The Slingsby T.41 Skylark 2 was a
sailplane
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...
produced from 1953 by
Slingsby Sailplanes
Slingsby Aviation was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The company was founded to design and build gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to around 1970 it built over 50% of all British c ...
at
Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire.
Design and development
Following the technical success of the T.37 Skylark, the concept was expanded with the introduction of the T.41 Skylark 2. The use of laminar-flow sections was continued but the section at the tips was changed to NACA4415 to reduce the tendency to tip-stall. The Skylark 2 was very similar in shape to its predecessor but had a smooth-skinned rounded fuselage and a wing of greater span and area. Composite materials were introduced in the Skylark 2, with the nose cone, wingtips and various small fairings made from polyester resin
glassfibre
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
. The thickness of the aerofoils was increased to ensure that drag was reduced over a wider speed range allowing the Skylark 2 to climb faster in thermals at low speed and race between thermals at high speed.
History
The prototype was flown in November 1953 and tested by the
British Gliding Association
The British Gliding Association (BGA) is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom.
Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 80 gliding clubs (both civilian and service) which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members (i ...
's Test Group No.1 based at
Lasham Airfield
Lasham Airfield is an aerodrome located north-west of Alton in Hampshire, England, in the village of Lasham.
It was built in 1942 and was a Royal Air Force Station during the Second World War, many significant operations being flown from it. ...
. Results of the tests showed that the Skylark 2 was a safe aircraft with a reasonable performance. Orders were received from individuals, clubs and syndicates, but the Skylark 2 was soon outclassed in international competitions.
Specifications (Skylark 2)
See also
Notes
References
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{{Slingsby aircraft
1950s British sailplanes
Glider aircraft
T.41 Skylark 2
Aircraft first flown in 1953
High-wing aircraft