Foreword: MAKE SURE TO READ INSTRUCTIONS IN SECOND PARAGRAPH!

The advent of long range flying-wing Axis jet bombers capable of striking the US in late 1947 spurred the USAAF into considering flying-wing jet aircraft to counter the Axis bombing raids. A contract was awarded to Northrop, which had prior experience with experimental flying wing jets. In 1948, Northrop came out with the experimental XP-90 flying-wing interceptor. The XP-90 was a radical new design where the fuselage doubled as the engine. The aircraft's fuselage was hollow and open in the front and rear, with four large counter-rotating turbine blades inside feeding a supercharged combustion chamber in the rear. Capable of reaching Mach 1 in level flight and 900mph in dives, the XP-90 was flight-tested and put into production as the Northrop P-90 Turbinia in January of 1949. Though tricky to fly for all but the most advanced pilots, the P-90 Turbinia proved itself a capable interceptor in the right hands. Seeing action mainly in the European and Atlantic theatres, the P-90 was responsible for downing more than half of the Luftwaffe's long range bombers by early 1950.

NOTE: This aircraft flies very well, but may be difficult to handle at first. The VTOL slider controls the internal turbine thrust direction. For cruising, the VTOL slider should be set to 50-75% forward(if you set it 100%, you go faster but the turbines don't spin very much). The direction can be reversed for sudden slow-downs and for coming to a stop when landing. The ailerons are for banking, but they induce a gradual bank without turning when not accompanied by pitch adjustments. For sharp turns, the rudders should be used. The rudders induce a sharp bank and turn, but do NOT overuse. Gentle rudder adjustments are enough to accomplish most turns, and overapplication of the rudder may result in overbanking, rolling, and unintended maneuvers(also, possibly nausea due to intense rolling and sharp motions, but since I don't really get motion sickness I can only guess at whether others may feel nausea). Stall speed is somewhere between 150-200mph, and landings are surprisingly easy, though the short wheelbase may cause difficulty for some. Fuel consumption is decent at moderate throttle and altitude, but watch your fuel gauge if you have the throttles wide open at low altitude. However, if you manage to learn all its quirks and get used to its handling, it is quite a fun and unique aircraft.