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| The AR-404 utility aircraft: was the brainchild of a US company who set
up a production facility in western Puerto Rico. The company made
various claims for the AR-404, including that it could be certified under the
same standards as the large jetliners, but in one year rather than four.
Suggested uses included fish spotting, Anti-Submarine Warfare, gunship,
parachute dropping and training. Through obtaining money from the Puerto
Rican government, it was said 1000 locals with no previous aircraft making
experience would soon be turning out four per month. A mysterious US
government investigation into the company dragged on, preventing the
development money and loans going through. The project was abandoned
and the principals decamped elsewhere. Only two AR-404s were built. The
first prototype was
last noted serving as
a snack bar.
Jim Winchester "The World's Worst Aircraft", 2005 FACTS AND FIGURES © The AR-404 had four rather
small motors. A twin-engined
version with two 1000hp Garrett turboprops
was planned but never built. © It was said the AR-404 could
run on diesel fuel as easily as
it did on jet fuel, which cost
about 10 times as much. © One proposed version was a
carrier-capable transport to replace
the C-2 Greyhound in the carrier
onboard delivery (COD) role. © The AR-404's competitors were
such aircraft as the Shorts 330,
GAF Nomad and even the C-130.
Costs per seat-mile were quoted as
lower than any direct competitor.
| CREW | 2 |
| PASSENGERS | 30 |
| ENGINE | 2 x 420hp Allison 250-B17B turboprops |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 7710 kg | 16998 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 20.12 m | 66 ft 0 in |
| Length | 16.08 m | 53 ft 9 in |
| Height | 5.79 m | 19 ft 0 in |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 315 km/h | 196 mph |
| Harald Mortimer, e-mail, 02.02.2010 02:31 I am also a family member... My mom Gudrun sent me to this site. Very cool plane indeed! reply | | susan cakmak/ahrens, e-mail, 01.02.2010 04:26 I am a family member of the Ahrens and appreciate the work that went into this aircraft and the creativity of peter and kim in particular and its rewarding to hear there are people out there who acknowledge their originality in this project reply | | susan cakmak/ahrens, e-mail, 01.02.2010 04:25 I am a family member of the Ahrens and appreciate the work that went into this aircraft and the creativity of peter and kim in particular and its rewarding to hear there are people out there who acknowledge their originality in this project reply | | Robert F. Neefus, e-mail, 17.10.2009 03:36 In 19780-81, I was flying for Sun International out of San Juan, P.R. At that time, my boss had invested in the Ahrens 404 and had been promised the first two flyable production planes. Sun International wents defunct in 1982 or so and I was long gone by then. Saw the prototype in the hanger at Ramey. Compared to the Beech 18 and Islanders I was flying, this was going to be a major step up. Ahhh, what dreamers can do! reply | |
| | Robert E. Frank, Colonel, USAF, e-mail, 05.10.2009 10:12 I was the USAF Program Director in 1983-'85 that expressed an official to purchase 18 Ahrens 404 for use by the USAF in Europe.
However, the PR Bank was allegedly influenced by the Spanish Government to stop payment on the Ahrens loan. When the bank refused (without warning) to release the final SBA-guaranteed loan payment, it also used armed guards to confiscate all of the engineering drawings, tools, and aircraft components that were required to complete the FAA certification. Ahrens should have been able to find alternative funding for the final step of certification, but due to the unjustified bank seizure, it was impossible for Ahrens to bid as the sole US candidate in competition with two European light cargo aircraft (Spain-backed and Ireland-backed aircraft).
I did everything I could with numerous USAF 4-star general backing to try and straighten matters out, but the international politics were vicious and effective. It was a serious loss for the global aviation markets as the engineering of the Ahrens 404 was a breakthrough in engineering value and low-cost life-cycle operating capabilities.
If anyone is interested in more details, please send email to safe_mail@cox.net I also would really love to talk to Peter Ahrens and his sons again. They were true pioneers and patriots. reply | | BILLY BLACK, e-mail, 21.07.2009 21:13 MY FATHER WAS THE FAA INSPECTOR ON THIS PROJECT IN PR FROM 1979-1982. WOULD LOVE INFORMATION ON THIS PLANE. HAD A GREAT CHILDHOODD GROWING UP AROUND THIS PLANE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER! reply | | Basil Meecham, e-mail, 03.07.2009 20:33 Does anyone know how to get in contact with Capt. Peter Ahrens. The last time I saw him was in Deland Florida and he had just returned from New Zealand. reply | | Lynn B Stites, e-mail, 28.02.2009 07:42 I knew Peter Ahrens quite well, I was an attorney with a law firm and I represented him and his company in many matters. I was an aerospace engineer, and understood the 404 well; I even drove a few rivets in it when it was being built in Oxnard. I wonder where Peter, kim are now? Lynn Stites reply | | Nigel Prevett, e-mail, 11.09.2008 20:17 Clearly the spec is wrong, should be 4 engines not two...
