Stedman TS-1 City of Leeds
R. F. Stedman · United Kingdom · first flew 1934 · glider
The Stedman TS-1 City of Leeds was a parasol wing wooden sailplane seating two in tandem open cockpits. Only one was built, by its designer in 1934.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Parasol wing carried on pairs of parallel, broad-chord lift struts joining the lower fuselage longerons |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Parasol wing carried on pairs of parallel, broad-chord lift struts joining the lower fuselage longerons
- Two open cockpits in tandem, one at the wing leading edge and one under the wing
- Flat-sided hexagonal fuselage with a single landing skid from nose to below the wing trailing edge
The wing was built around two spars with constant chord apart from slight leading edge taper near the tip, and had no airbrakes or flaps. The tailplane sat on top of the fuselage, with a small fin and a tall, curved rudder reaching the bottom of the fuselage.
Specifications
- The Stedman TS-1 City of Leeds has a length of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.24 m (50 ft).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
R. F. Stedman, a member of the Bradford and County Gliding Club, designed and built it between 1932 and 1934. It first flew on 21 July 1934 from Baildon in West Yorkshire.
Variants
Plans were advertised at £8-8-0, but only the prototype was built.
Where you'll see it
It gained Certificate of Airworthiness BGA 213 in April 1935, flew in the 1935 National Gliding Championships at Sutton Bank, and remained active until private civil flying was banned at the start of the Second World War.
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