Aircraft in Raiders of the Lost Ark

[Pootle]

I was watching this film last night and was wondering if anybody can tell me what the plane is in the scene when Indy fights the big, bald guy and he gets mangled in the propellor. I've never seen anything quite like it, it looks like a giant crab that has no chance of ever getting off the ground. Is this an actual plane?

[Holbeckian]

You won't have seen anything like it because it was never built by the Germans....

It was made especially for the film by Vickers in England based on Northrop designs

http://www.indygear.com/props/planes

[kempie]

Hmmm... Northrop based their post-war flying wing designs on those implemented by the Germans (predominantly those of the Horten brothers) prior to and during WWII.

http://www.strange-mecha.com/aircraft/FW/Horten.htm

http://www.strange-mecha.com/aircraft/FW/Northrop.htm

The flying wing in "Raiders..." looks reminiscent of the (German) Arado Ar E.555/1 to me.

http://www.strange-mecha.com/aircraft/FW/german-fw.htm