Waterman Arrowbile

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The Waterman Arrowbile was one of the first roadable aircraft built in the United States in the late 1930s. It was a tailless, two‑seat, single‑engine plane with a pusher propeller, and it could be flown or driven on roads. Only five were ever built.

Origins and design
The idea came after Waterman’s earlier Whatsit and the Arrowplane. The Arrowplane, designed for the Vidal Safety Airplane competition in 1935, showed a roadable version could work, though it wasn’t intended for production. Waterman then formed the Waterman Arrowplane Co. to build a roadable version called the Arrowbile (W‑5). For road use, the wings and propeller could be detached, and the aircraft adopted car-like features and controls.

Power and ground handling
The Arrowbile used a Studebaker six‑cylinder engine (about 100 hp) mounted low in a pod. It drove the propeller at the top of the fuselage through belts and also powered the main wheels on the ground via a differential. Steering on the road came from a nosewheel, with wheels covered by fairings. The propeller could be declutched to stop windmilling on the road. The cabin was designed with a car-like interior and storage under the seats.

Flight history and market
The first flight occurred on February 21, 1937. Studebaker showed interest and ordered five aircraft, with the third Arrowbile being the first of that order. Despite the technical promise, demand was small and the project wound down in 1938. Later production cars adopted more car-like styling, including a grille, single headlight, doors, and a petrol filler cap.

Later developments
A fourth Arrowbile was built as a conventional aircraft (not roadable) and used a Franklin engine. In 1943 the wings were updated with slotted flaps, and later the braced wing was replaced by a cantilever wing. A sixth airframe, completed in 1957, was a three‑seat roadable version powered by a water‑cooled Tucker‑Franklin engine, with radiators on the sides of the engine and a revised nose. This model was sometimes called the Aerobile, though Waterman did not use that name himself.

Racing trip
In September 1937, the first three Arrowbiles flew from Santa Monica to the National Air Races in Cleveland, about 2,060 miles. One had to land en route, but the other two arrived to give demonstration flights.

Overview
The Arrowbile was an early, innovative attempt to make a practical roadable aircraft. It flew and worked on the road, but it never gained a strong market, and only a handful were produced.