Arado Ar 66

Ar 66

Role	Trainer
Manufacturer	Arado Flugzeugwerke
Designer	Walter Rethel^[1]
First flight	1932^[1]
Introduction	1933
Primary user	Luftwaffe

The Arado Ar 66 was a German single-engined, two-seat training biplane, developed in 1933. It was also used for night ground-attack missions on the Eastern Front. It was engineer Walter Rethel's last design in collaboration with Arado,^[1] before Walter Blume, assigned as Arado Flugzeugwerke's chief design engineer in 1933, took over the bulk of the Arado firm's design duties.

Design and development

Arado's chief designer Walter Rethel started design of a new two-seat trainer in 1931, with the design being developed by Walter Blume when Rethel transferred to Messerschmitt, with the first prototype, the Ar 66a flying in 1932.^[1]^[2]

The Ar 66 had an Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine producing about 179 kW (240 hp), which drove a 2.5 m (8.2 ft) two-blade propeller. It carried 205 L (54 US gal) of fuel, and 17 L (4 US gal) of oil.^[1]

The fuselage had an oval cross-section and was made of welded steel tubes, covered with fabric. The double wings provided very high lift, even at low speeds. Both wings had the same span and an 8° sweep. Construction consisted of a double pine wing spar structure, with lime tree ribs, and fabric covering. There were ailerons in both upper and lower wings. The tail had a conventional design, with the horizontal stabilizer mounted on the fuselage upper edge. The rudder was placed behind the elevator. Both the rudder and the elevator were of steel tube covered in fabric, and had a bigger surface than the first version to correct balance problems. The steel tube undercarriage was attached to the fuselage in a "V" shape and used a high-pressure rubber suspension.^[1]

The crew consisted of two: instructor pilot and trainee, seated in open tandem cockpits equipped with dual controls. The aircraft was equipped with instrument flight systems with photographic cameras were mounted as optional equipment.^[1]

Operational history

The Ar 66 entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1933, serving as a trainer until well into World War II.^[2] In 1943, the Luftwaffe set up a number of night harassment groups to operate on the Russian front. The Ar 66, along with the Gotha Go 145, formed the main equipment of these groups.^[1]^[2]

Variants

Data from:Aircraft of the Third Reich^[1]

Ar 66a: Prototype
Ar 66b: 2nd prototype completed as a floatplane
Ar 66B: Production Seaplane version of Ar 66C. Two large steel hollow floats braced with iron cable. About 10 were constructed and used for seaplane training.
Ar 66C: Series production model with modified elevators, larger rudder, and larger-diameter wheels.

Operators

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakian Air Force (Postwar)

Germany

Luftwaffe
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 2
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 3
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 5
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 8
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 12

Spain

Spanish Air Force

Specifications (Ar 66C)

Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.93 m (9 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 29.63 m² (318.9 sq ft)
Empty weight: 905 kg (1,995 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 1,330 kg (2,932 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Argus As 10C inverted V-8 air-cooled piston engine, 179 kW (240 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 210 km/h (130 mph; 113 kn) at sea level
Cruising speed: 175 km/h (109 mph; 94 kn) at optimum altitude
Landing Speed: 80km/h (50 mph)
Range: 715 km (444 mi; 386 nmi)
Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,764 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.333 m/s (853.0 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3280 ft) in 4.1 minutes

Armament

2 kg (4.4 lb) and 4 kg (8.8 lb) anti-personnel bombs

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. p. 23. ISBN 978 1 900732 06 2.
1 2 3 Smith and Kay 1972

Smith, J.R and Kay, Antony L. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam, 1972. ISBN 0-85177-836-4.
Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. p. 23. ISBN 978 1 900732 06 2.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arado Ar 66.

Arado Ar 66c

Aircraft produced by Arado Flugzeugwerke

Ar 64 Ar 65 Ar 66 Ar 67 Ar 68 Ar 69 Ar 76 Ar 79 Ar 80 Ar 81 Ar 95 Ar 96 Ar 195 Ar 196 Ar 197 Ar 198 Ar 199 Ar 231 Ar 232 Ar 233 Ar 234 Ar 240 Ar 296 Ar 396 Ar 432 Ar 440 Ar 532 E.340 E.377 E.380 E.381 E.500 E.530 E.555 E.560 E.561 E.580 E.581 E.583 L I L II S I SC I SC II SD I SD II SD III SSD I V I W 2

