Arado Ar 79

Designed as an aerobatic two-seat training and touring aircraft, the Arado Ar 79 first appeared in 1938, powered by a 78kW Hirth HM 504A-2 engine. The forward fuselage was of welded steel-tube construction, the rear section being a monocoque structure. The wings were of single-spar wooden construction with plywood and fabric covering: The aircraft featured retractable tail-wheel landing gear, the main wheels retracting sideways and inwards into the wing centre section. Ar 79s set a number of international class speed records during 1938, including solo 1000km at 229.04km/h on 15 July, and solo 2000km at 227.029km/h on 29 July. Later that year an Ar 79 was prepared for an attempt on the long-distance record, a jettisonable 106-litre fuel tank being fitted under the fuselage and a 520-litre tank at the rear of the cabin. Pilots Oberleutnant Pulkowski and Leutnant Jennett ferried the aircraft from Brandenberg to Benghazi in Libya, the starting point for what was to be a 6303km non-stop flight to Gaya, India, accomplished between 29 and 31 December at an average speed of 160km/h.