FFA P-16
The first aircraft had its maiden flight in 1955. The aircraft had a Wing design that was revolutionary for the time, with a thin Profile and an unusual combination of high-lift devices such as flaps on the Wing trailing edge, lowerable ailerons and Krüger flaps on the Wing Leading edge, which significantly increased lift Overall the P-16 managed with Runways less than 500 m Long and only 300 m were needed for Landings.
The Swiss Air Force ordered a total of 100 P-16 Machines.
Unfortunately, the whole Project was doomed to fail because, after two catastrophic incidents due to more or less minor Mechanical Problems, the Swiss Government ordered the Project to be aborted and the entire order to be cancelled.
Luckily, the revolutionary Wing design saw its resurgence in the form of the very first business Jet, the famous
Lear Jet.
This Pioneering business Jet incorporated many of the P-16's Advanced design Features, which were considered too Risk at the time. In fact, the plane was 10 to 15 years ahead of its time. A P-16 has been preserved for posterity as an Exhibit in the Dübendorf Aviation Museum.
The last Lear Jet was delivered in May 2022 after 60 years.
J-3002: June 16, 1956 to March 7, 1958 - 310 flights - flight time: 130 h 37 min
Resin kit 1:72 FanKit Models with photo-Etch Parts
Photos from private Hands M.J.
A really unique subject and an excellent result, Hans Peter!
Great historical facts too!
Nice work on a rare kit.
The model looks great, but the actual plane looks like a Frankenstein (or Frankensteen) monster with the wings of a Lear Jet, the tail of a Hunter, and the nose of a Fouga Magister or Hunter.
Now that's a unique subject! Very cool, and a nice build.
From the first photo I thought this was some kind of offshoot from the Supermarine Swift. But no, it was something I’ve never heard of before! Thanks for sharing such an interesting model!
Very nice result, Hans Peter @messerschmitt
A very rare model indeed.
Thanks for bringing to my attention a jet I knew nothing about!