Why It Goes So Fast

"Why it goes so fast", documents the efficient AR-5's record runs and clearly explains the simple drag reduction concepts used to achieve its surprising performance on such low horsepower. With comments by aerodynamicist, Bruce Carmichael. Great discussion on interference drag. Lists references.

[@davestevens7386]

I got this phone call from a guy looking for a prop for a 582, which I sold. He told me he needed a stock prop to break in the engine because the prop he had was designed for speeds over 200mph. I told him that he wasn't going to get a 582 to do 200mph. Little did I know, that was Mr Arnold.

[@stanRmeyer]

What a fascinating story!!!

[@maxvolume1037]

that prop is in my garage!

[@patman0250]

And little did we know you were full of crap. Seriously guy it's not about you and your fictitious story. Nice try though.

[@saraarnold571]

Michael used to sell his videos on DVD. When he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he asked that they be posted on KZbin. He willingly gave them away to share as his legacy. So the copyright warning no longer applies. He passed away in October of 2015.

[@TrustJesus100]

What I wouldn't do to have him teach me airplane building, he was a genius!

[@stratobee]

He has left an irreplaceable knowledge and legacy behind for all people to enjoy. Thank you Mike!

[@peterfox8701]

sorry for your loss ,his inspiration will live on

[@servanttofriend8481]

So glad he gave us these. Thanks, Michael. R.I.P. buddy.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

So sorry for your loss Sara... We 'out here' think of the loss to the aviation community with his passing, but for you, he was your family...

[@sky12240]

Mike left us wondering what he would have designed beyond the AR-6. The AR-5 is at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos California (25 miles south of San Francisco). It hangs close enough, just above your head, to see it’s sleek and smooth lines. Makes you understand, more so, his thought process and application in building it. You must go see it in person, if you ever get a chance.

[@flyonbyya]

You know he truly loves aviation when he says he takes the Horner book on vacation! Love it !

[@lrstaf6]

Amazing! You are what I call a natural engineer. If you don't know how to build something, you go get a book and learn how. That's how I went from a school boy to a senior engineer at a paper machine manufacturing company. It takes a little longer than going to a school, but it works, because you only study what you have a desire to learn. Thus, you work harder and dig deeper than you would if someone is trying to shove info at you. Congratulations on your record. Beautiful design and great quality workmanship on your airplane. You deserve that record.

[@vasili1207]

He passed in 2015

[@LTV_inc]

But imagine how much farther ahead and less time you’d waste by just getting a degree and then studying what you want like I did. I invented things you have used. 😊

[@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus]

Brilliant how his instincts led him to almost accidentally make good design decisions. He genuinely seemed surprised to have these decisions validated by the various experts. Probably as good an example of function following form as we shall ever see. Genius!

[@flavortown3781]

You build enough model aircraft and work on enough planes and you get a feel for it,

[@ArneChristianRosenfeldt]

@@flavortown3781 A lot is just a copy from the WW2 warbirds around the world. You know, when manufacturing cost don't matter.

[@slartybarfastb3648]

@@ArneChristianRosenfeldt Similar engineering goals produce similar designs. It's how he mixed the ingredients and perfected the recipe which made this unique result.

[@gmcjetpilot]

He read a lot of engineering design manuals, learning from others, along with a great eye and fabrication skills with composite.

[@TRabbit1970]

An amazing teacher and a spectacular designer and builder. A true gift to those of us eager to learn how to design and build our own aircraft. Thank you to Mike’s family for gifting the world with his wonderful storytelling and instruction.

[@tigerseye73]

What a gift Mike left for us. Not only does he teach us about aircraft design and efficiency, this knowledge can also be applied to other projects such as auto and boat design. Wish he were still with us.

[@joshuabradshaw5270]

these videos are incredible. Thank you sir for your great contributions.

[@tommatt3321]

P

[@robertrainford301]

What a wonderful video, and to hear this selfless attitude about such great aeronautical topics is really encouraging! Thank you! Thank you!

[@ArizonaAirspace]

This gentleman was brilliant. What a shame he’s no longer with us. We lost a genius in aeronautical engineering field. Who knows what Michael might have cooked up had he lived. I’d have loved to have had the opportunity to talk to him. Wherever he is, I hope he is grinning ear to ear designing and flying his own speedy birds.

[@tomemery1651]

I started watching these videos as kind of a whim. The techniques and hands on building got me hooked. This a truly amazing set of videos for anyone who has the slightest interest in aviation. Just shows what you can do if you study the text books and apply the information. I came away with a much better understanding of the dynamics of airflow and the reduction of drag. Godspeed buddy.

