Slingsby Capstan

T.49 Capstan
Slingsby T.49 Capstan in 1966
Role Sailplane
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd
First flight 1961
Number built 34

The Slingsby T.49 Capstan is a British two-seat glider of the 1960s built by Slingsby Sailplanes as a replacement for their earlier Type 42 Eagle.

Design and development[edit]

The Capstan is a high-winged monoplane of wooden construction, the last two-seat wooden glider built by Slingsby,[1] intended for both training and general club flying. Side-by-side seats for the two pilots are accommodated in an enclosed cockpit with a one-piece perspex canopy. The prototype T.49A first flew in 1961, and it entered production as the T.49B in 1963.[2] Thirty-four Capstans were built,[1] one of which was fitted with an auxiliary engine with the designation T.49C Powered Capstan.

Specifications[edit]

Capstan BUR/BGA1248 at the Vintage Glider Rally, Camphill, 2011
Capstan T49 Polar Curve, from manufacturer's Handbook

Data from The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II[3] and Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969 [2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 25 ft 4 in (7.72 m)
  • Wingspan: 55 ft 1 in (16.78 m)
  • Wing area: 219.9 sq ft (20.43 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 13.75
  • Airfoil: Root:NACA 633-620, Tip: NACA 6412
  • Empty weight: 761 lb (345.4 kg)
  • Gross weight: 1,250 lb (567 kg)

Performance

  • Stall speed: 37 mph (60 km/h, 32 kn)
  • Never exceed speed: 135 mph (217 km/h, 117 kn)
  • Rough air speed max: 92 mph (148 km/h; 80 kn)
  • Aerotow speed: 92 mph (148 km/h; 80 kn)
  • Winch launch speed: 92 mph (148 km/h; 80 kn)
  • g limits: +4, 0
  • Maximum glide ratio: 30:1 at 47 mph (76 km/h; 41 kn)
  • Rate of sink: 130 ft/min (0.66 m/s) at 43 mph (70 km/h; 38 kn)
  • Wing loading: 5.7 lb/sq ft (27.7 kg/m2)

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Slingsby Archived 3 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine", www.sailplanedirectory.com. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b Taylor 1969, p.550.
  3. ^ Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 116–117.

References[edit]

  • "Two New Sailplanes". Flight International, 31 May 1962.pp. 867–869.
  • Taylor, J.W.R (ed.) Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969–70. London:Sampson Low, 1969.
  • Slingsby Sailplanes Capstan T49 Handbook, 1963

External links[edit]