NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly started life as a 34” longer version of their T-37 Trainer. Other modifications included more powerful engines and beefed up wings to accommodate additional fuel capacity tip tanks, and wing pylons.
In time a machine gun was added to the aircraft along with upgraded avionics, a beefed up air frame, and heavy duty landing gear. The end result was a relatively low cost utility observation and light attack aircraft that was well suited to its role and well liked by its crews. The aircraft engines produce a loud whining sound, earning it the nickname “super tweet.”
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly distinguished itself in Vietnam, particularly in the roles of ground support and helicopter escort. The aircraft could carry rockets, a wide variety of bombs, and 1,500 rounds of ammunition for its machine gun. The A-37 Dragonfly flew thousands of missions without losing a single aircraft in combat.
The A-37 Dragonfly was exported to a number of countries around the world and some are still flying to this date. Over 600 of the aircraft were produced.
Pictured above and below is the spectacular giant scale RC Cessna A-37 Dragonfly built by Sung Kim and Henry Nguyen. The wing span is 138". Fuselage length is 115 1/2". It is powered by a pair of Jet Cat P120 turbines. We were unable to find out the weight.
The second and third pictures below are of the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly rc built by Walter Mansilla. Walter writes: "Greetings from Guatemala. In my country the Cessna A-37B is used in the air force. For that reason I built a rc model made from fiberglass with a 58" wing span and a 48" fuselage. There is a O.S. 46 engine up front. This is to prove the concept of the design. The rc airplane has retractable landing gear. It flys very well and doesn't have any bad characteristics. At this time I am finishing a model with a O.S. 61 engine. The new project has more details. It is painted in the colors of the Attack Squadron. In the pictures the airplane had not yet flown. The test flight was carried out four days later."
Thank you for telling us about your rc airplane, Walter. We look forward to hearing more about your project.
PST Jets, Thailand, says that they
will soon have a rc ARF Cessna A-37 Dragonfly for sale. It is shown in the last
picture on this page. Wingspan is 153" and length is 128". J1300 turbines are
the recommended power.
If you know of any other rc Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or have built one yourself, we would like to hear all about it from you. Please email us.
Absolute
3374 from RC Groups started a thread about a rc Cessna A-37
Dragonfly
with a 48" wingspan
and a 35" length.
A-37 posted to RC Groups about a boat.
Craab started a thread in RC Groups about the rc A-37 Dragonfly.
Seitz2C posted three view drawings at RC Groups from which to build a rc A-37 Dragonfly.
A member of the Offut Aero Club in Omaha has a rc A-37 Dragonfly.
Pacoson71 of RC Groups posted two nicknames for the A-37 Dragonfly.
Tony Phang posted sketches to RCPowers.com of the A-37 Dragonfly.
Walkera makes a Dragonfly that uses blades made from 37 material.
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