[@planpitz4190]

I learned a lot about aeronautics listening to Mr Arnold, giving away all his knowledge is very generous to the global aviators community,may his legacy never be forgotten.I think German F.X. Wortmann would be delighted if he knew that Mr.Arnold used one of his laminar flow designs building the extraordinary AR 5.Greetings from Germany.

[@brighambaker3381]

Brilliant and humble; what a wonderful guy! Thank you for sharing his videos online!

[@farmers2630]

I just love these old videos! They have that nostalgic feel and are informative and passion-driven.

[@p39483]

I love that he designed this using pure engineering. No wind tunnels. No CFD. Just lots of structural and aerodynamic understanding. And then he implemented it with a perfectionist attitude and set a world speed record. Pretty neat.

[@bobette360]

What a wonderful man. Truly passionate about what he was doing and willing to share his knowledge and lessons. Thanks for uploading!

[@ianjones4071]

Hi great video and outstanding work, I have been a race car guy all my life, dabbled in model plane in time ,they didn't fly so great,your very clear explanation of aerodynamic I may take another look into them again, I have recently retired, thank you again cheers mate. 🍻

[@choppergirl]

Holy smokes what a hard core little library at the end...

[@t54760]

What a guy. Builds one of the best looking planes I ever saw. Sets a new world record. Is not sure why. Asks experts that tells us all the things he did right. Incredible! Thanks to his wife for sharing all of these videos with the world. What a legacy. Did anybody catch what happened to the engine cowling? What caused the damage? He said he was going to come back to it but I never heard it. Feel like I waited 22 years to find out.

[@Luminaring]

He showed the cracked prop in the video

[@MrFlyingSquirl]

I don't know if you found out since, but in one of the other videos they talk about how the engine cut out(I think) and he had a low speed crash. It damages the prop, cowling and the wheels including the rear one. As far as I remember the rest of the plane was OK and he was uninjured apart from some bumps and bruses

[@b.snoodleman5864]

Rest in peace Mike, thanks for all your shared knowledge in your videos.

[@du4-fpv777]

Awesome video and not one dull moment! I love the problem solving aspects of the build of the plane. And a wonderful way to explain the thought process building it.

[@SoloRenegade]

It's rare that people share their sources, so that was much appreciated. Was able to find a copy of the research paper and had most of the listed books already. But it helps knowing where others found their info.

[@ttystikkrocks1042]

This video really goes into detail, at a level rarely seen on KZbin. I learned a lot!

[@artysanmobile]

Michael must have been very satisfied to see the volumes and years of math and handwork result in such a successful record attempt. Aerodynamics and laminar flow are so complex, it must have been hard keeping the focus from start to finish. Mighty impressive. I have a single invention to my name, a somewhat complex design and complicated hand build system of high performance electronics, about 2 years of my life, to be proud of. From that I can relate to how profound it is to see all that work result in the intended goal.

[@Zeno2Day]

Excellent presentation. Quite informative. Theoretical, practical, & hands-on aspects - makes this film a well rounded program. Ty

[@fredpinczuk7352]

This man was a genius, brilliant.

[@VeganRashad]

is he still alive?

[@fredpinczuk7352]

Rashad Glover unfortunately no. he passed away of lung cancer 3 years ago. his wive decided to post on line all his instructional videos.

[@VeganRashad]

As I was watching these videos the first thing I said to myself was I sure hope he isn't dead or has died from lung Cancer. All the people I knew who personally messed around with FiberGlass ended up from lung cancer. SMH. I'm Afraid of the stuff now. Is the sanding or is it the resin? Who knows?

[@fredpinczuk7352]

It's a fair assumption. But he was also 2 packs a day smoker for many years. So who knows. We Lost a genius for sure.

[@julianbarbera9822]

I miss him, i used to visit him every month until he went to the hospital. Every time I visited he showed me his basement where he made all of his stuff. When I heard he died, I practically went into shock.

[@SteveSorgatz]

This is the second time I've watched this video.I learn something new each time. Thanks Mike.

[@fascistpedant758]

It's my first time, but not my last.

[@theinterfaithshepherd9075]

Wow! What a pleasure to be able to watch a video like this. Mike is clearly a genius, there is absolutely no doubt at all. He 'says' he is not an Engineer, but he is far more than that. He could no doubt lead ANY aerospace program at ANY organization - although obviously his love is for subsonic non-military sport craft.

