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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 |
| lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:54 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:47 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:39 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:15 20 reply | |
| | "+EXTRACTVALUE(1,CONCAT(0x3a,CHAR(52),CH, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:13 20 reply | | 0, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:07 20 reply | | -1 OR 5*5=25 --, e-mail, 07.11.2025 01:04 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 00:52 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 00:41 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 00:40 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 00:38 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 00:33 20 reply | | lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 07.11.2025 00:29 20 reply | | Mario Overall, e-mail, 07.06.2021 17:02 Check the Ahrens 404 at the LAAHS website:
www(.)laahs(.)com( /)the-ahrens-ar-404( /)
Remove the () from the URL above, since this website doesn't allow posting links. reply | |
| | Scott Partei, e-mail, 10.04.2020 05:52 I worked for Kim in Reno Nevada for a year or so as a carpenter. 1983 or 4. The project was a house on Wilcox Ranch road in Palomino Valley.
I know Kim was a good man and loved his family.
He spoke of the 404 fondly and as an aviation enthusiast myself I appreciated him.
Good luck to his family
Scott reply |
| Dennis Dinzeo, e-mail, 14.08.2015 19:39 I was stationed at the Coast Guard Air Station Hangar adjacent to the Ahrens hangar in 1978-1979 and I recall Mr. Ahrens coming over to examine the HH3F helicopter sponsons. Lo and behold the AR404 closely resembles the H3, at least in the landing gear department. We also heard somewhat anecdotally that the first test flight scared the bejesus out of the test pilot because the empennage turned out to be a bit undersized. I also remember the AR404 snack bar on the PR2 roadside in Aguada or Anasco some years later. reply | | Sixto Díaz-Saldaña, e-mail, 25.10.2014 18:03 Puerto Rico was wronged by stopping the Ahrens airplane. By now we would be in the map as aviation manufacturers and developers and exporters and creators of jobs and opportunities. reply | | Sixto Díaz-Saldaña, e-mail, 25.10.2014 18:03 Puerto Rico was wronged by stopping the Ahrens airplane. By now we would be in the map as aviation manufacturers and developers and exporters and creators of jobs and opportunities. reply | | Sixto Díaz-Saldaña, e-mail, 25.10.2014 18:03 Puerto Rico was wronged by stopping the Ahrens airplane. By now we would be in the map as aviation manufacturers and developers and exporters and creators of jobs and opportunities. reply |
| Sixto Díaz-Saldaña, e-mail, 25.10.2014 18:02 Puerto Rico was wronged by stopping the Ahrens airplane. By now we would be in the map as aviation manufacturers and developers and exporters and creators of jobs and opportunities. reply |
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All the World's Rotorcraft |
Scott Partei
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