The Slingsby T.30 Prefect is a postwar modernisation of the single-seat 1932 Grunau Baby glider

Glider aircraft

Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...

. About 46 were built for civil and military training purposes.

Development

In 1948 Slingsby developed the 1932 Grunau Baby, which they had built under licence before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, into an intermediate-level semi-aerobatic glider equally suitable for civil or service use. They called it the Slingsby Prefect. In the same year, Elliotts of Newbury

Elliotts of Newbury

Elliotts of Newbury was a British company that became well known for manufacturing gliders-Beginnings and World War II:The company was founded by Samuel Elliott in 1870 as a joinery works as "Elliott’s Moulding and Joinery Company Ltd" It produced ammunition boxes during the First World War made by...

 introduced their version of the Grunau Baby, the Baby Eon; all three aircraft were visually very similar, but differed slightly in dimensions, undercarriage, airbrakes, equipment and performance.

The Prefect, like the Grunau Baby was a single-seat wooden glider, covered in fabric. It had high-mounted semi-cantilever straight-tapered wings, braced by a single lift strut on each side from the base of the fuselage to the wing spar. The span was 150 mm (6 in) greater than that of the Grunau Baby, the tips enclosing the outer ends of the ailerons. Mid-chord airbrakes were fitted just outboard of the lift struts, extending above and below the wing. The fuselage was flat sided and tapering from the trailing edge of the wing to a very small fin bearing a large, aerodynamically-balanced and slightly reshaped rudder which extended down to the keel. The straight-tipped tailplane, mounted on the top of the fuselage and braced from below had a strongly swept leading edge and was placed with its trailing edge at the fin's leading edge, so that the elevators lacked the large cut out for rudder movement seen on the earlier glider. The open cockpit was better enclosed at the sides and had a small windscreen; for access, the cockpit sides and windscreen were removed as a single piece. Slingsby also added a single-wheel undercarriage in addition to the earlier nose skid, placed below mid-chord.

The Prefect made its first flight in June 1948. It was about 20 kg heavier than its predecessor, but despite a higher wing loading had a significantly better lift to drag ratio, 21 compared with 17.

Operational history

The Prefect was sold both on the civil market, including the Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association

Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association

The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association is a British organisation which provides recreational flying to RAF personnel.-Purpose:The Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association is a voluntary organisation which exists to provide recreational flying to all RAF servicemen and women, in...

 (RAFGSA), and to the Air Training Corps

Air Training Corps

The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...

 (ATC) as the Prefect TX.Mk.1. 46 Prefects were built by Slingsby, with sales in Belgium, Holland, Egypt, Israel and New Zealand. The Royal Netherlands Aero Club

General aviation in Europe

General aviation has been defined as a civil aircraft operation other than a commercial air transport flight operating to a schedule. Although the International Civil Aviation Organization excludes any form of remunerated aviation from its definition, some commercial operations are often included...

 had 9 of them. The ATC had 15 Prefects. In addition, Bedek Aircraft Ltd built about seven aircraft under licence in Israel. Some surviving ATC aircraft, originally bearing RAF serials passed on to the civil list.

Survivors

About ten Prefects still flew in 2009, two in the Netherlands, two in Germany and the rest in the UK.

Aircraft on display

Prefects are on display at the AeroVenture Museum, at the old RAF Doncaster

RAF Doncaster

RAF Doncaster, also referred to as Doncaster Aerodrome, was a Royal Air Force station near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.- The first Aviation meeting in England :...

 site and at Queenstown Airport, New Zealand.

Specifications