Here's what Green has to say about the Ho229 V2's flight tests:
"For the initial flight trials the nosewheel was locked in the extended position, and at normal loaded weight with ten degrees of flap, take-off speed proved to be on the order of 95 mph and take-off run barely more than 500 yards. Speeds up to 186 mph were attained in level flight with the nosewheel extended, and handling characteristics exceeded the most sanguine expectations. During March the nosewheel was retracted in flight and high speed trials initiated. A maximum level speed of 497 mph had been recorded when, during a landing approach, the starboard turbojet cut suddenly, the pilot, Leutnant Ziller, undershot and the aircraft turned over and burst into flames. The prototype had logged a total flying time of only two hours."
Based on this account the plane apparently did not have poor flying characteristics (at least a slow speeds) and the crash was caused by a problem completely unrelated to its flying wing design.
Nonetheless, I will agree that 2 hrs of flying tells very little about a plane, and accept the fact that the much more extensive tests with the B-35 and B-49 would appear to show that the Northrup designs did have basic stability problems because of their flying wing configuration. Basically we really have no idea if the Ho229 would have been an adequate flyer in combat conditions, or if the positive reports by the unfortunate Lt Ziller were just "new program fever" or might have indicated the plane would not have shared the problems of the B-35 and B-49.
For what its worth (not much, I know), in the combat flight sim "IL-2 Sturmovik" the Ho229 does show some minor lateral instability and is a less effective jet fighter than the Me262, He-162, or P-80, but it does not fall out of the sky, is hard to stall, and in comparison with other planes recovers fairly quickly.
"For the initial flight trials the nosewheel was locked in the extended position, and at normal loaded weight with ten degrees of flap, take-off speed proved to be on the order of 95 mph and take-off run barely more than 500 yards. Speeds up to 186 mph were attained in level flight with the nosewheel extended, and handling characteristics exceeded the most sanguine expectations. During March the nosewheel was retracted in flight and high speed trials initiated. A maximum level speed of 497 mph had been recorded when, during a landing approach, the starboard turbojet cut suddenly, the pilot, Leutnant Ziller, undershot and the aircraft turned over and burst into flames. The prototype had logged a total flying time of only two hours."
Based on this account the plane apparently did not have poor flying characteristics (at least a slow speeds) and the crash was caused by a problem completely unrelated to its flying wing design.
Nonetheless, I will agree that 2 hrs of flying tells very little about a plane, and accept the fact that the much more extensive tests with the B-35 and B-49 would appear to show that the Northrup designs did have basic stability problems because of their flying wing configuration. Basically we really have no idea if the Ho229 would have been an adequate flyer in combat conditions, or if the positive reports by the unfortunate Lt Ziller were just "new program fever" or might have indicated the plane would not have shared the problems of the B-35 and B-49.
For what its worth (not much, I know), in the combat flight sim "IL-2 Sturmovik" the Ho229 does show some minor lateral instability and is a less effective jet fighter than the Me262, He-162, or P-80, but it does not fall out of the sky, is hard to stall, and in comparison with other planes recovers fairly quickly.