Anyway, a fuselage survives on the side of a house a few miles east of Las Vegas McCarren airport, on west side of Sandhill road between Harmon and Flamingo cross streets. It's painted all white now but fuselage without tail matches the airliners.net pic of N1028G on scrapheap mentioned in other comments. Is this the one? reply | | curt Schr�der, e-mail, 19.08.2008 15:21 When the Peter Ahrens left Purto Rico he came to Sweden and started a company together with several persons (including me) to go omn with the next generation 404. It became C180 constructed by Kim Ahrens and a prototype were build in Malmoe. For several reason the project couldnt be fullfilled in Swede, but it was a very god project and Peter and Kim made a fantatic work in Sweden reply | | Graeme Sambell, e-mail, 14.06.2008 16:10 I am a personal friend of the Ahrens family and I saw the prototype in Oxnard just before they flew it. Kim was very proud of it and so he should have been as it was a good aircraft and the lean concept was ahead of its time.
It is so sad to see the photo of it on the scrap heap as it certainly had potential and would, even today be filling a niche that few other aircraft do today reply | | Jose R Gonzalez, e-mail, 04.05.2008 05:08 I had the opportunity of meeting Capt. Peter Ahrens a very capable and resourceful man. His sons were geniuses.
The demise of the AR-404 was a sad occasion for Puerto Rico and aviation but specially to the Ahrens family who spent many hours trying to make a dream come true only to have the powers in Washington and elsewhere kill the plane. Fortunately there is a photo of frame N1028G in Airliners.net at McCarran International in Las Vegas evidence that it was totally airworthy. You can checki it out at www.airliners.net /photo /Ahrens-404 /0154260 /M /
Regards.
Jose R Gonzalez
San Juan Puerto Rico reply | | Alfredo herrera, e-mail, 04.02.2008 22:57 It is interesting and what a coincidence you all talking about this aircraft AR404. I was conducting research about this aircraft to talk about it in my Master level Aircraft Design course at Worldwide Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and found your discussions very enlightening. Well, let me tell you; I was the only aeronautical engineer Ahrens Aircraft had before they closed. I worked side by side with Kim Ahrens who was the original designer. This company used Lean concepts to the maximum. I would say if any aircraft company wants to learn lean they should research about Ahrens Aircraft's frugal design and manufacturing approach.
Aircraft one flew several hours and its performance was well. Any issues were corrected on the fly by Kim Ahrens and his team. I can really write a dissertation about this company and its design and manufacturing approach. If you need any additional information don't hesitate in contacting me at aherrerapadua@hotmail.com. The people of Puerto Rico can be proud of been involved in the development of this aircraft as well as its follower the Bromon BR2000. I also, worked for them at the beautiful Ramey Base in Aguadilla. reply |
| Aisen Lopez, e-mail, 04.01.2008 03:46 Intersting info. I do remember the Ahrens 404 flying at ramey. The last time I saw the airfoil of the remaining aircraft it was sitting on top of a small hill in front of Aguada beach. An ex-girlfriend told me that it was owned by a person known as Chuco Ramos and he had planned to use it as part of a theme park. I think it still there.
I'm really interested in the model for flight simulator, please design it for FS2004 also and let me know when it's available. reply | |
| | avia.russian.ee, 13.08.2007 15:59 To Antonio Acosta:
Jim Winchester "The World's Worst Aircraft", 2005
-
it's not my words, it's the name of the book. You should read more carefully next time. reply | | avia.russian.ee, 13.08.2007 15:57 To Antonio Acosta:
<> - it's not my words, this is the name of the book. You should read more carefully next time.reply | | Gerardo M. Hernandez, e-mail, 12.08.2007 13:07 You said just two the true is they almost flies two aircraft one paint in blue an the other in yellow plus two other fuselage that never been finish and was used for stress test. I know where is the resting place of two fuselage the yellow one and one that was used for testing. The other stress fuselage end as snack bar in road PR-2 in Aguada but isn't there any more and I don't know where is it. I'm making an effort to salvage this fuselage because it historical value, to preserved it as static display. I'm working on aircraft model for simulator, for at least fullfill the dream of see the aircraft made on P.R. take to the sky. I'm president of PRINAIR historical association and invite you to visit www.prinair.org thanks. reply | | Antonio Acosta, e-mail, 08.08.2007 00:27 Well you say it is the world's worst aircraft, but in that plane were the heart of all employees, like my dad, they build that aircraft from nowhere, its very easy now to how worst was but it flyed ! unfortunetly the company closed, but all people who work on that Ar-404 they got the experience to build something from scrath and it work, an experience that maybe you dont have, and then you called the world worst aircraft.
dont quite remember the first flight because i was 1 year old but i can remember my dad telling me how was the flight, and it flies very smooth, and for last . . . i see companies with billions, bulding aircraft with a lot of experiences and they really sucks ! reply |
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All the World's Rotorcraft |
I am Alan Aden here in Orlando putting a 2.0L in the C172. I have static test data that shows this uses 1 /3 the fuel of the airplane or the car for that reason. Easy to put stock V8 engines in the plane for the same hp and probably 1 /5 the cost of operating the turboprop and ours is almost emission free.
It looks like Peter's AR404 plans are gone. We have an interest in building that plane. Is that even possible anymore? I did know Peter quite well and visited his FW190 project several times. Even came up with 3 - 8 tracks showing it's progress that I gave to Gerd Muehlbauer at MT props. I knew Keller quite well who worked with him.
Let me see what you have to say about making the airplane. Al Aden
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