Horten Ho-IX (oz1736)

 

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User comments

Horten IX is a seductive plane. It's also one of the most complex to model in all of modelling. Mr Bales got it 100% wrong he had no idea what he was doing with this one. Honestly suggest no one download this plan...
Bare - 10/06/2012
I tried to build from these plans and gave up. The airfoil sections are even wrong. No one that I know of has built a flying model from these plans. Wings on the web can help. Or Traplet.
DrEvel - 08/01/2016
Here are some photos of my Horten Ho-IX [more pics 003-007]. Reading some of the other comments, apparently either this is not scale or too difficult to build. I assure you this is not for the faint of heart. These drawings must've been from a kit that had possibly a fiberglass top and bottom plastic or something, because the center section is very vague and there's not enough ribs to plank it with balsa or so forth. So looking at a lot of photos on the internet, I got inspiration and here's the result. After initial assembly of the wing I did give it a glide test and it flew. Now trying to engineer power system with EDF Jets. I made it from dollar store foamboard mixed with some balsa pieces & spruce here and there, but this project was actually just for a test to see the feasibility if it would fly. I've read a lot of things on the internet and people were asking about this particular plan by Jack Lynn Bales. Well, a test glide on the hill was successful. However, the CG I had to place it back further than on plan.
LarryW - 06/02/2017
I have more photos that you may like to post [more pics 009-011]. First photo is one of scale just to show you how big the Horten 229 is. The second one is the underside of the Horten.
LarryWelle - 08/02/2017
I have a story about this plan. About thirty years ago I guess, the big model show out here was in Pasadena California. It was always packed with people. I had bought some stuff at the swap meet and was milling around. A guy came up behind me and my buddy and said hey whatcha got there? I chatted with him for a few seconds and he asked "do you want to buy some plans?". I wasn't interested but he was insistent and unrolled some plans for me to see. They were really nice and he was obviously so proud of them. I asked who drew them and he proudly said "I did!". Well as it turns out, he was Jack Lynn Bale. I bought this plan and another two or three and still have them. I learned he died shortly thereafter through the grapevine. I have always cherished them and maybe someday I will try to build one of them. True story.
RichardM - 28/04/2017
By the way, he said that most of his later designs were intended to be scale slope gliders, not power models. The Horten in particular was a glider, not a power model. He said that guys commonly attempt to convert them, but that they were really gliders. This makes sense because I understand from others that knew him, or "Of Him", said that he was into slope soaring later in life and not so much into power models - lots of guys gave up IC models as the cost of fuel went through the roof in the '80s and slope was at least as much fun without the cost or mess. When I asked if he had heard of a successful conversion of the Horten, he looked at me as if he wanted to say yes, but instead said "Well ... a lot of guys are working on converting them - it flies great as a slope soarer though". This was 30 years or so ago thus it was before miniature systems and EDF, even I/C Ducted Fans were rare and in their infancy at that time. Slope was very popular back then, although it has all but died out now because of the electric revolution that has occurred. At any rate, I cannot stress too much how impressed I was of how proud he was of his work. They were truly art work to him.
RichardM - 28/04/2017
Love this build! Is there any way it could be reduced to a size of about 48-54” range?
Chris Ingermann - 10/04/2020
To print a plan at a different size, I do it when printing. It's easy, just print in whatever percent you want. For example, a 60 percent print will yield a wingspan of 50.4 inches, right in your range. I print the plan sheet in TILES, then tape the sheets together, easier than traveling to a printer. I use Foxit Reader an alternative to Adobe without the nag screen. Be sure to check the "cut marks" box, easier to line up the sheets. Adobe Reader will also print in POSTER if you have version 10 or above.
Doug Smith - 11/04/2020
Greetings, Like a lot of people, I’m fascinated by this aircraft, and this set of plans.
I’m particularly intrigued by the build by Larry Welle. If he’s out there I’d like to hear how it all worked out.
Mr. Welle refers to dollar store foamboard. The foamboard my dollar store sells has paper on both sides, and is 3/16” thick. Is this the same stuff? I’ve tried peeling the paper off, but it doesn’t come off cleanly, and the board seems too stiff to bend. Can anyone shine a little light on this subject?
I love OZ, and learn a lot just by studying the plans and articles. I’m retired, and money is tight, so cheap pleasures are valuable. I hope someday to contribute, both financially and plans. But right now all I can do is offer my thanks.
Let’s be careful out there.
James Hickman - 10/08/2020
I have built Jack's Ho IX. Unfortunately it has sat for quite some while, unfinished at about an 80% completion. I worked ALL of it's bugs out, and have over 200 photos of the process. I agree with the comment above, it is not for the faint of heart, but it can be completed, and it will most likely fly.
I converted it to the V2 version which was the version that actually flew. Not the V3.
It's uncompleted because I had a child at 47 years old and that has been occupying my entire life since, but now after 9 years, I am in the process of starting a scratch building YouTube channel, and completing this model is on a very high part of the list of projects I have in mind.
Jack was a kind man, and a lot of people talked crap about him, but I believe overall he was a good dude.
If anybody reading this has copies of his Horton HO IV or Horton HO VI I want them!
Ted Conowal - 04/09/2020
A few photos of my Jack Bale Ho IX in this thread: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1744...
Ted Conowal - 06/09/2020
I love this airplane and I want to build it. What do you mean you convert it to V2? Can I find any plans for the V2 version? Thank you Athanasios
Athanasios Sarris - 28/09/2020
Here is my youtube channel with the Jack Bale Horten V2 that I am working on. Feel free to contact me in the comments if you wish to build this plane from these plans. Be advised it is not an easy task. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo28e9tkICjAUnf7OJYZtXg?view_as=subscriber
Ted Conowal - 05/12/2020
In reply to Athanasios, you could use the drawings by Arthur Bentley to modify this plan to any version of the Go 229/ Horton IX. Note: Bentley's drawings are not model plans, they are highly detailed sectional and structural drawings, produced by measuring real-life examples or by reference to original factory drawings. They are the gold standard for reliable detail IMO and are often used by plastic model kit manufacturers as the basis for their moulds.
The V2 version had different engine inlets, compared to the V3 shown in Jack's plan. The V3 was under construction at war's end, but never flew. You can see the difference if you look at Mr Bentley's drawings. https://www.albentley-drawings.com/
S Burling - 05/12/2020
Been debating posting this for some time…well, not that long. After reading some of the comments, I decided to throw this out there [pics 012-018]. Used this plan from Outerzone, Horten Ho-IX (oz1736), to create an 18” wingspan glider…that I at least initially tried to install a tractor prop setup and rubber motor onto, albeit a very short run. I have to admit that I too found the original plan somewhat confounding, but in the end, decided it was good enough for my purposes. After all, I was determined to modify things greatly anyway. Model turned out to be very distinct and a lot of fun. If you can build a wing, this should pose no problem at all. Thank you Outerzone!
Neal Green - 09/02/2021
And here's another Horten Nurflügel video, flying indoors with its full 2.4m and 700g weight including retracts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtpYclTIg1s
Miguel - 09/02/2021
Horten Ho-IX (oz1736). Wall art! [pics 019,021]
Larry Welle - 21/08/2021
I built this from the plan and it flies great as a slope soarer. The plan is fairly easy to follow. For some reason there's a lot of haters out there who are very vocal and seem determined to undermine Mr Bale and and the Horten designs. Ignore them.
Oliver Thatcher - 22/06/2024
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