. Long, wept wings with an anhedral kink at the outer
edge provided a stark contrast to the stubby, bullet-like fuselage. Further
oddities on the second prototype included the absence of a rudder. Instead,
blown-air jets in the wingtips provided directional steering! Only two of the
tailless XP-56’s were ever produced. It used contra-rotating propellers in a
pusher type configuration and was the first all-magnesium, all-welded airframe
in the world. Northrop used magnesium because at that time national aluminum
reserves were thought to be too small to meet current and future demands.
Magnesium weighs about one-third less than aluminum and promised stronger
components and smoother finishes. The technique of heliarc welding was developed
and patented by Northrop specifically to allow welding of magnesium, a highly
flammable metal. The first XP-56 was destroyed during a high-speed taxi test on
October 8, 1943. The second XP-56 used air-activated bellows rudders, had a
bigger vertical stabilizer, and improved wingtip design incorporating blown air
jets on the wingtips for better yaw control. It was first flown on March 23,
1944, at Roach Dry Lake where it reached an altitude of 760 meters. It flew a
total of ten test flights before being retired. Details of its existence were
not released until 1945. This aircraft is currently in the possession of the
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and is in storage at their Garber
facility in Sutland, Maryland.
THE
NORTHROP X-56 "BLACK BULLET" FLYING WING
The
Northrop XP-56 was the first USAAF fighter aircraft to be built by
"Northrop III". The Northrop XP-56, like the Bell XP-52, the Vultee
XP-54, and the Curtiss XP-55, was evolved as a response to Circular Proposal
R-40C, which was issued on November 27, 1939. 
It
called for a fighter that would be much more effective than any extant--with a
top speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, armament, and pilot visibility, all
of which would be far superior to those of any existing fighter. In addition,
the fighter was required to have a low initial cost and had to be easy and
inexpensive to maintain. The Army specifically mentioned in R-40C that they
would consider aircraft with unconventional configurations.
The
Northrop entry, designated N2B by the company, was nothing if it was not
unconventional. It was a unique tailless interceptor made entirely of magnesium.
The N2B was a swept-wing tailless flying-wing aircraft with no forward-mounted
elevators. Northrop proposed to use the new and untried Pratt & Whitney
X-1800-A3G (H-2600) liquid-cooled engine, mounted behind the pilot's cockpit and
driving a pair of contra-rotating pusher propeller.
Jack Northrop had actually been thinking about flying wing aircraft as far back
as 1929 when he was with the Avion Corporation. In 1939, Northrop had, in fact,
built a full-scale flying test-bed to explore the possibility of all-wing
designs. Designated N1M by the company, the flying testbed was powered by a pair
of Lycoming engines driving pusher propellers. The N1M has survived to the
present day and is now on display at the Smithsonian’s new Air & Space
Museum Udvar-Hazey annex. I saw it there in May of 2004, and it is in really
nice shape.
On June 22, 1940, Northrop Aircraft, Inc. received a contract for preliminary
engineering data and a powered wind tunnel model. The designation P-56 was
reserved for the project. On September 26th, 1940, a single prototype was
ordered as the XP-56. The serial number was 41-786.
However, shortly after development of the XP-56 began, Pratt & Whitney
abandoned all work on its X-1800 liquid-cooled engine. This left the XP-56 (and
the competing XP-54 and XP-55 along with it) out on a limb, without an engine.
Northrop's design team reluctantly decided to switch to the less-suitable Pratt
& Whitney R-2800 air-cooled radial engine. Although the R-2800 engine was
more powerful (2000 hp as opposed to 1800 hp), it was also wider. The larger
diameter of the radial engine required in turn that the fuselage be widened in
order to accommodate it. These changes resulted in an increase in the
weight.
The fuselage was stubby and rounded, with an un-pressurized cockpit situated
well forward. The plane had a short and stubby dorsal fin and a very large
ventral fin, so large, in fact, that it very nearly scraped on the ground when
the aircraft stood on its landing gear. The cantilever mid-mounted wing had
elevons that functioned both as ailerons and wing flaps mounted on the trailing
edge of the drooping wing tip. Air ducts for cooling of the radial engine were
located on the wing leading edge. The main wheels retracted into the wing, and
the nose wheel retracted into the fuselage. Proposed armament was to be two
20-mm cannon and four 0.50-inch machine guns, all mounted in the nose.
