Dornier Do 335

A Scratchbuilding Project

Plans by Al Masters

The finished Do 335 This bird has flown! See below for details.
Here is a 1024 x 768 in-flight photo collage.

Wingspan	70 inches
Weight	17 pounds
Wing Area	1006 sq. in.
Wing Loading	39 oz./sq. in.
Front Engine	Saito .90
Rear Engine	Saito .50
Retracts	Robart 630
Finish	Enamels - with Perfect Paint Dead Flat Clear over for fuelproofing

Ordering Plans

Al Masters designed and built nine Do 335s over a period of 35 years. You might say he has a thing for this plane! I've always been fascinated by it as well. Al retired from the plans business in 2002. He granted me permission to continue marketing his Do 335 designs.

The Monogram Book on the Do 335

The Monogram "Monograph" #2 on the Do 335, is without a doubt the definitive work on the 335. It contains the most comprehensive coverage on the 335, including many color photographs of the restoration of #102 VG+PH, the modeling subject of this article.

Title: Dornier 335 Arrow, Monogram Monarch - 2
Authors: Smith, Creek and Hitchcock

Library of Congress Card 96-75250
ISBN 0-914144-52-9

Publisher:

Monogram Aviation Publications
P.O. Box 223
Sturbridge, MA 01566
USA

The book is sold in the USA by:

Zenith Books
1-800-826-6600

The cost is about USD $50. It is 8.5 x 11 inches, hardbound.

Development History

The Do 335 was the fastest production piston-engined fighter of the war -- 472 MPH at 21,000 feet. Its push-pull twin engine layout wasn't new, but this was the first time it was developed to its full potential. Had it not been eclipsed by turbojet powered aircraft, it could have set a new standard for the design and performance of piston-engined fighters.

The unusual tandem-engined layout of the Pfeil was first patented by Dr. Claude Dornier in 1937, but it was not until the end of 1942 that permission was given to build the first prototype. Perfecting the Pfeil proved to be a long and laborious task and was probably delayed by the skepticism of authorities toward its unusual design. Overheating in the rear engine was but one of the early development problems. The small production run included 3 versions--a single-seat fighter (335A-1); a 2-seat night fighter (335A-6); and "heavy" fighter (335B- series). Toward the end of the war, a night fighter was also produced. Take-off weight was 21,160 pounds, a little less than P-38's 21,600 pounds. First production version A-1 appeared in late 1944, but the course of the war prevented further development.

Further historical info and pictures are available on the aeroflight website.

You Build it With Me!

This article is probably unlike anything you've seen on the web before. I will build this plane - step by step - on these pages. Every assembly will be shown in detail, under construction. We will demystify scratch building in the process. It is not as hard as you might think.

We will be building the 70" Do 335, the second largest of the Do 335 designs that Al sells plans for. It is a complex design. With two engines, four removable hatches (inlcuding the entire upper tail) and scale flaps and retracts, this should be interesting!