Reich Air Ministry aircraft designations

1 to 100	B 9 Gö 9 Do 10 Do 11 Wn 11 Do 12 Do 13 Do 14 Do 15 Wn 15 Do 16 Wn 16 Do 17 Do 18 Do 19 Do 20 Do 22 Do 23 Do 24 Kl 25 Do 26 Kl 26 M 27 Do 29 Kl 31 Kl 32 W 33 L 33 W 34 Kl 35 Kl 36 HD 37 HD 38 G 38 DFS 39 BV 40 DFS 40 A 40 Fw 42 He 42 Fw 43 HD 43 Fw 44 He 45 He 46 Ju 46 Fw 47 Ju 47 K 47 A 48 He 49 Ju 49 He 50 A 50 He 51 K 51 Ju 52 K 53 NR 54 Fw 55 NR 55 Fw 56 Fw 57 Fw 58 He 58 He 59 He 60 Ju 60 Fw 61 He 61 Fw 62 He 62 He 63 Ar 64 He 64 Ar 65 He 65 Ar 66 He 66 Ar 67 Ar 68 Ar 69 He 70 He 71 He 72 He 74 Ar 76 Ar 77 Ar 79 Ar 80 Ar 81 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ar 95 Ar 96 Fi 97 Fi 98 Fi 99 He 100

101 to 200	Al 101 Al 102 Al 103 Fi 103 Fh 104 Kl 105 Kl 106 Kl 107 Bf 108 Bf 109 Bf 110 He 111 He 112 He 113 He 114 He 115 He 116 Hs 117 He 118 He 119 He 120 Hs 121 Hs 122 Hs 123 Hs 124 Hs 125 Hs 126 Hs 127 Hs 128 Hs 129 Hs 130 Bü 131 Hs 132 Bü 133 Bü 134 Ha 135 Ha 136 Hü 136 Ha 137 BV 138 Ha 139 Ha 140 BV 141 BV 142 BV 143 BV 144 Go 145 Go 146 Go 147 Ju 147 Go 149 Go 150 Kl 151 Ta 152 Kl 152 Ta 153 Ta 154 BV 155 Fi 156 Fi 157 Fi 158 Fw 159 Ju 160 Bf 161 He 162 Bf 162 Bf 163 Me 163 Me 164 Fi 166 FK 166 Fi 167 Fi 168 He 170 He 172 He 176 He 177 He 178 Bü 180 Bü 181 Bü 182 Ta 183 Fl 184 Fl 185 Fw 186 Ju 186 Fw 187 Ju 187 Ju 188 Fw 189 Fw 190 Fw 191 Ao 192 DFS 193 DFS 194 Ar 195 Ar 196 Ar 197 Ar 198 Ar 199 Fw 200

201 to 300	Si 201 Si 202 DFS 203 Si 204 Fw 206 Me 208 Me 209 Me 209 (1943) Me 210 Hü 211 Do 212 Do 214 Do 215 Do 216 Do 217 Hs 217 He 219 He 220 BV 222 Fa 223 Fa 224 Ao 225 Fa 225 BV 226 Ho 226 FGP 227 DFS 228 Ho 229 DFS 230 Ar 231 Ar 232 Ar 233 Ar 234 Do 235 BV 237 BV 238 Fw 238 Ar 239 Ar 240 Go 241 Go 242 Go 244 BV 246 Ju 248 BV 250 Fw 250 Ho 250 Ho 251 Ho 252 Ju 252 Fi 253 Ho 253 Ta 254 Ho 254 Fi 256 Sk 257 Fw 261 Me 261 Me 262 Me 263 Me 264 Fl 265 Me 265 Fa 266 Ho 267 Ju 268 Fa 269 He 270 We 271 Fw 272 He 274 He 275 He 277 He 278 He 280 Fl 282 Fa 283 Ta 283 Fa 284 Fl 285 Ju 286 Ju 287 Ju 288 Ju 290 Me 290 As 292 Hs 293 Hs 294 Hs 295 Ar 296 Hs 296 Hs 297 Hs 298 Fw 300

301-	Me 309 Me 310 Do 317 Do 318 He 319 Me 321 Ju 322 Me 323 Me 328 Me 329 Fa 330 DFS 331 DFS 332 Fi 333 Me 334 Do 335 Fa 336 Fl 339 E.340 WNF 342 He 343 Rk 344 So 344 Go 345 DFS 346 Rk 347 Ba 349 Ju 352 Me 362 Me 364 Ju 388 Ju 390 Fw 391 Ar 396 Ta 400 Me 409 Me 410 Do 417 He 419 ZMe 423 Ar 430 Ka 430 Ar 432 Do 435 Ar 440 Ju 452 Me 462 Ju 488 Fw 491 Me 509 Me 510 He 519 ZSO 523 Ar 532 Do 535 E.555 Me 609 Ar 632 Do 635

Authority control	GND: 7727181-6

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