621 Vintage Flight - The Aircraft

Wingspan: 16.5 meters Length: 8.16 meters Wing Area: 260 sq ft Empty Weight: 272 Kg Aspect Ratio: 11.2 Maximum Weight: 475 Kg Max Speed (VNE): 92 knots Glide Angle: 1 in 18 at 37 knots

The Slingsby T-21 Sedbergh TX1.

The Sedbergh TX.1 or more affectionally known as "The Barge" must rank as one of the best and most loved of Slingsby's gliders.

This two seat, side by side trainer is robust and delightful to fly. For instructors it was a stable training machine as well as an excellant soaring aircraft.

Two Sedbergh's were bought in the forties with funds raised from local sources, one by 124GS at Bray near Windsor and the other by 87GS at Weston Super Mare (now 621 VGS).

These were followed by 74 Slingsby built airframes and 19 by Martin Hearne.

Wingspan: 11.9 meters Length: 6.3 meters Height 2.43 meters Maximum Weight 249 Kg Empty Weight: 130 Kg Stall speed 26 Kts Maximum Speed: 70 Kts Best L/D: 1 in 7 at 29 kts

The Slingsby T-38 Grasshopper TX1.

The Grasshopper is a British development of the German Schulgleiter 38 (SG-38) that was used in very large numbers by the National Sozialistische Fliegerkorps (NSFK) both before and during World War II, for the initial Air Force training of the Hitler Youth. The glider has been re-stressed to comply with the British Civil Airworthiness Requirements. In many respects, it's construction follows normal wooden aircraft practises, and it is, perhaps, one of the finest examples of a wire braced monoplane It can be operated in free flight or from a static stand.

In  1930 and 1931 plans of the SG38 were used to construct gliders in the UK, they became known as Daglings . Slingbsy took up this popular design and constructed the T2 Primary used mainly by civilian clubs but at the outbreak of war were taken by the RAF and issued to Air Training Corps squadrons.

Slingsby went on to produce the Cadet TX1 which was then given slightly higher performing wings and called the Cadet TX2 or Tutor. The TX1 wings were stored and during the 1950’s it was decided to marry them to a Primary fuselage to produce the Grasshopper TX1. These gliders were distributed to the RAF sections of the Combined Cadet Force. Our Grasshopper WZ828 was issued to St Peter’s School Exeter where it remained until being retired when the Air Cadet fleet moved to newer GRP gliders and the maintenance services were no longer available.WZ828 remains airworthy and is launched either by the winch or autotow.