Slingsby Grasshopper
Slingsby Sailplanes · United Kingdom · first flew 1952 · glider
The Slingsby T.45 Grasshopper was a British single-seat primary training glider of 1952, designed specifically for the Air Training Corps to introduce cadets to unpowered flight with a simple, robust and inexpensive aircraft.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.3 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Unpowered sailplane — no engine
- British Air Training Corps primary glider with high straight wings
- Simple wooden construction for elementary gliding instruction
A small, high-wing glider of entirely conventional layout with no engine, simple wooden structure, a single-seat open or lightly enclosed cockpit, and a fixed monowheel undercarriage.
Specifications
- The Slingsby Grasshopper has a length of 6.3 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.88 m (39 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Built by Slingsby Sailplanes of Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire, the Grasshopper was developed to meet an Air Ministry requirement for an ATC primary glider. It was simple to build and maintain, and served for many years at Air Training Corps gliding schools.
Variants
The Grasshopper TX Mk 1 was the standard version; minor improvements led to the Mk 2.
Where you'll see it
Served the Air Training Corps at volunteer gliding schools across the UK from the 1950s through to the 1970s, providing tens of thousands of cadets with their first experience of flight.
Related aircraft
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