General Aircraft Cygnet

infobox Aircraft
name = GAL.42 Cygnet II
type = two-seat trainer/sporting
manufacturer = General Aircraft Ltd


caption =
designer = C.R. Chronander & J.I. Waddington
first flight = 1937
introduced =
retired = 1988
produced =
number built = 10
status = retired
unit cost =
primary user =
more users =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The General Aircraft GAL.42 Cygnet II was a 1930s British single-engined training or touring aircraft built by General Aircraft Limited and Hanworth Aerodrome.

History

The Cygnet was designed at Slough by C.W. Aircraft Limited in 1936. It was the first all-metal stressed-skin lightplane to be built and flown in the United Kingdom. It was first flown in May 1937 at Hanworth Aerodrome. Only one prototype was constructed by C.W. Aircraft. It had a tailwheel undercarriage. It had a low cantilever wing, the outer panel of which was tapered and had dihedral. Two persons sat side-by-side in an enclosed cabin. The metal airframe employed a semi-monocoque tailcone. Atop the tailcone sat a one-piece tailplane, with dual fins at the tailplane's ends. The inverted piston engine drove a two-blade propeller.

During that period C.W. Aircraft had invested heavily in another design, the C.W. Swann. Too overextended, it became insolvent and sold all rights for the Cygnet to General Aircraft Ltd in 1938.

General Aircraft modified the design to incorporate a nosewheel undercarriage and designated it the GAL.42 Cygnet II. Production of a large batch of aircraft began in 1939 but only 10 were built and delivered (1939-1941) due to the start of the Second World War. Five aircraft were impressed into service with the Royal Air Force as tricycle-undercarriage trainers for aircrews slated to man the American-made Douglas Boston. Another two were used by the government for various liaison duties but retained their civilian markings.

A trainer version of the Cygnet II was designed with an open cockpit as the GAL.45 Owlet.

urviving aircraft

There are two known survivors of the 11 examples produced. The last flying survivor, company number 111 and registered as G-AGBN (ES915), was retired in 1988 and is now on display at the Museum of Flight at East Fortune, Scotland.

A civilian version was operated in south Argentina, in Tierra del Fuego province where it was damaged in a landing incident. After being repaired and being flown for several years, it was landed at a short airstrip in Colon and was unable to depart therefrom. It remained there and subsequently was converted into a monument at the Air Club entrance. At present (2008) it is reported to be in poor shape.

Military operators

; UK
* Royal Air Force
** No. 510 Squadron RAF

pecifications

aircraft specification
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

crew=1
capacity=1 passenger (side-by-side seating)
length main= 23 ft 3 in
length alt= 7.09 m
span main=34 ft 6 in
span alt= 10.52 m
height main= 7 ft 0 in
height alt= 2.13 m
area main= 179 ft²
area alt= 16.63 m²
empty weight main= 1,475 lb
empty weight alt= 669 kg
loaded weight main= 2,200 lb
loaded weight alt= 1000 kg
max takeoff weight main= 2,200 lb
max takeoff weight alt=1000 kg
engine (prop)=Blackburn Cirrus Major II
type of prop=4-cylinder inverted inline piston engine
number of props=1
power main=150 hp
power alt=112 kW
max speed main=135 mph
max speed alt=217 km/h
range main= 445 miles
range alt= 716 km
ceiling main= 14,000 ft
ceiling alt= 4265 m
climb rate main=800 ft/min
climb rate alt=4.06 m/sec
loading main=12.29 lb/ft²
loading alt=57.62 kg/m²
power/mass main=14.67 lb/hp
power/mass alt=8.92 kg/kW

References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=
*cite book |last= Jackson|first= A.J.|authorlink= |coauthors= |title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919|year= 1974|publisher= Putnam|location= London|isbn=0 370 10014 X
* [http://www.historicaircraft.org/Golden-Age-Gallery/pages/General-Aircraft-Cygnet.html Historic Aircraft Cygnet page]
* [http://www.nms.ac.uk/1939-1945.aspx Museum of Flight Cygnet page]
* [http://www.jaapteeuwen.com/ww2aircraft/html%20pages/GENERAL%AIRCRAFT%20GAL42%CYGNET.htm British Aircraft of World War II]
* [http://britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.phpZID=735 British Aircraft webpage]

External links

ee also

aircontent

related=
General Aircraft GAL.45 Owlet

similar aircraft=

lists=List of aircraft of the RAF

see also=