[@auramiss2014]

I am learning so many things by watching your numerous videos!!!

[@jackrichiedei]

All I can say is WOW. Thanks for the Vid Mike. You live on.

[@JackOHaraEngineering]

Splendid, it’s cool listening to the theory after having taken aerodynamics this past semester

[@waynepennington1]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing. Michael's passion and insight will continue to inspire many ... like me!

[@raydreamer7566]

This was great and it reminds me of the times I used to spend with my late and great friend Hans Meyers From Aero Marine who used to build Belt driven reduction drives for auto and motorcycle motors for aircraft and air boat usage. As long as you could listen and pay attention you were learning. If it was not for him I would have never visited the Oshkosh Air show. I am looking forward to your next video.

[@maxvolume1037]

I have a ton of unused footage and plan to make some movies about Mikes life - hopefully in a few months!

[@raydreamer7566]

@@maxvolume1037 Sounds like the kind of movie I could defiantly watch more than once.....

[@danmccarthy2213]

Thankyou for posting this video, is wish i could transfer all his knowledge into my brain! He is 20yrs ahead of the industry.

[@PacificAirwave144]

What an awesome video. I'm so glad you posted this!

[@jaymondavis6509]

Thanks Mike, Your videos are a priceless education in composites.

[@markloubser2433]

Simply wonderful presentation. KZbin gold.!

[@Woffo]

Love the aerodynamic details

[@techraptorx]

A true Guru.. He is immortalized through his work.A born genius like Arnold and master of aerodynamics Bruce Carmichael together doing their thing is once in a life time event.

[@shockingguy]

What a great story and documentary. And it’s awesome that they got footage of like everything happening that rarely happens. Kudos to you sir awesome bravo bravo 👏

[@maxvolume1037]

it was an everyday thing!

[@Zeno2Day]

One of the very best videos on the subject, ty.

[@AlbertDongler]

Absolutely fascinating! Thank you for posting this 🙂

[@yelyab1]

My college professor said it was difficult to establish laminar flow even in the labs. He talked about circulating different geometries through a laminar flow fluid and how how it is to visualize. The layers are very thin.

[@Jeffrey314159]

Everything about this video, this narration, even the voice of the host, seems so retro.

[@vulturedroid9804]

What a great guy. Smart.

[@Braeden123698745]

I could sit down and talk to this guy all day long.

[@ssoffshore5111]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing his amazing work! It makes me wonder what he could do today with all the electronic aids and lighter weight CF available?!?!

[@JamesSmith-op7yc]

Now It's up to us and build on this brilliant man's ideas. Thanks.

[@JamesSmith-op7yc]

Now It's up to us and build on this brilliant man's ideas. Thanks.

[@slartybarfastb3648]

My main takeaway from this great video is that this airplane is likely what the best escort fighter of WW2 could have looked like had it been designed in 1942. Scaled up for fuel requirements, armament, retractable gear and powerplant but essentially solving most of the problems those war era designers encountered. Aesthetically, I think it looks like the perfect blend of Bearcat and Corsair if anyone ever hoped to do that.

[@pcka12]

The Spitfire has that lovely curved fairing at the rear of the wing fuselage junction.

[@emmanuelsamaras8974]

I was an owner of a Midget Mustang powered by O-200 Continental. Laminar low wing and was dangerous in high speed stall when the boundary layer separated it was difficult to bring it out of stall.

[@creationsinmetal]

Great videos!! His AR6 lives just 3 miles from my house with Steve piloting it. One of my life long dreams is to build and fly an airplane. I think this would be just the airplane to build. Just wish I had the pleasure to meet Mike.

[@heintmeyer2296]

I like this video so much; now whenever I identify a problem I say to myself " I see a NOZZLE!".

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Very interesting. I remember reading about this several years ago.

[@lorriecarrel9962]

This man was brilliant for real,seams very humble as well,would have been a cool person to know

[@guitarsword1]

Fascinating. Thanku very much. Really interesting information.

[@saraarnold571]

Yes, his "little plane" as he so modestly called it, is on display at the Hiller Aviation Museum in Santa Clara, California. www.hiller.org/. It is listed as "Arnold 1992 AR-5 Sport Monoplane". My husband, David Arnold, Michael's brother, stumbled upon this plane at the museum one day. The two brothers were estranged. This discovery in part contributed to their reconnecting and re-finding family before each of them died in 2015 six months apart. David was a car guy--raced in SCCA, loved speed. They were both intuitive about machines though Michael delved deeper to become a self-taught engineer. David was so proud of Michael.

