On a Wing and a Prayer

I was watching the beginning of the Rose Parade yesterday morning and as usual they had the flyover of the B2 Stealth Bomber flying wing. Such a beautiful airplane and it reminded me of a couple of things.

First was the 1953 version of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds starring Gene Barry in which the original Northrup Flying Wing figures prominently near the end. As a child that film scared me some, but not as much as the newer version by Steven Spielberg did a few years ago. That film left me feeling creepy as hell. I think it had something to do with the sound mix for the alien machines and that horrific effect of the clothes of people disintegrated by the aliens floating in the wind. Like I said, creepy shit.

The second thing it got me thinking of was the Rose Bowl game my nephew took me too a few years ago. He is from Washington and Washington State was playing that year so he got tickets with a friend and had one left over. My first Rose Bowl was quite exciting. Before the game two Flying Wings flew over the stadium. The second was the B2, but the first was the Northrop N9MB Flying Wing, the only one still in existence, which was used to train pilots on how to fly the big boy back in the day.

You haven't lived till you've seen a flying wing arc gracefully over your head. They are just amazing to watch.