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General Aircraft GAL.55

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First flight
  
1943

Manufacturer
  
General Aircraft Limited

The General Aircraft GAL.55 was a 1940s British military training glider designed and built by General Aircraft Limited.

Contents

Development

The GAL.55 was a two-seat training glider to meet Air Ministry Specification TX.3/43. The requirement called for a glider to train transport glider pilots and the GAL.55 had side-by-side seating, a tricycle landing gear, split trailing edge flaps and dive brakes. Two gliders were built, the first flew in 1943 from Hanworth, the type flew well but they did not handle like the contemporary Hotspur and Horsa. Having no training value the type did not enter production.

Specifications

Data from Ellison 1971, p. 127

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 25 ft 6.5 in (7.785 m)
  • Wingspan: 35 ft 1.5 in (10.706 m)
  • Wing area: 182 sq ft (16.9 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 6.8
  • Empty weight: 1,650 lb (748 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,350 lb (1,066 kg)

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 mph (362 km/h; 196 kn)

    • References

    General Aircraft GAL.55 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA