FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1969
1969 - 3187.PDF
FLIGHT International, 13 November 1969 735 Private Flying Slingsby in Business Again The gliding fraternity will rejoice in the news (briefly reported in page 686 of Flight last week) that Britain's only glider manufacturer is to resume the build ing of sailplanes—and doing so under its old title of Slingsby Sailplanes. It will be recalled that the firm was taken over some years ago as Slingsby Aircraft Ltd, a part of Slingsby Holdings. At that time an ambitious programme was in hand, with the production of a number of excellent sailplanes spearheaded by the Dart. With the inclusion of the business in Slingsby Holdings, diversification into metal took place. The two-seat T.53. designed with the Air Training Corps' require ment in mind, was followed closely by the HP-14. designed by Dick Schreder. This was clearly aimed at the American mar ket, the HP series of gliders having gained an enviable series of competition successes in the USA in the hands of their designer. The tour de force was to have been the Sigma, a sailplane sponsored by the British Gliding Association for the 1970 World Championships in Texas. Diversification followed in the shape of replica aircraft for films and an aerial advertising aircraft for an American customer. For some years there has been no British-built performance sailplane for general club use, while the German glider industry has assumed its pre-war role of world domination. Aircraft such as the Schleicher K-6. the Schempp-Hirth SHK and Cirrus, the Bolkow Phoebus, Glasflugel BS. I, Kestrel and Libelle, and VFW FK3 have swept all opposition before them in America and Europe. Now the assets of the Slingsby Aircraft Co Ltd have been acquired by Vickers Ltd for £179,150 after the company had been placed in the hands of a receiver. The firm will be expanded to manufacture sailplanes and undertake a programme of R&D in carbon-fibre and glassfibre for aircraft and shipbuilding applications in the Vickers Group. In order to put the firm on its feet an agreement has been reached with Glasflugel to manufacture the 17m glassfibre Kestrel sail plane under licence, leaving the German firm to concentrate on the 15m and 17m Libelles. Production of the HP. 14 and the Cameo V-liner has been dropped, and, while work on the Sigma is going ahead, the disruption caused by the fire at Slingsby last year and the recent troubles means that the aircraft will not now be ready for the British team to fly at Marfa. Two institutions of Fairoaks—the Tiger Moth and Wg Cdr Arthur, both faithful residents at the Surrey field for 32 years (see story in column two) An idea, perhaps, for a new Red Arrows formation for next season— but actually the team's England-Australia SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 entry being escorted into Kemb/e. The speed of the formation is I70kt and the Gnats have 20" of flap selected. "No problem for the Gnats", according to Sqn Ldr Hanna, "the stick was just a bit sloppier than usual" Thirty-two Years at Fairoaks Wg Cdr Cyril Arthur has retired as managing director of Universal Flying Services after 32 years of being chief, in one form or another, at Fairoaks Aerodrome. Surrey. Some time ago he retired from active flying instruction but continued to make his vast experience available to club members. He earned his wings in the RFC in 1917 and in the inter-war years flew in Canada and India before becoming CO at Fairoaks in 1937 when a reserve flying school was based there. During World War 2 this became an elementary FTS. reverting in 1946 to an RAFVR school and a civilian flying club. Wg Cdr Arthur, now 72. began his long stint at Fairoaks by instructing on Tiger Moths and finished it on the same type. Recent BLAC Activities A further step has been been taken towards modifying the rigid and long standing instrument rating regulations. The BLAC has persuaded the Board of Trade to approve, for an 18-month trial period, the use of instrument flying hoods instead of screens for both PPL and CPL instrument rating tests. The angled screens which have been compulsory until now arc expensive and. it is claimed, can be detrimental to safety because they obscure the examiner's view as well as that of the student. Talks on modifications to the instrument rating itself, to apply to private pilots, are still going on. As far as the private pilot's licence itself is concerned, the first step has been taken towards making R/T part of the syllabus. The BoT has given its approval for clubs to conduct R/T rating tests. The BLAC are discussing with the BoT the possibility of a new format for the licence, along the lines of continued at foot of page 738
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
