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T.1/T.2 Falcon
Role	Sport Glider
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Slingsby Sailplanes
Designed by	Alexander Lippisch
First flight	1931
Number built	11 (1 x T.1 Falcon, 1 x T.2 Falcon 2, 8 x T.1 Falcon, 1 x reproduction)
Developed from	Lippisch Falke
Variants	Slingsby T.4 Falcon 3

The Slingsby T.1/T.2 Falcon (a.k.a. British Falcon) was a single-seat sport glider produced, in 1931-37, by Fred Slingsby in Scarborough, Yorkshire.

[edit] Design and development

The Falcon was constructed from plans supplied by the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (the controlling body for gliding in Germany). Originally designed by Alexander Lippisch, the T.1 was a single-seat sport glider of moderate performance for its day. The fuselage was primarily of wooden construction with six longerons, built-up frames, plywood skinning forward of the central pylon and fabric covering aft. The parasol wings were conventional in design and construction with built-up ribs and spars, plywood covering forward of the main spars and fabric aft. The wings were built in two parts joined at the centre, supported by a pylon and a total of eight struts, four vertical from the top longerons and four in vee pairs from the bottom longerons to approx 1/3-span. The tail surfaces were constructed in a similar fashion also braced with struts.

[edit] History

Fred Slingsby had noticed the lack of 'Intermediate' gliders available in England. At the recommendation of Guenther Groenhoff he acquired the plans for Lippisch's Falke and built ten aircraft: the Falcon, Falcon 2 and eight further Falcons (a.k.a. British Falcon). These aircraft were flown successfully for many years, but gradually succumbed till none were left airworthy. One was exported to Canada, and one was converted to a flying-boat glider for use by the Air Training Corps on Lake Windermere, surviving to this day in the Windermere Steamboat Museum. During 1984-5 Ken Fripp of Southdown Aero Services at Lasham built a reproduction Falcon from original plans for Mike Russell, bringing the total built to eleven.

[edit] Operators

United Kingdom

Air Training Corps

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 17 ft 3 in (5.255 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 4 in (12.6 m)
Wing area: 108.9 ft² (18.48 m²)
Aspect ratio: 11.1
Wing profile: Göttingen 535
Empty weight: 308 lb (140 kg)
Gross weight: 506 lb (230 kg)

PerformanceArmament

None

[edit] See also

Related development

Lippisch Falke

Related lists

List of gliders

[edit] References

Ellison, N.H. British Gliders and Sailplanes 1922-1970. A & C Black, 1971
Simons, M. Slingsby Sailplanes. Airlife Publishing, 1996 - ISBN 1-85310-732-8

[edit] External links

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