Airdisco Phi-Phi

Last updated

Phi-Phi
RoleSingle seat glider
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer The Aircraft Disposal Co. Ltd.
First flight1922
Number built1

The Airdisco Phi-Phi was a single seat monoplane glider, designed specifically for the first British gliding competition held at Itford Hill in 1922, an endurance event. It recorded one competitive flight but crashed on a second attempt.

Contents

Design

In August 1922 the Daily Mail newspaper offered a £1,000 prize for the longest duration flight by an unpowered, heavier than air aircraft. The competition was to be organized by the Royal Aero Club, who chose the site (Itford Hill, on the Sussex South Downs near Lewes) and the date (16–21 October). This gave competitors six weeks to design, build and transport their entries. [1] [2] 13 arrived in time and one of these was the Airdisco Phi-Phi, competition number 27. [3]

The Phi-Phi was an all wood parasol monoplane. Its wing section was thick enough to allow for semi-cantilever construction, supported centrally by two pairs of cabane struts and two steeply rising lift struts from the lower fuselage longerons, though there were a pair of drag wires from nose to wing tip. The wing plan was unusual compared with the straight edges of most of its competitors, with a gently curving leading edge, elliptical tips and straight trailing edge. It had the highest aspect ratio (13.6) of all the Itford gliders. The tip-mounted ailerons were horn balanced, again unusual. [3] [4]

The Phi-Phi had a rectangular cross-section fuselage, with sides that curved in at the nose and, more gently, towards the tail. In plan the sides were straight edged, forming an elongated rhomb. A low aspect ratio, rectangular, all-moving tailplane was hinged on the extreme rear fuselage. The fin and rudder formed a tilted, cropped parallelogram with a hinge line above that of the elevator. The cockpit was immediately under the leading edge, well behind the nose. [3] Originally the Phi-Phi had a pair of small main wheels rigidly attached to the lower fuselage directly below the cockpit and aided by a sprung, articulated tailskid. The wheels were replaced at Itford by a pair of skids and then by skids with small wheels attached to them. [4] [5]

Operational history

The Phi-Phi, flown by Rex Stocken, did not fly until Friday 20 October, the penultimate day of the competition. After a few brief trials and some adjustment to the undercarriage, Stocken made a competition flight that lasted 3 min 18 s. Observers noted that whilst the Phi-Phi lifted off easily enough, like other British gliders present it lacked the rudder authority to hold it into the wind. The following afternoon Stocken attempted another flight but crashed. At the end of the competition he was awarded the Col. Bristow Cup. [5]

Specifications

Data from British Gliders and Sailplanes [3]

General characteristics

Related Research Articles

The Slingsby Type 26 Kite 2 was a post World War II development of the Slingsby Kite, a single seat medium performance sailplane. It sold in small numbers.

Slingsby Falcon 4

The Slingsby T.24 Falcon 4 was a two-seat training glider designed in the UK just after World War II for ATC use. It was judged too expensive for production and only three were completed.

Handasyde glider

The Handasyde glider was a single-seat monoplane glider, designed specifically for the first British gliding competition held at Itford Hill in 1922, an endurance event. It finished in second place to a French tandem-wing machine.

The Gordon England glider was a single seat glider designed specifically for the first British gliding competition held at Itford Hill in 1922, an endurance event. It made some competition flights but was damaged on the last day.

The Sayers S.C.W. was a single seat monoplane glider, designed specifically for the first British gliding competition held at Itford Hill in 1922, an endurance event. Unresolved control problems stopped it from making any competitive flights, but it flew successfully later in the year. It was destroyed on the ground by a storm in December 1922.

The Merriam glider was a single-seat monoplane glider, designed specifically for the first British gliding competition held at Itford Hill in 1922, an endurance event. It crashed at the start of its first competitive flight but went on to be converted into a dual control training glider.

The Peyret Tandem or Peyret Alérion, was a French single seat glider of tandem wing configuration. It won first prize at the first British Glider Competition of 1922.

Abbott-Baynes Scud 1

The Abbott-Baynes Scud 1 was a parasol-winged single seat glider intended to introduce pilots to soaring flight. It was built in the United Kingdom and first flew in 1931.

Abbott-Baynes Scud 2

The Abbott-Baynes Scud 2 was a 1930s high-performance sailplane, built in the UK. It was a development of the intermediate-level Scud 1 with a new, high aspect ratio wing.

The Addyman Zephyr was a one-off, single-seat sailplane designed and built by Erik Addyman in the UK for his own use in the 1930s.

The Dart Totternhoe was a single seat secondary training glider produced in the United Kingdom in the 1930s. Three were built, one serving in the RAF.

The Davis-Costin Condor was a conventional all-wood, tandem-seat sailplane built in the United Kingdom in the 1950s. Only one was constructed; it was later rebuilt with a longer fuselage and other detailed alterations as the Condor 2.

The Penrose Pegasus was a 1930s high-wing, single-seat, wooden glider from the UK. Designed, built and flown by Harald Penrose until the start of World War II, only one was built at the time though a reproduction was constructed in the 1990s.

The Radlock Trainer was a single seat primary glider designed and built by members of the Hull Experimental Gliding Club as a basic trainer for their own use in the early 1930s. It was a simple, single exposed seat, wooden glider with a parasol wing.

The Reynard R.4 Primary was an open seat primary glider with an open girder fuselage and a high, wire braced wing. It was designed and built in the UK in 1930 and a few served Gliding Clubs in England and Ireland.

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; it remained active until the outbreak of World War II.

The Caproni Vizzola MF and 2 were single-seat gliders built in Italy just before world War II. Intended as training aircraft capable of aerobatics, the two variants differed only in their fuselages. Only one of each was built, but they were both successful in Italian competitions.

The DTGL Sant' Ambrogio was an Italian single seat glider, designed and built by a 19-year-old model aircraft enthusiast, that competed in the 1938 national championships. Four more were constructed from his plans.

RRG Falke

The RRG Falke of 1930 was a secondary training glider designed by Alexander Lippisch in Germany and intended to provide better performance than his earlier RRG Prüfling whilst being easier to fly because of its inherent stability. It was sold as plans for both club and commercial production and was built in Germany and abroad.

Grüne Post

The Grüne Post was a secondary trainer glider designed by Alexander Lippisch at the request of a German newspaper, the Grüne Post, who distributed plans. Many were built by amateur groups.

References

  1. ↑ Ellison, Norman (1971). British Gliders and Sailplanes. London: A & C Black Ltd. p. 16. ISBN   978-0-7136-1189-2.
  2. ↑ "Gliding Competition". Flight . No. 28 September 1922. p. 559.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ellison 1971, p. 70
  4. 1 2 "The British Gliding Competition". Flight . No. 19 October 1922. pp. 607, 612.
  5. 1 2 "The British Gliding Competition". Flight . No. 26 October 1922. pp. 626, 629.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.