The Arado Ar 76 was a German aircraft of the 1930s, designed as a light fighter with a secondary role as an advanced trainer in mind. It was Arado's response to a requirement by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) for such an aircraft, and in 1935 was evaluated against the Heinkel He 74, Focke-Wulf Fw 56, and the Henschel Hs 121 and Hs 125. Although the Fw 56 was selected for the main production contract, the RLM was sufficiently impressed by the Ar 76 to order a small number of these as well. The Ar 76 was a parasol-wing monoplane with fixed, tailwheel undercarriage. The wings were fabricovered  wood, and the fuselage was fabric over steel tube.

Source : William Green "Warplanes of the third Reich"
Among the earliest specifications drawn up by the C-Amt of Göring's Luftfahrtkommissariat was one calling for a lightweight single-seater for use as an emergency Heimatschutzjäger, a"home defence fighter". It had also to be suited for the role of advanced fighter trainer, and the importance attached to this specification by the Luftfahrtkommissariat may be gauged from the fact that no fewer than four aircraft manufacturers, Arado, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel and Henschel, were asked to submit proposals. The Heimatschutzjäger idea was not novel in Germany, as the Reichswehrtninisterium had prepared a similar specification in the 'twenties, and as now envisaged by the C-Amt, the aircraft was to be a high-wing monoplane designed around the Argus As 10C eight-cylinder inverted-Vee air-cooled engine, and capable of mounting either one or two 7.9-mm. MG 17 machine guns. The specification was later (in the autumn of 1934) to be amended to stipulate the twin-gun mounting plus the ability to carry three 22-lb. bombs for the Heimatschutzjliger role, armament being restricted to one MG 17 for the fighter training role.
Arado's contribution to the programme, the Ar 76 designed to the same strength factor as the Ar 67 and 68 fighters, was a parasol monoplane with a simple tubular steel fuselage with wooden formers, light alloy skinning forward and along the upper decking, and fabric covering for the aft sides and under-side. The wings were of wooden construction with fabric covering and attached on each side to the fuselage mainframes by parallel bracing struts. Provision was made in the upper decking of the forward fuselage for two MG 17 machine guns, and a bay was provided immediately aft of the fireproof bulkhead to house a magazine containing three vertically-hung 22-lb. bombs.
The first prototype, the Ar 76a (D-ISEN), was completed late in 1934, this being followed in the spring of 1935 by a second prototype, the Ar 76 V2 (D-IRAS). The Ar 76 V2, like the Ar 76 V3 completed shortly after the second prototype, differed from the original Ar 76a, which had been lost in an accident at an early stage in the flight test programme, in having some tail assembly modifications, these including the elimination of all dihedral on the horizontal surfaces. The general characteristics of the Ar 76 were adjudged excellent, but in the final evaluation of the contending designs, the Arado competitor was placed second to the Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser. Nevertheless, a small production series of Ar 76A aircraft was ordered as a back-up for the Fw 56 programme, and these, delivered to the Luftwaffe in the spring of 1936, were used by the Jagdfliegerschulen. As a result of some minor structural strengthening and certain equipment changes, the empty and loaded weights of the Ar 76A were increased by 99 lb. and 176 lb. respectively over those of the V2 and V3, these increases being accompanied by a small reduction in performance.

 

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Arado High-Wing Ar 76
Arado-Flugzeugwerke G. m b. H., Warnemünde, has developed a strutted high-wing monoplane, a training single-seater of mixed construction, under the designation Arado Ar 76, intended for the training of advanced pilots.
Its static strength meets the most stringent requirements, and it is fully capable of aerobatics. Its handling in aerobatics is very pleasant, especially the short spin times.
With training in mind, great importance was placed on easy repairability and the possibility of quickly replacing individual parts.
Fuselage: Welded tubular steel frame. The front section of the fuselage and the fuselage back are covered with sheet metal, the remaining section is covered with fabric.
Wing: Braced, with a 3° sweep, it has a rectangular outline with rounded ends. Spars with pine spars and plywood webs, ribs made of basswood. The turret is welded to the fuselage, and the stems are cross-cut. This design ensures the easiest possible setup and takeoff.
The fins and rudder are made of metal and covered with fabric. The trim in the air is achieved by an adjustable trailing edge of the elevator. The elevator and ailerons are counterbalanced.
The spring strut is hinged with oil damping and rubber springs. The wheels have low-pressure tires and oil-filled brakes. The tail wheel has rubber springs. All wheels have teardrop fairings.
Powerplant: Argus As-10-C engine, 240 hp. The engine mount is mounted on the fuselage at four points and is easily removable; the engine cowling is hinged.
The fuel tank, located in the front section, holds 105 liters. The oil tank is located directly in front of the firewall and has a capacity of 12 liters. The firewall is made of duralumin-asbestos-duralumin. - The engine is started by hand and a rotary mechanism; a compressed air system is also installed.
All bearings have ball bearings and are easy to monitor.
The cockpit is very spacious, with good entry and exit with a parachute. Special attention was paid to the design. The seat is adjustable in flight.
Standard stick controls, foot levers adjustable.
Good visibility, even to the rear. All important parts are easily inspected through removable fairing panels.
Wingspan 9.5 m, length 7.2 m, height (tail on ground) 2.55 m, wing area 13.34 m².
Empty weight 705 kg, total load 285 kg, gross weight 990 kg, wing loading 74.2 kg/m². Power load 4.13 kg/hp, maximum speed at ground level 272 km/h, landing speed 100 km/h, climb time to 1000 m altitude 2.5 min, to 5000 m altitude 21 min. Service ceiling 6400 m.

Source Flugsport No 5 1935
The Arado- Flugzeugwerke G.m.b.H, Warnemünde, has released a braced high-wing monoplane as a training single-seater in mixed construction under the designation Arado Ar 76, which is intended for the training of advanced flight students.
The static strength meets the strongest requirements, full aerobatic capability. The behavior in aerobatics is very pleasant, especially the short spin times are remarkable.
With regard to school operations, great importance was attached to easy repairability and the possibility of quick replacement of the individual parts.
Hull welded tubular steel frame. The front part of the fuselage and the back of the fuselage are planked with sheet metal. the remaining part has fabric covering. Wing braced, with 3? Arrow shape. has a rectangular outline with rounded ends. Pillars with pine straps and plywood webs, ribs made of lime tree. The tensioning tower is welded to the hull, the stems are crossed out. The selected design ensures the simplest assembly and dismantling.
Fins and rudders are made of metal and covered with fabric. The trimming in the air is done by an adjustable trailing edge of the elevator. Elevators and ailerons have weight balance.
Shock absorber bent with oil damping and pressure spring. The wheels have low-pressure tires and oil-pressure brakes. Spur wheel with pressure rubber suspension. All wheels have teardrop cladding.
Argus As 10-C engine, 240 hp power. The engine mount is suspended at 4 points on the fuselage and is easily removable: the hood is hinged. The fuel tank housed in the front part holds 105 litres. The oil tank is located directly in front of the fire frame and has a capacity of 12 litres. The fire frame is made of dural-asbestos-dural.
The engine is started by a manual turning device; a compressed air system is also installed.
Normal stick control. Foot lever adjustable. All bearing points have ball bearings and are easy to monitor.
Driver's compartment very spacious, good entry and exit with parachute was given special attention during the construction. Seat adjustable in flight. Good visibility. also to the rear. All important parts are easy to control thanks to removable trim plates.