Hawkridge Venture
Hawkridge Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1947 · glider
The Hawkridge Venture was a wooden sailplane built shortly after the Second World War in the UK. It carried two people side by side.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Wing on the raised upper fuselage behind the cockpit, braced by one lift strut each side |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Wing on the raised upper fuselage behind the cockpit, braced by one lift strut each side
- Open cockpit seating two side by side under the wing leading edge
- Fixed monowheel behind a landing skid, with a tail bumper
A conventional wooden glider with a two-spar wing, constant-chord centre section and straight taper outboard.
Specifications
- The Hawkridge Venture has a length of 7.42 m (24 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 16.76 m (55 ft).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Hawkridge Aircraft was founded in 1945 by Eric Paul Zander and Harry Bolton, and the Venture was the only aircraft it both designed and built. Its first flight is thought to have been made in 1947.
Variants
Two Ventures were built, one flying in the UK and the other in Australia.
Where you'll see it
The British example, G-ALMF, ended its career with the Lakes Gliding Club and crashed on 22 July 1962. The Australian one was built by the Dubbo Gliding Club in 1953.
Related aircraft
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