Arup S2 ‘Heel Lift’ (42″) – Short Kit (Set)
The Short Kit (Set) includes assembly instructions, an article, a package of laser-cut wooden parts, and an additional package of wooden parts
Technical Specifications
Designer: Keith Humber
Wingspan: 42″ / 1067 mm
Powerplant: Internal combustion engine with propeller
Radio channels: 4
Scale: 1:5.42
Length: 38″ / 965 mm
Keith Humber’s nearly scale-accurate model of this 1933 “flying wing” with a wingspan of 42 inches is powered by a 6.5-cc engine and features 4-channel radio control. The model is built entirely from wood using the detailed two-sheet construction plans. The flight characteristics are typical of this type of aircraft, and the model should only be flown by experienced pilots.
The Original: – Design – The full-scale Arup S-2 featured a straight leading-edge wing with a trailing edge that tapered toward the rear of the aircraft, giving it the shape of a guitar pick when viewed from above. Instead of the sharp-edged, modified Clark-Y airfoil of its predecessor, an M6 airfoil was chosen. The large control surfaces on the trailing edge were combined for pitch and roll control, but were supplemented by small, movable, semicircular wings tips that provided additional roll control. A conventional landing gear was used, equipped with wheel fairings. Access to the cockpit was via a hatch mounted on the fuselage. Visibility was improved by celluloid windows in the aircraft’s fuselage. Operational History – The S-2 prototype was tested in flight by Glen Doolittle. The STOL aircraft could fly at an angle of attack of up to 35 degrees without entering a spin. The aircraft was demonstrated nationwide at events such as the Indianapolis 500 and the National Air Races in 1933. It was later demonstrated to the Army, the NACA, and the CAA in Washington, D.C. Raoul Hoffman left Arup after the development of the S-2 to work on his own design, the Hoffman Flying Wing. Engineer Charles H. Zimmerman observed the S-2 test flights in Washington and later applied the principles to the Vought XF5U program. The S-2 was sold, without an engine, to stunt pilot F.F. Bowser Frakes, who staged airplane crashes at state fairs. A Szekely radial engine, which had been removed from an American Eaglet, was installed in the S-2 but did not perform satisfactorily. A propeller was purchased from Milt Hatfield, who had previously supplied the landing gear for the first S-1. Hatfield demonstrated how to fly the aircraft, and it eventually crashed during a demonstration.
Images courtesy of Kenny Beggs and model builder Alastair Nicol
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Delivery time: 4 weeks from receipt of payment
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