9/23/11

Arado 440

Just thought I'd post a picture of the Arado 440 before it got crunched.

No, seriously. It flies fast, high, and on the rails. I used my own plan, developed from the best three view I could find. The only deviation to the original is that the nacelles are lowered to allow the rubber motors to avoid the leading and trailing edges of the wing.

I like three bladed props - they suit my preference for a scale looking flight, rather than duration. They counter rotate and are made from a Smart Balance container. Guess what - they balance. But because they don't freewheel too well, the drag was nosediving the model when the winds came off. So trim consists of a tiny bit of lead in the tail countered by downthrust. The glide to the right is now flat and sidethrust gives a lefthand climb.

Right now the model is missing the big vertical vane at the very rear of the fuselage, but I kind of like the way it looks.
The silver finish may be more accurate because with only three prototypes made towards the end of WWII, it's doubtful that the real thing ever received camouflage paint.

I will have some in-flight photos soon.

Tom

PS Motors are each four loops of !/8 - it's fast!

1 comment:

Roger Willis said...

WOW...Looks like a great model for FAC Rubber Scale and Double Trouble Events at WESTFAC IV...!!!