[@9HighFlyer9]

That's a cool story. Nice to hear they were able to reconnect. I personally haven't talked to my brother in about 10 or 11 years.

[@vasili1207]

Time to do it don't you think?

[@9HighFlyer9]

@@vasili1207 nah, dude's a dick.

[@ronsoyka2555]

Very informative video. I wonder if it occurred to hi or any other viewers just how similar the lines are of this fuselage to those of a Corsair? I expected to hear he scaled down a Corsair fuselage. Long snout, canopy, line behind the canopy, empennage all very reminiscent of the Corsair. IMHO

[@maxvolume1037]

When I first saw the unfinished AR5 I told him I thought it looked MEAN - He said it was the ultimate compliment - that just about all great fast airplanes look mean.

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

I feel like I went school. Thanks to the builder and all the contributors to this very effective end result

[@agairinc]

Look at the similarities between this and the Radial Rocket. Amazing

[@fredeagle8766]

keep polishing. a coat of wax would really sort out the boundary layer drag and flow. seal the smallest gap. prop blade root cuffs, no gap here too. go for mid wing at a dead right angle join at the roots. a rounded centre section goes with it, and apply small fillets as extra ! a strake or two may sort out local laminar flow break up, observe your wool tufts at all conjunctions. while where at it, get rid of the fuselage and empennage altogether

[@seansoblixe9711]

AMAZING INFORMATION..REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR VID...THANKS!

[@inspiration73africasim29]

All I can is wow.. what an inspiration .. I am going to follow suite ..

[@riedjacobsen8620]

What a fascinating and educational video! Great stuff in here.

[@Ucceah]

awesome hands on information. thank you for making this avialable! (if one finds the reverberating forced stereo as grating as i did, mute one audio channel)

[@ricktssf]

an old 2 stroke motorcycles issue that is very similar to your exhaust gasses temperature increase ... when you ride a 2 Stoke motorcycle down a very long hill, the engine temps always go up! going down a long mountain, you could blow the engine... the 2 stroke uses oil in the gas to lube the engine. when "coasting" down a long hill the engine lacks the lube in the gas to keep things slippery and cool.

[@GaryL3803]

The old 2 stroke (1960s) Saabs had a freewheeling clutch to allow the engine to idle when decelerating. As a side effect, when the engine seized up, which it sometimes would do, it did not lock up the drive (front) wheels.

[@alexandrosafouxenidis4420]

I wish to have mr Arnold as my neighbor definitely will spend a lot of time with him just learning!

[@siggyretburns7523]

Of course. Anytime a bureaucracy can slide some red tape in between you and your project, count on it happening. And California has quite a few bureaus with lots of red tape.

[@conantdog]

Thank you for sharing this great man and his work .

[@jadams3427]

Really fascinating and well presented. Many thanks.

[@2ndbar]

Very helpful video. Thanks for publishing it. I will read all of the books listed before I begin to build a plane, or along the way. I want to build a faster composite but with side by side seating. Now that carbon fiber is affordable, I am wondering how much to use in wing and fuselage construction. Any thoughts? Also, it looks like it would make sense to build the molds so that I can reuse them for replacement parts or if I want to build another one.

[@TrustJesus100]

How I wish this man was still alive..I'd be helping him for free to learn what he knows about building planes..wow!!

[@DoctorShocktor]

A quick aside, it would be great if you would provide a full description, such as the gentleman’s full name, the aircraft name, the achievement, the video’s source, who posted it, and any other significant details etc. to explain why this video is important and posted on KZbin. I didn’t even know what the guy’s name was until digging around a bit. Historical video postings also need historical text support in the description.

[@BikingVikingHH]

How does one go about transmitting a video “mechanically”?

[@jolllyroger1]

I live very near here and when they say bugs they mean mosquitoes in mass ....I once drove truck from Orland to Sacramento about an hour and half drive had to stop 2 times to clean my windshield and the front of the truck looked fuzzy with mosquitoes wings you litterally could not see any paint or chrome the mirrors were the same .....I know the place they flew this and many of those people..... the smaller spinner makes the inlet similar to the inlet of a jet engine the prop acts as a compressor then the heating of the inlet air adds energy to that air which accelerates that air providing thrust or at the least limiting the reduction of that airflow either way reduces drag .... what do you think happens if you have engine exhaust exit pointing forward it's simple logic

[@JamesSmith-op7yc]

Oh goodness, Florida "Mayflies"! Just turn you green when you're riding your motorcycle to work. I so appreciate and admire Mike Arnold and his work. Truly outstanding engineering and and passion.

