IRMA Kit No. 6 Flug-und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein FFA P-16

Flug-und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein FFA P**6

The company Flug-und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, FFA, was originally part of Dornier Fluzeugwerke based in Altenrhein, Switzerland. The focus was on aircraft and train coaches, flug-und fahrzeugwerke meaning "aviation and vehicle works" in German. In ***8 the company went independent and concentrated on manufacturing aircraft for the Swiss Air Force, "Luftwaffe Forces Aeriennes Forze Aree." The first aircraft of FFA was the license built Swiss version of the French Morane-Saulnier D****3. As these were replaced by surplus U.S. North American P**1D Mustangs, FFA began to look for new endeavors.

Beginning in ***0 FFA noted the progress of the Swiss jet powered aircraft F+W Emmen N**0.1 Arbalete (Crossbow) of ***8 and N**0.*0 Aguillon (Pivot) of ***0. The company decided to design a more comprehensive Swiss aircraft to accomodate the terrain and geography unique to Switzerland. This would evenually become the FFA P**6 taking flight in ***5.

The project began in ***2 with an order by the Swiss government for a single-seat fighter that could also perform close-support duties powered by a single engine. The result was to specification with a low-wing, sturdy undercarriage with dual wheels on all three legs and a traditional tail empendage with the stablizer about half-way up the tail-fin.

Unique features for the P**6 included air intakes along the fuselage sides, Kreuger flaps on the leading edges of the wings to aid in airlift by advancing downward during takeoffs and landings, Fowler flaps on the trailing wing edges to increase slowdown when landing and ailerons that acted as flaps in accordance with flaps. Altogether the combination of these devices allowed the P**6 to takeoff and land in distances of less than 1,**0 ft. (**0 m).

Prototype No. 1 took to the air on *5 April ***5, but crashed in August the following year. Prototype No. 2 was the first Swiss aicraft to break the sound barrier on *5 August ***6. This led to a contract for four pre-production aircraft and later **0 production jets. Unfortunately a second crash in ***8 caused the Swiss government to cancel the entire program and replace the P**6 with Hawker Hunters from the United Kingdom.

Undeterred, FFA continued the project at its own expense developing the P**6 for the global market by building and testing two more aircraft. However, the jet was perceived as too complicated for general field conditions by the world’s air forces, especially the complex wing systems of front and rear flaps and ailerons. Also the price was cost prohibitive to most governments compared to less expensive alternatives.

The P**6s assembled were then taken apart and later one aircraft was completed from the parts for display in the FFA portion of the Swiss Air Force Museum at Dübendorf Air Base near Dübendorf, Switzerland.

An aspect of success for the P**6 program was the development of the Learjet family of business jets founded by William Powell Lear in the late ***0s as the Swiss American Aviation Corporation. The first business jet being designed from what Mr. Lear saw and learned from the P**6 projects was designated the Swiss American Aircraft Corporation SAAC**3, later known as Learjet *3 which accomodated 6 passengers with a crew of two, first flying on 7 October ***3.

Learjet went on to design and build *5 different designs of corporate jet aircraft, also used by various militaries for transporting officers. So, although the FFA P**6 was not a success in the military market, it has been indirectly very successful in the civilian and commercial markets. For this reason IRMA selected this kit for IRMAKit No. 6Flug-und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein FFA P**6. And since we have help directly from the FFA Museum in Switzerland, this will be the most accurate kit on the market.

Dimensions:

Wingspan: *6’ 7" (*1.*5 m)

Length: *7’ 0" (*4.*3 m)

Height: *4’ 0" (4.*7 m)

Weight: *5,**0 lbs (*1,**3 kgs0 

Performance Data:

Maximum Speed: **5 mph (1,**0 kmh)

Range: **0 miles (***0 km)

Thrust: *1,**0 lbf (*0 kN)

Armament: 2x *0 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.**5 cannons, *4x *8 mm Matra FFAR rockets

Crew: 1

Engine: Armstrong Siddeley ASSa.6 Sapphire

- Zane R Nobbs, © Copyright, IRMA ***3

References for this article:

Rand McNalley Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, by Enzo Angelucci, Military Press, ***0.

World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft, by Enzo Angelucci, Crown Publishers, Inc., ***2

The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, by David Donald, Barnes and Noble Books, ***7

Private Aircraft: Business and General Purpose, by Kenneth Munson, Macmillan, ***7

P**6, Prototypes Suisses d'Avions à Réaction N**0, Lear Jet, Piranha, by Luc Leonardi, Éditions Secavia, ***1