Witteman-Lewis XNBL-1 "Barling Bomber"

Hi Triton
From the French "Aviation magazine"
 

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Also known as the Engineering Division XNBL-1, the "Barling Bomber" was also frequently characterized by opponents of airpower as "Mitchell’s Folly", after Brig.-Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, who had championed the project.

Wikipedia article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witteman-Lewis_XNBL-1
 
Designed by Barling of the Engineering Division, two NBL-1s were ordered on 23 June 1920 with Witteman Lewis with serials 64215/64216. Only the first aircraft was built and it flew for the first time on 22 August 1923 and remained in use until 7 May 1925. It was also flown with Wright Field serial P-303.
 
IIRC, the story goes that the more-or-less delict aircraft was taking up valuable hangar space. Then-Major Hap Arnold waited until the base commander was out of town, and then ordered it to be burned. And that was that...
 
Those otherwise excellent drawings conceal the inner engine nacelles, and the links didn't help much...


I take it they were tandem engines, one pull, one push ??
 
Hi folks,
I think this seems to be Barling's patent for the XNBL-1's engine arrangement, filed April 8th, 1924:
'Motor arrangement for aircraft', (US 1557790), https://www.google.ch/patents/US1557790
Thanks, 'Wingknut'
 

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