The Arsenal O.101 was a French research aircraft that took flight shortly after the conclusion of World War II.
It was a low wing monoplane of conventional configuration, featuring a fixed tail wheel undercarriage.
The aircraft incorporated several innovative features that were specifically designed to serve as an airborne test-bed for evaluating airfoil sections and control surface designs.
The O.101 was designed to accommodate a pilot and an observer in tandem cockpits.
However, the observer’s cockpit was sunken fully into the fuselage, affording no fore-and-aft view at all, as their primary responsibility was to monitor the aircraft’s wings.
The pilot’s cockpit was positioned well back along the fuselage, near the tail.
The O.101 was equipped with extensive instrumentation to measure pressures and loads throughout the aircraft.
Additionally, the aircraft was designed with dimensions that allowed it to be placed inside the wind tunnel at Chalais-Meudon without any disassembly required.
