Arrow Model F Explained

The Arrow Model F or the Arrow Sport V-8 was a two-seat low-wing braced monoplane aircraft built in the United States between 1934 and 1938. It was built originally to a request by the US Bureau of Air Commerce to investigate the feasibility of using automobile engines to power aircraft. Accordingly, the Model F was fitted with a modified Ford V8 engine. Like the Arrow Sport before it, the Model F seated its pilot and passenger side-by-side in an open cockpit and was marketed for $1500.^[1]

Development

The Arrow Sport F was specifically built to accommodate the low-cost, yet heavy Arrow F V-8 engine, an aircraft modification of the Ford V-8. The engine was designed by Ford Engineer David E. Anderson with an aluminum oil pan, aluminum cylinders, and a 2:1 gear reduction to drive the prop at reasonable rpm ranges. The engine weighed 402 lbs for 85 hp vrs 182 lbs for an equivalent Continental aircraft engine.^[2]

Variants

• Arrow Sport F Master – Open cockpit
• Arrow Sport F Coupe – Closed cockpit variant ^[3]
• Arrow Sport F De Lux Coupe – Closed cockpit with advanced instruments.
• Arrow Sport M - Open cockpit with a Menasco Pirate engine.^[4]

Survivors

• A preserved Sport F Master (ex-NC18722, serial 85) is on display at San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 3.^[5]
• A disassembled Sport F is being rebuilt by the Dakota Territory Air Museum in North Dakota.^[6]
• A Sport M (N18764, serial 105) is private ownership.^[7]
• Two Sport F's (N17093, serial 13 & N18765, serial 106) preserved at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum in Oregon.
• A Sport F (N18018, serial 31) in private ownership in California.
• A 1936 Sport Model F (NC16470 Serial 2) preserved at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum at Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pennsylvania. ^[8]
• A disassembled Sport F (N18000) is being rebuilt by The Nebraska Chapter of the Antique Airplane Association in Hastings Nebraska

References

• American Airplanes and Engines for 1938. . February 1938 . 37. 2. 35–66 . registration .
• Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London . 81 .

External links

• aerofiles.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Arrow Sport F. 5 May 2011.
2. Sport Aviation. 5 May 1958.
3. Air Trails. Summer 1971. 24.
4. https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?make=ARROW&model_group=NO+MODEL+GROUP&model=SPORT&listing_id=2281088&s-type=aircraft Trade-a-Plane: "1938 Arrow Sport M"
5. News: May . Joseph . Arrow Sport Model F in SFO's Terminal 3 . 18 April 2020 . Seattle PI . 2 September 2012.
6. News: North Dakota residents rebuild and model biplane for museum. December 1, 2017. Seattle Times. Eloise. Ogden.
7. https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?make=ARROW&model_group=NO+MODEL+GROUP&model=SPORT&listing_id=2281088&s-type=aircraft Trade-a-Plane: "1938 Arrow Sport M"
8. Web site: Aircraft of the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum.