General Aircraft Hotspur
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- This article is about a World War II glider. For the British World War II fighter, please see Hawker Hotspur.
| GAL.48 Hotspur | |
|---|---|
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| Type | training glider |
| Manufacturer | General Aircraft Ltd |
| Primary users | British Army Royal Air Force |
| Number built | more than 1000 |
The Hotspur was a military glider of the Second World War designed and built by the British company General Aircraft Ltd.
Contents |
[edit] History
The use of assault gliders by the British was prompted by the use by Germany of the DFS 230, which was first used in May 1940 to successfully assault the Eben Emael fort in Belgium. Their advantage compared to parachute assault was that the troops were landed together in one place, rather than being dispersed.
The Hotspur was small, seating only 8 troop seats, the more famous Horsa was much bigger and, while the Mk 1 was intended for combat use, its performance with a full load was not adequate for operational use, and subsequently all Horsas were used for training duties only.
The Hotspur Mk I had a hinged upper fuselage section, designed to allow the rapid exit of the onboard troops. The Hotspur Mk II had its wings clipped by 16 ft (4.88 m) and a larger cockpit canopy, making it more suitable for training flights. Cabin doors replaced the hinged fuselage section. The Hotspur Mk III had completely duplicated flying controls, reflecting its use as a training version.
A Twin Hotspur was also produced, where two airframes were joined by a wing stub, allowing 16 troops to be moved. The craft was not developed further.
[edit] Combat History
There is no record of the Hotspur being used in combat as the larger glider types overtook them in functionality.
On training operations they were usually towed by Miles Master Mk II aircraft.
A reproduction of a Hotspur Mk 2 can be seen at the Army Museum of Flying at Middle Wallop in Hampshire.
[edit] Specifications (Hotspur Mk 2)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 8 troops
- Length: 39 ft (11.89 m)
- Wingspan: 45 ft 10¾ in (13.99 m)
- Height: 10 ft (3.05 m)
- Wing area: 272 ft² (25.3 m²)
- Empty weight: 1,660 lb (755 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,598 lb (1,632 kg)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 130 mph (209 km/h)
- Landing speed: 56 mph (91 km/h))
- Range: 83 miles from a 20 000 ft release (134 km from a 6000 m release)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
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