Ginn-Lesniak Kestrel
Ginn and Lesniak · United Kingdom · first flew 1969 · glider
The Ginn-Lesniak Kestrel is a one-off homebuilt two-seat sailplane designed in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and flown in 1969. It was described as semi-aerobatic and built of wood and fabric.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Tailplane mounted on the upper fuselage, set forward of the rudder hinge |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Straight tapered cantilever wings with about 8 degrees of forward sweep
- Two seats in tandem forward of the wing root under a canopy
- Tailplane mounted on the upper fuselage, set forward of the rudder hinge
It has wings with a forward sweep of about 8 degrees, outboard ailerons and airbrakes at about one third span. The undercarriage is a skid from nose to a monowheel.
Specifications
- The Ginn-Lesniak Kestrel has a length of 7.54 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 18 m (59 ft).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Design and construction began in 1956 by Vic Ginn and Lesniak, both members of the London Gliding Club. It first flew at Dunstable Downs on 19 July 1969 after some years of delay.
Variants
There were no variants: only one was built.
Where you'll see it
By 1998 the refurbished Kestrel was with the Lakes Gliding Club. By 2010 it had moved to storage with the Anglia Gliding Club at RAF Wattisham.
Related aircraft
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