The 1944 one posted above by Silvaire has just crashed. It was the only one flying.
From EDNY 2019:
No idea what this was.
Fenland_Flyer wrote:
Alioth I am most surprised to read what you say. I have been flying variants of the C172 for many decades and in some really extreme conditions but never run out of rudder authority
Agree, given how C172 can handle at 20kts/G35kts cross-wind, I bet they can do 40kts cross-winds with enough skill on long runways even when “rudder authority*” (whether that means?) is lost, not sure C172 vs C170s, never flew the latter but could be a good benchmark on short/tight airstrip
*if in crab there is no rudder involved…
Talking about X-winds. Maybe Flying Wings would be quite weak in that dept too, in addition to pitch stability?
Alioth I am most surprised to read what you say. I have been flying variants of the C172 for many decades and in some really extreme conditions but never run out of rudder authority. My strip is currently just slight wider than the wingspan and have landed there witha gusty 25k cross wind with a Bird Dog following behind.
I’ve witnessed the difference between the swept tail C172 and what came before (actually on a C170) on a day with rather strong crosswinds – the C172 ran out of rudder authority, but the C170 had no problem!
Peter wrote:
Do flying wings offer aerodynamic advantages?
Yes. But if you want to design a flying wing that is stable, then probably you will loose any advantage due to the way you’re going to take to obtain stability. If, additionally, you put two BIG vertical stabs at the wingtips, forget it
It can be good marketing though. I’m just remembering one of the anecdotes of Jan Roskam in his book Airplane War Stories, when the director of C172 marketing wanted to add a swept tail. Roskam analyzed the change during a week and concluded that the swept fin will be really bad in terms of additional drag, increased weight and general loose of performance. But probably it will enhance the look of the aircraft.
The next 172 had a swept tail and sales increased by 30%.
Peter wrote:
Do flying wings offer aerodynamic advantages?
The short answer is no, if you let evolution alone to decide all of them will be dead and you will end up with something like a TB/SR20 
On metal structures, the only reason we see them is the low radar signature (but then you need a heck of computer to help you fly )
But with that design you can do some serious aeros (+8G/-4G on wood structure is not bad)
Peter wrote:
Could this be certified without airbus-style dual redundant computers?
Yes, you can develop a stable flying wing. You don’t gain much performance, though. If anything.