[@jaredmcclure6627]

Amazing work!!!

[@martinheidegger517]

Built cars for frank costin, he said radius had to be no less than 1/12" on cowl /radiator openings, would 2" be better then ? and back, of car had to be higher than front, otherwise it wouldnt be aerodynamic. A brick is more aerodynamic, ie a bus with a cut off back, we put on a kamm back with sharp edge.

[@Migueldeservantes]

This video make me wonder how long in real life really took to make and edit all those details on it!!

[@maxvolume1037]

about a year

[@williamiannucci2740]

So happy for him, as always a 👍

[@paul_k_7351]

N105AR for an AR5? Love it!

[@JaviRP97]

This is the content I love!

[@losteroni]

Could you imagine getting approval today from all those different entities ?

[@johnmcgovern3806]

don't forget the compression at the front of the two struts positioned together

[@ElCineHefe]

Awesome documentary!

[@Mtlmshr]

But what happened to the airplane and all the damage?

[@thearnoldcompany2958]

Thank you for you comment, Doctor Shocktor. I've added a description to each video. I've added the full story about the AR-5 on the Arnold Company Chanel. I'm still trying to find a location to add an "About Michael Arnold" section which would provide the full backstory.

[@alestursic961]

What a wonderful achievement.

[@excellenceinanimation960]

These videos are amazing!

[@MrJdsenior]

If you want a REALLY GOOD (IMHO) nuts and bolts review of interference drag, relating it to divergent parasitic nozzles, the middle to later in this video is GREAT! Really improved my understanding on a practical level anyway, mostly Horner oriented. I don't think it's the entire story, as the aero expert points out later, but great insight. When I heard him say 38 HP, my jaw kind of dropped, given those speed numbers and time frame. NICE! This is a must see for aviation nuts, should have many more views. "It was very easy"...har har. Looks like you guys got some good support on the attempt, officials wise. Airplane communities, aren't they great? HEY, My 84 SE! Looked again, not the "5 letter" (wrong wheels), but close, one of the two years before, if I remember correctly. Well, not MINE, exactly, but mine was a great car, smooth and fairly peppy. Then it got transformed into a bit more of a fire breather with a Rotary Engineering Turbo Alternative, and some fairly serious suspension mods.

[@rolandocrisostomo2003]

I love that little plane and ill take the honda prelude too.

[@maxvolume1037]

my mom bought it new - I'm STILL driving it!!

[@pohldriver]

Narration by Max Volume and Stars and Stripes Forever by The Naked Lady Wrestlers? Unless I've watched this before and don't remember doing so, I've seen his name and that group before somewhere.

[@unclejack123]

Beautiful little A/C ...Well done .... Ques: have you ever run the numbers on using either of the Rotax Radials in your airplane?.... I think the 5 cyl. version is a close fit already ....... The 7 cyl. is under 36" wide wide ..... JRW

[@faainspector9699]

unclejack123 That could be an awesome combination and perhaps a great contributor of even higher airspeeds...........not that 206 mph on 60 HP isnt awesome enough............outstanding aircraft indeed..

[@WhallonJesse]

Thank you for uploading.

[@Justwantahover]

2:15 It was a good landing!

[@WelingtonFerreiraCastro]

Brilhante seu legado.

[@jtveg]

Thanks for sharing. 😉👌🏼

[@SunilSundar]

Reference material 1:06:18

[@BikingVikingHH]

World record of what exactly is 201mph? 3:30

[@saraarnold571]

It's possible that the epoxies contributed to his lung cancer. As far as I know, he did not use protective masks. We thought less about such things in those days plus we all thought we were immortal--youthful delusion.

[@dave-in-nj9393]

wow, he may have been killed by the thing he loved the most.

[@RyanStone143]

More than epoxies (which are mostly inert after curing) was sanding glass fiber and filler materials without a particulate masks. I didn't think about it too much myself until I inhaled a small cloud of cut fiberglass once, and developed mild asthma.

[@rosebarnes9625]

Like Steve McQueen....

[@christinewilliams9252]

R S ,

[@jc7409]

My guess is that smoking contributed more. Mike did wear masks many times while I was working with him.

[@oliverf944]

Awesome old video. The design considerations and trade off is a lot like boat design. For every performance, safety or comfort gain there's a tax somewhere else. Constant battle trading one for the other and finding the best compromise for intended.