Update – Ahrens AR404

The first aircraft built in Puerto Rico flew in October of 1979 and following a restricted number of early flights spent most of 1980 and ’81 idle awaiting further developments in specification. Hence the Ahrens 404 has been in no rush to development which in retrospect may well be an asset in these difficult times.

US FAA certification to FAR Part 25 is expected late 1982 while series production is expected to begin early 1983. The 404 briefly resembles the Shorts 330 in the squared-off fuselage with a vertical tail assembly reminiscent of the Casa 212 Aviocar. Goal of the Ahrens organisation is to produce a rugged 30-seater of simple design for principal use in third-world areas where sophisticated support facilities are few and far between. Casa has pioneered this policy in recent times and have profited by it immensely. Like Casa, Ahrens has the active involvement of a government in what is a third-world nation. Ahrens claim that they can produce the 404 for under $2m a copy with much of this being due to the low Puerto Rican labour costs. How this will fare in the long term remains to be seen.

The 404 is powered by four Allison 250-B17C turboprops of 420 shp each which push the 404 along at a maximum cruise of 175 knots. The takeoff distance is 3000 ft which is very good considering the wing’s simple construction and total lack of high-lift devices such as double-slotted flaps and slats, etc. The landing roll is just under 1000 ft while typical range is 850 nm with standard tankage and 1200 nm with the optional outboard wing tanks. In addition to a maximum of 30 passengers the 404 can accommodate four LD3 containers or operate in a mixed passenger/freight configuration. Maximum payload is 8520 lb, half of which covers fuel when maximum fuel uplift is required.

If Ahrens can get a full scale production line into consistent operation and the objectives of using Puerto Rican labour work out then there could well be quite a sizeable long-term market for this aircraft. At around $2m a copy you would have to go far to find uplift potential in a similar airframe. The fact that the entire aircraft has been designed for a minimum of maintenance and ease of construction (the wing, for instance, is free of tapers, twists and dihedral in order to simplify production) should see it making headway into the Latin and South American markets without undue delay. On the design side, an interesting aspect is the use of four relatively low-powered turbines. While four engines do represent a doubling of long-term maintenance requirements they do in turn offer the very real capability of returning to base in the event of one engine going unserviceable. Deep in the Amazon rainforest that could be a very real asset to an operator desperately requiring his aircraft at home base.

So much for my jestings towards the ‘Super Nomad’. Hey, did you hear the one about the guy who planned an eight-engined flying boat that could airlift 750 troops across the Atlantic? Oh well!