Percival Prentice
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| Prentice | |
|---|---|
 A preserved Percival P.40 Prentice T.1 giving a pleasure flight in 2007 |
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| Type | Military trainer aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Percival |
| Maiden flight | 1946 |
| Introduced | 1947 |
| Retired | 1953 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | >300 |
The Percival Prentice was an ab initio trainer of the Royal Air Force in the early post-war period, contemporary with the de Havilland Chipmunk. It was a low-wing, monoplane with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Seating was in a side-by-side configuration.
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[edit] Design and development
The prototype first flew in 1946. Over 300 were built and they were in service from 1947 to 1953. A number (60?) were later bought by Aviation Traders Ltd, a company owned by Freddie Laker, and converted for civil use with 2 seats and 2 jumpseats behind the 2 pilots' seats, separated by a structure which housed the original 4-channel radio. This conversion had quite poor performance with 4 passengers. One (G-AOPL) was acquired from Shackleton Aviation at Sywell by a Captain in the Trucial Oman Scouts and flown to Sharjah in 1967; later being flown on to South Africa where it remained until it ceased flying.
The aircraft was notorious for its poor performance with any load at high temperatures, and for its spin recovery difficulties.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Survivors
Prentice T.1 VS623, Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.
[edit] Specifications (T.1)
Data from World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 31 ft 3 in (9.52 m)
- Wingspan: 46 ft 0 in (14.0 m)
- Height: 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m)
- Wing area: ft² (m²)
- Empty weight: lb (kg)
- Loaded weight: 4,200 lb (1,905 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× de Havilland Gipsy Queen 32 6-cylinder, air-cooled inline engine, 251 hp (187 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 124 knots (143 mph, 230 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
- Range: 344 knots (396 mi, 637 km)
- Service ceiling ft (m)
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
- List of aircraft of the RAF
- List of trainer aircraft
[edit] References
- ^ Angelucci, Enzo. World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft.
[edit] External links
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