Cloudcraft Phantom
Cloudcraft Glider Co. · United Kingdom · first flew 1931 · glider
The Cloudcraft Phantom was a single-seat high-performance glider designed in the United Kingdom in 1931 for long flights.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.62 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Wing mounted high on a long shallow pylon just behind the open cockpit
- Single lift strut on each side bracing the wing
- Long skid running from the nose to well behind the wing trailing edge
A slender glider with a high wing on a pylon, a low-mounted tailplane and a rounded rudder on a narrow fin.
Specifications
- The Cloudcraft Phantom has a length of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.54 m (51 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed for Percy Michelson with distance records and a cross-Channel flight in mind, and first flew on 11 June 1931. It was an all-wood aircraft of spruce and plywood with an unusual biconvex R.A.F. 34 aerofoil.
Variants
Only one was built, although the maker advertised Standard and Special models in 1931.
Where you'll see it
A month after its first flight it unofficially broke the British glider duration record with a flight of over four hours. A planned cross-Channel attempt was prevented when vandals seriously damaged it near Dover.
Related aircraft
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