On February 13, 1942, 
a
USAAF contract was issued for a second XP-56 prototype. The serial number was
42-38353. frequently called the *Black Bullet*. This is the aircraft that first
flew at the Roach Flight Test Site.
The first XP-56 (41-786) was ready in April of 1943. It was shipped out to Muroc
Dry Lake (later Edwards AFB) for tests. During initial ground handling trials,
it was found that the aircraft tended to yaw sharply and dangerously while
taxiing at high speeds. It was thought that faulty wheel brakes caused the
problem, and trials were halted until the aircraft was re-equipped with manual
hydraulic brakes. This delayed the first flight until September 30, 1943, when
test pilot John Myers took the XP-56 into the air for the first time. An
altitude of five feet was maintained, and the XP-56 appeared to fly normally.
Several additional flights were undertaken, during which somewhat greater
altitudes were attained. These test flights were not particularly encouraging.
Nose-heaviness was a persistent problem, and lateral control was difficult to
maintain in all flight regimes. However, before any of these aerodynamic
problems could be addressed, the port main wheel tire blew out during a
high-speed taxiing run and the aircraft somersaulted over onto its back. It was
totally wrecked.
In an attempt to correct the deficiencies encountered with the first XP-56, the
second XP-56 (42-38353) underwent some major changes. The center of gravity was
moved further forward. There was a major increase in the size of the upper
vertical surface--it was enlarged from a mere stub into a surface larger in area
than the ventral fin. A new form of rudder control was fitted which made use of
air bellows at the wing tips which operated a set of split flaps for directional
control. The control of the bellows was achieved by valving air to or from the
bellows by means of wingtip venturis.
On March 23, 1944, test pilot Harry Crosby took the second XP-56 up for the
first time. However, Crosby found it impossible to lift the nose wheel off the
ground at
and
the test flight lasted only a few minutes. The second flight went better, and it
was found that the nose heaviness went away after the landing gear was
retracted. However, the aircraft was severely underpowered for its weight, and
only relatively low speeds could be attained, much less than the projected
maximum speed of 465 mph at 25,000 feet.
On May 39, 1944, it was decided that NACA would use their wind tunnel at Moffett
Field, California to look into the causes of the XP-56s low performance.
However, the higher priority of other projects led to postponement of the XP-56
wind tunnel tests until late October of 1944.
While awaiting the beginning of the wind tunnel testing, further flight test
trials were undertaken with the XP-56. On the tenth test flight, the pilot
complained of extreme tail heaviness on the ground, low power, and excessive
fuel consumption. After consultations, it was concluded that the XP-56 was
basically not airworthy, and that it was just too dangerous to continue flight
tests with it. Shortly thereafter, the whole project was abandoned. The further
development of higher-performance piston-engined fighters was futile in any
case, since the advent of jet propulsion would soon bring the era of
propeller-driven fighters to a close.
Although the XP-56 project was a failure, it was not a total loss for Northrop,
since the company had learned a lot about flying wing designs. This data gained
during the XP-56 project was put to good use in later Northrop designs such as
the XB-35 piston- engined bomber, the YB-49 jet-powered bomber, and the B-2
stealth bomber.
Specs of the XP-56:
One
2000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29 eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial
engine. Proposed armament was to be two 20-mm cannon and four 0.50-inch machine
guns, all mounted in the nose. No armament was, in fact, ever actually fitted.
In view of the limited flight testing of the XP-56, the following performance
figures are based on manufacturer's estimates and were never achieved during
actual tests. Maximum speed 465 mph at 25,000 feet, 417 mph at sea level. Climb
rate of 3125 feet per minute at 15,000 feet. Climb to 20,000 feet in 7.2
minutes. Normal range 445 miles at 396 mph. Maximum range 660 miles. Service
ceiling 33,000 feet. Weights were 8700 pounds empty, 11,350 pounds normal
loaded, and 12,145 pounds maximum. Dimensions (second prototype) were wingspan
42 feet 6 inches, length 27 feet 6 inches, height 11 feet, wing area 306 square
feet. The length of the first prototype was 23 feet 6 inches and the height was
9 feet 8 inches.
