From De-Classified Documents: "After the War, we in the Air Force, were given the task to chase down Strange, unidentified craft in the Sky. Dring the War, myself and other pilots had encounters, close encounters with strange craft which would fly by us at tremendous speeds. Having no other name for them, we called them Foo Fighters, after some comic strip character. Our task was to build, in secret, aircraft capable of mimicking and chasing down these Foo Fighters or, Unidentified Foo Objects (as the Scientists prefer to call them). Our first design brought to fruition is the Whyte-Nukkle Wingthing, using an ellipticle flying wing (similar to the semi-ellipticle wing used on the British Spitfire, designed by Sidney Camm). The wing was a thin-wall design, housing a cockpit for a single pilot and mounting 8, .50 Caliber Machine guns. Powered by 8 Experimental Orenda "Jet" Engines (a design we... borrowed... from our Canadian Allies), the Wingthing had impressive climb ratios and could achieve speeds close to that of the sound barrier. The wing design, was a major factor in it's success.... and also the cause of it's demise. The thin, hyper aerodynamic design, couldn't house enough fuel for more than a few minutes of flight before exhausting all reserves. This led to a precarious glide pattern and a high speed landing. Experiments were done using a B-29 Bomber as a tow-plane, but again, it would get the Wingthing to altitude, only to have the fuel be expended in a matter of minutes. The cost of fuel for the tow-plane also had to be factored in. As such, the Whyte-Nukkle Wingthing was mothballed untlmore fuel efficient, perhaps a hybrid engine, could be built in the near future. As with all these projects, efforts are being taken to divert funds from other projects and a lid of these expenses being kept on so that Congress doesn't ask too many questions." Maj. Gen. Howard Asquith Percival "Hap" Hazardd Experimental Weapond Division,USAF