General Aircraft GAL.55
General Aircraft Limited · United Kingdom · first flew 1943 · glider
The General Aircraft GAL.55 was a 1940s British military training glider designed and built by General Aircraft Limited.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.79 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Mid-wing monoplane with spruce and plywood wings
- Pilot and instructor side by side under an enclosed canopy
- Fixed tricycle landing gear with split flaps and dive brakes
A mid-wing glider with a plywood-covered steel tube fuselage, an enclosed side-by-side cabin and a fixed tricycle undercarriage.
Specifications
- The General Aircraft GAL.55 has a length of 7.79 m (26 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.71 m (35 ft).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was a two-seat training glider built to Air Ministry specification TX.3/43 and chosen ahead of the Airspeed AS.54. Two were built, and the first flew late in 1943 from Hanworth.
Variants
The Air Ministry ordered three prototypes but only two gliders were built.
Where you'll see it
Formal trials at Beaulieu did not begin until November 1945. The type had light and sensitive controls but poor stability when towed, and its gliding angles were much steeper than the Horsa it would train pilots for. No production followed.
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