N-9M
FLYING PLATFORM
The N-9M Series of four aircraft were designed to test the theories of "maneuverability, controllability, and performance" to predict those characteristics in the XB-35. They were a one-third scale flying platform that easily allowed for rapid modification of their basic shape and control surfaces. Later, they were used for training of new XB-35 pilots in handling flying wing aircraft. The first plane (N-9M) crashed at Muroc Dry Lake on May 19, 1943.
In October, 1943, work associated with the XB-35 program was reprioritized with ground and flight test data from the then existing two aircraft (N-9M2 & N-9MA) being given first priority. A more definitive test program was then laid out in a letter dated December 7, 1943, that called for a series of 35 flight tests of the N-9M2. Tests included flights with different sets of auxiliary fins on the drive shaft housing to determine the effect of increased directional stability on lateral-directional dynamic stability. Other tests were to measure drag determination, directional stability and control, lateral control, lateral-directional dynamic stability.
By
March 31, 1944, the N-9M2 had completed 33 flights with the results being 
rapidly
assimilated into the design of the XB-35. On April 19, 1944, the N-9M2 test
program was interrupted when this aircraft was involved in a gear up landing at
the Roach Flight Test Site. The pilot was not injured as a result of the hard
landing but the aircraft sustained minor damage. The aircraft was returned to
the hangar for repairs and was in flyable condition the next day. Debris
associated with this incident can be found in the immediate area of the hangar
to this day. Concepts first researched and tested using the n-9M's were later
used in the designs for the XB-35, YB-49, and B-2 stealth bombers. The last
known surviving N-9M (N9M-B) is currently in the possession of the Planes of
Fame Museum in Chino, CA. The wing of an earlier model is in the possession of
the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
Specs
of the N9M
Two Menasco C6S-4, 6-cylinder air cooled in-line engines, 275 HP (N-9Ma): two Franklin 0-540-7, 6 cylinder air cooled opposed engines, 300 HP, (N-9MB): Wingspan of 60 ft, overall length of 17 ft 10 in, overall height of 8 ft 7 in, wing area of 490 sq ft, takeoff weight of 7,100lbs, maximum speed of 257 mph, cruising speed of 160 mph, range of 500 miles, and a service ceiling of 21,000ft.
MX-334
(324) FLYING WING GLIDER
Throughout
World War II, the Germans had a vigorous development program for rockets and
rocket powered/assisted aircraft. The emphasis on this technology was not lost
on their American counterparts. In September 1942, Northrop undertook a design
feasibility study for a rocket-powered interceptor. This led to a contract for a
series of vehicles that consisted of three gliders, two of which were designated
MX-334, and a powered version, the MX-324. All three planes were to be test
vehicles for a later craft, the XP-75.
The
MX-334 flying wing was designed to test the control and stability
characteristics of a glider design that would then become America's first rocket
powered airplane. The gliders were constructed of a metal tubing center section,
with plywood elsewhere. In an unusual step, the pilot position was to be prone,
thus allowing this to be a true all-wing aircraft, with no protruding cockpit.
This also had the advantage of allowing the pilot to withstand high g-forces
during maneuvering.
Although
the craft was designed as a pure flying wing with no vertical surfaces, it was
later shown that a vertical fin would be needed at higher speeds. Consequently,
a plywood fin braced with wires was added. The first flight of the MX-334
occurred on October 2, 1943. Several of the test flights nearly killed the
pilots. During one, the pilot accidentally pulled the upper and lower escape
hatch cover release instead of the tow line release. With the smooth shape of
the mid-wing no longer a streamline, severe buffeting resulted. The pilot was
able to land the plane successfully. Another fortunate near-tragedy happened
when the glider got caught in the propwash of the P-38 tow plane. The plane
pitched up, stalled, and went into a spin. When it recovered, it was upside
down, and the pilot was lying on the roof, unable to reach the controls. He
managed to open the escape hatch and parachuted. The plane continued gliding in
circles at the same rate of descent as the parachute. When the glider finally
landed, it was damaged beyond repair.
