The XNBL-1 Barling Bomber was built for the U.S. Army Air Service in 1923. Designed by Walter Barling, the Barling Bomber was powered by six Liberty engines. The 65 foot long, 27,000 pound aircraft had three wings and a 10-wheel landing gear. Components for the airplane were assembled at Wright Field, since McCook Field was deemed to be too small for the plane to take off and land safely.
The first flight was on Aug. 22, 1923. Although the Bomber had the capacity to carry more than 5,000 pounds of bombs, it only had a range of 170 miles before it needed refueling. On a test flight from Dayton to Washington, D.C., the Barling Bomber wasn t capable of clearing the Appalachian Mountains and had to return to Dayton. The experiment proved to be a failure.
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