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This month’s profile is not about a person but about an aeroplane, the ARC Ready.
Most people who learn to fly start off with a high wing .40 size kit. You know the sort I mean, the reasonably priced ARTF made in the Far East. How often have you seen the undercarriage ripped off this type of kit because of a less than perfect landing? Or seen the wings fold because of the use of sub-standard wood? I have. Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti this type of model. On the plus side, both the examples mentioned above were easily repaired and flying again the following week. However, when this sort of thing happens, it tends to dent the confidence of the novice, plus reduce their time in the air. So that is why many of us chose to fly the ARC Ready. The Ready is an ARTF, but it is made from a tough plastic which makes it’s a little more resilient to knocks and quick to repair. With a wingspan of 61 inches (157 cm) it is designed for the .40 size engine range; although I have seen one flown with a .60 size two stroke! It can be built in a weekend – or in a day as I did at the show this year. If you break an undercarriage leg you can replace it as spares are sold separately. But more important it is so versatile. Firstly, one thing novice flyers often get into difficulty over is orientation. "Which way up is it?". Also, most ARTFs look alike (same finish). The good thing about the Ready is it can be quickly and effectively personalised with e.g. car spray paint, or solartrim, etc. The plastic surface is very god for this. We usually encourage novices to paint each wing underneath in different contrasting colours. Take a look at the photo below of the two Readys to see an example. Secondly, as a basic trainer it is hard to beat. It flies very well and can take a lot of rough treatment. However, like most trainers it is not put away once the basics are mastered. Even experienced flyers still get a kick out of flying one – especially in the winter when the strong winds make flying a challenge. We also use the Ready for aero-towing. With a .52 four stroke it can tow two foam wings or a large thermal glider such as the Condor. We even used them to tow banners at the fly-in in Portugal. The next thing I intend to do is fit floats to the Ready. ARC manufactures a float kit for the Ready (see picture above) and its big sister, the Cessna Cardinal. Watch this space. Rob Bailey
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The Ready II Idro float plane variant.