The
MX-324 was to be powered by an Aerojet liquid-fuel rocket engine. Once ignited,
the rocket engine would expend the fuel in three minutes, then the aircraft
planed like a glider. The first powered flight of the MX- 324 took place the
following July. The flight tests revealed that the handling characteristics of
the design were as good or better than those of the other flying wings. The
rocket motor used in 
the
MX-324 used monoethylaniline and red fuming nitric acid, either of which could
kill the pilot. Three years after the first flight of the Me 163, Harry Crosby
flew the first American rocket powered aircraft. The flight began on the morning
of July 4, 1944. After a tow to 8,000 feet from a P-38, the Aerojet motor was
ignited and it began to produce 200 lb. of thrust. The flight lasted over four
minutes and ended with a safe landing. The current location of the MX-324 is
unknown but it was last photographed at Wright Patterson AFB.
Specs
of the MX-324
ROLLOUT:
1944 WINGSPAN: 9,75 m LENGTH: 3,65 m MAX SPEED: 560 km/h WEIGHT: 1.134 kg
ARMAMENT : NA The MX-324/334 "Rocket Wing" Usage
Experimental Wing Construction Metal
Capacity Pilot Motor type One Aerojet
XCAL-200 Power 200 lbs thrust
Length 12 ft (3.7 m) Span 32 ft (9.8
m) Wing Area 244 ft2 (22.7 m2) Aspect
Ratio 4.20:1 Pilot position Prone Maximum
Speed 300 mph
XP-79
While
the MX-334 effort was underway, Northrop signed a follow-on contract for an
aircraft to be designated the XP-79. The mission of this new aircraft was to
intercept and destroy enemy aircraft with gunfire. To accomplish this, four-.50
caliber model M2 fixed machine guns with a maximum of 250 rounds were
incorporated into the design of the aircraft. Northrop chose to construct the
aircraft out of a non-critical war material, magnesium. The XP-79 was to be
powered by an Aerojet XCAL-2000 rocket motor capable of propelling the aircraft
to 40,000 feet at 538 mph. The XP-79 was to have landing skids, two on each side
of the center section. However, it was later decided to incorporate retractable
quadracycle landing gear. The aircraft would have a wingspan of 38 feet and a
length of 13.22 feet.
During March 1943, the decision was made to modify the third XP-79 to be powered by two Westinghouse 19-B axial flow jet engines in place of the Aerojet XCAL-2000 rocket motor. This aircraft would be known as the XP-79B. During June 1944, Northrop and Air Material Command (AMC) learned that Aerojet could not produce the XCAL-2000 engine in time and that the Northrop subcontractor, Avion could not produce the aircraft on schedule. These events led to the cancellation of the program in September 1944.
Northrop did not want to give-up and took
over the further design and construction of the aircraft. On 12 September 1945,
the XP-79B, piloted by Harry Crosby, took off for the first time. Two
Westinghouse 19-B (J-30) engines powered the aircraft. After about fifteen
minutes of flight, the XP-79B entered what appeared to be a normal slow roll
from which it did not recover. With the destruction of the sole XP-79B, the
program was canceled.
ROACH
LAKE TODAY
By:
Robert E. Friedrichs
My interest in the Roach Dry Lake Flight Test Site began when I first saw a photo caption in a book that Northrop Aircraft had published in 1976. The old photo at the beginning of this section was identified as having been taken at Roach Dry Lake, Nevada. The book had originally belonged to my wife’s parents, both of which had worked for Northrop. In addition, my father had worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, which runs across the Roach lakebed. Our parents had never discussed aircraft at Roach Dry Lake and, after researching the aircraft that had been flown there, I envisioned an earlier "Area 51" whose purpose and accomplishment never escaped its shrouds of secrecy.
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