Slingsby Falcon 4

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Falcon 4
Slingsby Falcon 4 (VM109)
Role Training
glider
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd.
First flight April 1946
Number built 3

The Slingsby T.24 Falcon 4 was a two-seat training

UK just after World War II for ATC use. It was judged too expensive for production and only three were completed.[1]

Development

Despite the shared name, the Slingsby Falcon 4 was a completely different aircraft from the early

Hooton Park, Cheshire.[1]

The wing of the Falcon 4 was of quite low

spar to the lower fuselage longerons.[1] The pylon only extended forward to the spar, leaving space for the rear, open, cockpit under the wing; the forward cockpit was close to the nose. Behind the wing the pylon dropped away gently above the flat sided fuselage to the tail. The braced, straight tapered tailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage and placed far enough forward that the divided elevators were ahead of the rudder hinge, avoiding the need for a large cut out for rudder movement. The fin was small, but the horn balanced rudder was generous in area, slightly pointed and with a rounded, copper bound trailing edge. The undercarriage was conventional, with a nose skid, fixed monowheel and small tailwheel.[1]

The first flight was in April 1946 and two other prototypes followed, but the aircraft was expensive to produce and offered no advantage over the Slingsby T.21 and no orders resulted.[1][4] The second prototype was written off in an accident in December 1946, but in 1948, owing to delays in the T21 entering service, the remaining two Falcon 4s were tested in order to allow them to be cleared for service with the ATC. The third prototype was written off during these trials in August 1948, but in 1949, the remaining Falcon 4 entered service with the ATC gliding school at Detling. It was sold in March 1953.[5]


Specifications

Data from Ellison 1971, p. 194

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 28 ft 8.75 in (8.7567 m)
  • Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.56 m)
  • Wing area: 266 sq ft (24.7 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 10.8
  • Airfoil: NACA 2R,12
  • Empty weight: 775 lb (352 kg)
  • Gross weight: 1,200 lb (544 kg)

Performance

  • Wing loading: 3.46 lb/sq ft (16.9 kg/m2)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ellison 1971, p. 194
  2. ^ Ellison 1971, pp. 172, 174, 194
  3. ^ Ellison 1971, p. 261
  4. ^ Simons 1994, p. 60
  5. ^ Simons 1994, pp. 60–61

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slingsby Falcon 4.
  • Ellison, Norman (1971). British Gliders and Sailplanes. London: A & C Black Ltd.
    ISBN 978-0-7136-1189-2
    .
  • Simons, Martin (December 1994). "Sling's Sailplanes: Type 24 Falcon 4".
    ISSN 0143-7240
    .


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slingsby_Falcon_4&oldid=1218519535"