The Luftwaffe’s Flying Wing
The Horten Ho 229 is on the short list for restoration at the Air and Space Museum.
- By Rebecca Maksel
- AirSpaceMag.com, January 11, 2010
The Horten Ho 229 V3 awaits restoration at the National Air and Space Museum's Garber facility.
NASM
David Bull, of Sacramento, California, asks when the Air and Space Museum plans to restore the Horten Ho 229 V3 German jet in its collection.
The Horten brothers' experimental flying wing—one of the most unusual aircraft produced by either side during World War II—came to the Museum’s Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility about 1950, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force. (George Patton’s Third Army found the Horten 229 prototypes V3 through V6 in April 1945; of the four airframes, the V3 was the nearest to completion, and was promptly shipped to the United States. Read more about the aircraft here.)
Curators will decide this spring which airplanes will be part of the first group to enter the Museum’s new restoration shop. (Thanks to a recent $6 million donation from Airbus Americas Inc., nearly 20,000 artifacts—the 229 V3 among them—will be relocated from Garber to a new wing at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.) Russell Lee, the curator in charge of the Horten, will recommend it for the first group, but says he’ll be battling it out with eight other curators who will also be submitting proposals.
The new restoration shop, part of the Museum’s Phase Two project, is scheduled for completion by 2011. In addition to an aircraft hangar, the building will house the Museum’s archives, a conservation laboratory, and a specially designed room for the initial inspection of artifacts. A second-floor balcony will allow visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the conservation process.
“One-third of the aeronautics collection is made up of one-of-a-kind or sole survivor aircraft,” says Peter Jakab, chairman of the aeronautics division at the National Air and Space Museum. “Every one of these objects has a story. Phase Two will allow us to tell the story of how curators and craftsmen work together to preserve and present these objects.”
Fans of the Horten are in good company, says Lee. “We have fielded a steady stream of public inquiries about the Horten jet wing for as long as I have been here—25 years.”
We’ll post the restoration list once it’s finalized.
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Comments (17)
I really love it that partisan politics has been minimized when choosing important aircraft to restore. There are so many magical craft from so many places. It would be such a terrible loss if the museum only displayed US built craft.
Thanks so much.
Posted by Richard Prokopchuk on January 28,2010 | 12:27 PM
I am looking forward to this restoration. An extremely interesting aircraft plus the story behind it.
I wonder how it would fly if a modern fly-by-wire system were installed to give the machine artificial stability similar to that of the B-2 Bomber (which has more than a passing resemblance to the Ho-229. Just a thought.
Posted by Allan yeats on February 22,2010 | 04:05 PM
Every time I read a technical book about the Wrights, I'm impressed more by the engineering they used to advance flight. I cannot say the same about Glenn Curtiss & the AEA's first flyers. The propellers are primitive by Wright standards, and noone has revealed how they determined the wing shape. Is there any evidence that the AEA or Curtiss ever used a wind tunnel?
Posted by T Curran Sekella on February 23,2010 | 09:50 PM
Will the Garber restoration shops be open for tours? Touring the old shop was one of the high points of my aviation history. EDITOR'S REPLY: Eventually, all NASM's restoration will be transferred to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia. The public will be able to watch the restorers at work.
Posted by Roy V Thompson on February 24,2010 | 12:54 AM
In reading about the new restoration hanger and the many stand-alone aircraft to be housed there, my thoughts immediately went to the safety systems that are to be used throughout the buildings. Also, is there an on-site fire brigade designated just for the museum and restoration hanger?
Posted by Kevin Corr on February 24,2010 | 02:21 AM
An outstanding magazine!! Always anticipating the next issue. Keep up the great work'
Regards,
tony jania
Posted by tony jania on February 27,2010 | 04:56 PM
Do you know what happened to the full size replica that I believe Northrop built of the HO 229. It was featured in an hour long TV program where there tested the Horten wings radar signature.
