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Slingsby Hengist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Slingsby Hengist | |
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| Type | troop-carrying glider |
| Manufacturer | Slingsby Sailplanes |
| Designed by | John Frost |
| Maiden flight | January 1942 |
| Number built | 18 |
The Slingsby Hengist was a British military glider designed and built by Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd in the Second World War. It took its name from the legendary Jutish invader of Britain, Hengist. His brother Horsa gave his name to another glider.
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The use of assault gliders by the British was prompted by the use by Germany of the DFS 230 transport glider, which was first used in May 1940 to successfully land assault troops on the Eben Emael fort in Belgium. Their advantage compared to parachute assault was that the troops were landed together in one place, rather than being dispersed.
The Hengist was designed by John "Jack" Frost who had worked with Airspeed Ltd, Miles Aircraft and Westland Aircraft and later worked on the De Havilland Hornet and De Havilland Mosquito.
The Hengist was a 15 seat glider, and suffered from structural problems which prevented it from playing much of a role in the Second World War. Only 18 were built.
The Hengist Mk I was ordered in 1940 and first flew, towed by an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley in January 1942. One of Frost's unique design touches was to fit the Hengist with a rubber bag as a landing device.
The aircraft was notable for its curved upper and lower surfaces, with flat sides.
There is no record of the Hengist being used in combat as other glider types overtook them in functionality.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 14
- Length: 46 ft (14.02 m)
- Wingspan: 80 ft (24.38 m)
- Height: ()
- Wing area: 780 ft² (72.46 m²)
- Empty weight: 4629 lb (2100 kg)
- Loaded weight: 8350 lb (3790 kg)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 130 mph on tow
Related development: None
Comparable aircraft: Waco CG-4A - General Aircraft Hamilcar - Airspeed Horsa - General Aircraft Hotspur - DFS 230 - Gotha Go 242
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