The Arrow Active is a British aerobatic aircraft built in the 1930s.
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Arrow Active 2 | |
Role | Aerobatic sports aircraft Type of aircraft |
Manufacturer | Arrow Aircraft Ltd. |
Designer | A. C. Thornton |
First flight | 1931 |
Number built | 2 |
The Arrow Active is a single-seat biplane of conventional configuration, with single-bay, staggered wings of unequal span and chord, bordering on being a sesquiplane. The upper and lower wings are joined by a single interplane strut. The undercarriage is fixed, with a pair of mainwheels and a tail-skid. It was originally powered by a 115 hp (86 kW) Cirrus-Hermes IIB engine.
The second aircraft built featured a more powerful 120 hp (90 kW) de Havilland Gipsy III and was designated Active 2. It also differed from the Active 1 in having a strutted, conventional centre section, a slightly different shaped fin and rudder, and smaller, wider wheels.
Although it was originally hoped[1] that the military might show an interest in the aircraft, this did not transpire, and the Active was flown as a sports plane. The Active 1 G-ABIX received its Certificate of Airworthiness on 21 May 1931[2] and flew at 132.2 mph (212 km/h) in the 1932 King's Cup Race. It was Alex Henshaw's mount in the second half of 1935 until severely damaged in a crash following an in-flight fire that December.
The Active 2 G-ABVE was certified on 29 June 1932[3] and flew in the King's Cup in both 1932 and 1933. Slightly faster than the Arrow 1, it recorded a speed of 137 mph (220 km/h)
Rebuilt in 1958, and again in 1989, the Active 2 is still on the British civil register and is based at Coventry, England.[5]
Data from [6]
General characteristics
Performance
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