Posted by Gary on March 11,2010 | 06:50 PM
The replica is at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
Posted by andy on August 16,2011 | 02:34 AM
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/hortenho229.html has one United States and one British intelligence document covering the development of aircraft designed by the brothers Reimar and Walter Horten, including the Horten HO 229. An additional United States intelligence report shows that the Japanese were developing technology that was much more explicitly stealth than what was applied to the Horton Ho 229.
Posted by Jerry Spencer on November 11,2011 | 06:01 AM
Hello,
Is there any news on the Ho 229 restoration?
Thank you
H.Weisenberger
Posted by Horst Weisenberger on November 28,2011 | 08:07 PM
To Russell Lee,
I am in the final stages of building an 1/8th scale model of the Horten 229 V3 and would like to know what RLM colors and paint scheme that the your restoration intend to use. Good luck in your efforts to get your V3 on the schedule.
I am an retired Engineer in Charlottesville, and would like to keep close to your effort. Did the Hortens use reflex for stability? It is hard to tell from the model, but it does look like they did.
TYhank you very much'
Bill West P.E.
Posted by William West on March 6,2012 | 01:00 PM
Just a reminder that by Feb. 1943 the Allies had 36 flying Gloster Meteor III jet fighters grouped in 3 squadrons with speeds available comparable to Nazi jet aircraft. The Allies chose not to make the Meteors Operational in 1943 and throughout WWII because of the commitments to piston propellor aircraft makers and concerns it`s British advanced aero jet design would fall into Nazi hands.By 1945 Britain was also developing delta swept wing aircraft that emerged as the Vampire aircraft.British RAF Officer Frank Whittle pioneered and invented the jet engine in 1933.Gloster Meteors are still flying today in 2012 whereas Nazi designed jet engines had an operational life span of 26 hours.
The Horten Bros designed their aircraft on the shape of a swallow bird and Mitchell designed his Spitfire on the Sea Gull shape.
Posted by David Eustace on November 5,2012 | 02:21 PM
It is a haunting and scary proof of Germanic genius that created these wooden stealth jets. They must be re created for many reasons of non other than to show what can be achieved during austere moments.
Technological innovation during impossible time frames and era's can only serve to push us all forward to the next plane.
james harrington
Posted by james harrington on November 12,2012 | 02:39 PM
Just for reference, Whittle patented his centrifugal compressor engine in 1932, with the first functioning prototype built and run in 1937. The first German engine the Heinkel HeS 1 was also finished and run in 1937. It is also worth noting that the Meteor has gone through several Derwent engine revisions throughout it's very long lifespan, thus I do not believe it is an entirely accurate comparison to make. Nonetheless the Meteor was (is) a remarkable aircraft, and during the late 40s set a number of speed and crossing records. I had the pleasure of seeing a Meteor flying at Southport this year; a wonderful sight to see such a lovely historic aircraft still in flight today!
Posted by John on November 18,2012 | 07:17 AM
Well it is good to see that the wheels of progress and prompt decision making is alive and well in the good 'ol U.S. of A. "Curators will decide this spring(2010)". As much as I love America even though I'm an Aussie, give credit where it is due and allow people to see how ingenius the Nazi aeronautical engineers really were. Give the world back what was stolen 67 years ago and restore this beautiful aircraft to it's original lustre and show the world that America doesn't always invent and produce the best of everything. I have visited the Smithsonian museums and they are all great but they would be even better seeing the HO 229 taking pride of place in the Air Space building.
Down under we are often heard to chant..."C'mon Aussie, c'mon" , well now it is your turn and I say "C'mon America, c'mon, do the right thing and eat humble pie, the Nazi's beat you hands down with this plane, now display their legacy and allow us all to marvel at it's wonder.
Posted by Allan Jackman - Australia on December 7,2012 | 12:09 AM
This plane was light-years ahead of its time. It would be one of the crown jewels of the collection. I have been watching for news about it for 25 years. I sincerely hope its restoration and placement in the collection comes to reality. Our Russian friends would have restored it long ago.
Posted by Howard R. Taggart Jr. on December 9,2012 | 05:59 PM