Arado VI

Arado VI
Type:	Mail and airliner
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Arado
First flight:	February 1928
Commissioning:	-
Production time:	1927/1928
Number of pieces:	1

The Arado VI is the first commercial aircraft developed by Arado Flugzeugwerke . A planned use as a postal express plane was not pursued after the crash of the only model built due to the strained economic situation of the company.

development

The VI was designed in 1927 by Arado's chief designer Walter Rethel , who was able to draw on the experience he had gained in the development of commercial aircraft during his work at Kondor Flugzeugwerke and later at Fokker . In contrast to the all-metal construction of other passenger planes of that time, he opted for the cheaper composite construction for reasons of economy. The prototype was equipped with a US Hornet engine from Pratt & Whitney. Later in the series version, a Junkers engine was to be used, which with 300 hp was less powerful, but 150 kg lighter and would have reduced the take-off weight by 200 kg with the same payload. A drive from BMW was also considered. In the case of a planned freight version, however, the Hornet should be retained.

Arado VI at the ILA 1928

The prototype with the serial number 47 was completed in early 1928 and began its flight tests in February, during which it proved to be robust and stable. In October of that year, the public presentation with four passenger seating took place during the ILA in Berlin. It met with a positive response, especially from the representatives of Luft Hansa . They intended to open up new airmail routes over the southern Atlantic and considered the V I to be ideally suited for this purpose due to its powerful engine and low fuel consumption with the resulting range of 2000 km. The implementation began in the following year, for which the aircraft was D–1594registered with the license plate in September 1929 and chartered by Luft Hansa. On September 7th and 24th, a crew of three, consisting of the pilots Erich Albrecht and Joachim von Schröder as well as the on-board mechanic Eichentopf, carried out two test flights on the 2500 km route from Berlin to Seville with a stopover in Marseille Hours have been completed. On October 25th there was an 1820 km non-stop flight from Berlin to Constantinople. In the following month, from November 16, a flight of more than 8000 km to Tenerife with intermediate stops in Marseille, Valencia and Seville was carried out, where the VI arrived on December 5. On December 13, 1929, the plane took off on its return flight. Previously it had been baptized by the local bishop with the name “Tenerife”. On the last leg from Marseille to Berlin, she got caught D–1594in a fog, in which the crew flew away and missed the Tempelhof airport they were heading for. She then tried to orientate herself in the low flight by sight of the earth. At Wustrau , the aircraft hit the ground in a right turn with the wing and crashed. The two pilots Albrecht and von Schröder were killed, the on-board attendant Eichentopf was thrown from the plane and survived only slightly injured. The loss of the V I meant great financial damage for Arado Flugzeugwerke, which meant that the second prototype with the serial number 55, called V Ia and already under construction, could not be completed. An offer made to Luft Hansa in February 1930 was rejected and the cell ultimately had to be scrapped.

construction

The VI is a braced, semi-cantilever high -wing aircraft in composite construction .

hull

The fuselage is made of fabric-covered tubular steel framework. The engine area as well as the back of the fuselage are covered with metal sheets that are designed to be removable for better maintainability. The passenger cabin is 2.20 m (length) × 1.35 m (width) × 1.90 m (height) and offers space for four people, behind which there is a luggage compartment of 0, separated by a plywood wall with a built-in door , 95 m × 1.30 m × 1.70 m. This and the seating are designed to be removable for transporting loads, resulting in a cargo space of 3.15 m in length. The two-seater cockpit is constructed separately from the rest of the cabin.

Structure

The wing is designed in two parts and consists of a wooden construction, which is covered with plywood from the front edge to the rear spar and also covered with fabric. It is supported towards the fuselage with a V-strut on each side, which can be folded onto this when the wing is dismantled. Fuel tanks are located in both surfaces, the oil tank is located in the wing nose to the right of the pilot's cabin.

Tail unit

The elevator and rudder units consist of a fabric-covered tubular steel construction. The horizontal fin is supported above and below with I-stalks and has a horn compensation. The ailerons are made of duralumin spars with a riveted tubular steel frame and fabric covering.

landing gear

The VI has a rigid chassis with a large track width (3.51 m) with split axles with fuselage-lower chord connection and spring struts to the lower wing. The tail spur is made of steel with rubber cable suspension.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	2-3
Passengers	4 (optional)
span	18.00 m
length	12.00 m
height	3.15 m
Wing area	47.24 m²
Empty mass	1350 kg
Payload	1000 kg
Takeoff mass	normal 2350 kg maximum 3550 kg
drive	an air-cooled nine-cylinder - four stroke - radial engine with three-bladed metal propeller Standard Steel
Type	Pratt & Whitney Hornet A
Take-off power Combat and climb power Rated power Continuous power	600 PS (441 kW) 525 PS (386 kW) on the ground, 503 PS (370 kW) in 1000 m, 465 PS (342 kW) on the ground, 450 PS (331 kW) in 1500 m 420 PS (309 kW) in 500 m
Top speed	220 km / h near the ground
Cruising speed	185 km / h near the ground
Landing speed	80 km / h
Rise time	3.8 min at 1000 m 8.3 min at 2000 m 14.0 min at 3000 m 22.5 min at 4000 m
Service ceiling	6500 m
Range	2000 km optionally as a postal express plane

literature

• Volker Koos: Arado Flugzeugwerke 1925–1945 . Heel, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-728-9 , pp. 31/32 .
• Jörg Armin Kranzhoff: Arado. History of an aircraft factory . Aviatic, Oberhaching 1995, ISBN 3-925505-27-X , p. 30th ff .

Web links

Commons : Arado VI  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Karl Ries: Research on the German aviation role. Part 1: 1919-1934. Dieter Hoffmann, Mainz 1977, ISBN 3-87341-022-2 , p. 118.