The Slingsby T.24 Falcon 4 was a two-seat training glider designed in the UK just after World War II for ATC use. It was judged too expensive for production and only three were completed.[1]
Despite the shared name, the Slingsby Falcon 4 was a completely different aircraft from the early Falcon 1, 2 and 3, all derived from the Schleicher Falke from about 1930 and notable for their swept wings.[2] In contrast, the Falcon 4 was a tandem seat training glider intended for an ATC role and built to Air Ministry specification TX.8/45. It used conventional wooden construction; all three Falcon 4s were built by Martin Hearn Ltd. of Hooton Park, Cheshire.[1]
The wing of the Falcon 4 was of quite low aspect ratio, with a straight, unswept leading edge, rounded copper bound tips and straight taper on the trailing edge.[1] The first two aircraft had flaps extending over almost all the trailing edge not occupied by the ailerons, but the third replaced flaps with spoilers.[3] The wings were pylon mounted with lift struts from the spar to the lower fuselagelongerons.[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 no orders resulted.[1]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slingsby Falcon 4.
Ellison, Norman (1971). British Gliders and Sailplanes. London: A & C Black Ltd. ISBN978-0-7136-1189-2.
October 19, 2023
slingsby, falcon, slingsby, falcon, seat, training, glider, designed, just, after, world, judged, expensive, production, only, three, were, completed, falcon, vm109, role, training, glidernational, origin, united, kingdommanufacturer, slingsby, sailplanes, fir. The Slingsby T 24 Falcon 4 was a two seat training glider designed in the UK just after World War II for ATC use It was judged too expensive for production and only three were completed 1 Falcon 4Slingsby Falcon 4 VM109 Role Training gliderNational origin United KingdomManufacturer Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd First flight April 1946Number built 3 Contents 1 Development 2 Specifications 3 Notes 4 ReferencesDevelopment EditDespite the shared name the Slingsby Falcon 4 was a completely different aircraft from the early Falcon 1 2 and 3 all derived from the Schleicher Falke from about 1930 and notable for their swept wings 2 In contrast the Falcon 4 was a tandem seat training glider intended for an ATC role and built to Air Ministry specification TX 8 45 It used conventional wooden construction all three Falcon 4s were built by Martin Hearn Ltd of Hooton Park Cheshire 1 The wing of the Falcon 4 was of quite low aspect ratio with a straight unswept leading edge rounded copper bound tips and straight taper on the trailing edge 1 The first two aircraft had flaps extending over almost all the trailing edge not occupied by the ailerons but the third replaced flaps with spoilers 3 The wings were pylon mounted with lift struts from the 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 no orders resulted 1 Specifications EditData from Ellison amp 1971 p 194General characteristicsCrew 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 Edit a b c d e f Ellison 1971 p 194 Ellison 1971 pp 172 174 194 Ellison 1971 p 261References Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slingsby Falcon 4 Ellison Norman 1971 British Gliders and Sailplanes London A amp C Black Ltd ISBN 978 0 7136 1189 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Slingsby Falcon 4 amp oldid 1060627340, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
