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slipped off the hook, the King Kite spun into the ground disintegrating around the dazed Watt. John Nielan also had an episode with spinning, recovering at very low altitude and then continuing on a cross-country competition task. The reason for the King Kites handling problems was attributed to the inner wing being jigged improperly in the factory, so rectification on the three already built King Kites was impossible.
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officer Buxton handed over the design to
Slingsby, Sproule and Shaw to complete the aircraft. Buxton had studied the latest soaring techniques and came to the conclusion that competitive aircraft would need to fly efficiently at higher speeds and not sacrifice glide performance for climb performance.
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The three King Kites, Hjordis and the Falcon III were all shipped to
Wasserkuppe in time for the 1937 international competition. The first launch for the British team ended in disaster when Willy Watt, in a King Kite, on his first ever bungee launch attempted to turn immediately after the bungee
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ISTUS (international commission for the study of motorless flight) launched a campaign for gliding's inclusion in the
Olympic games, organising an international competition, planned for 4–17 July 1937 for aspiring national teams. The
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easily, and more importantly, a reluctance to recover from spins. To alleviate the problem while a permanent solution was found the rudder was increased in size twice, initially in span and later in chord.
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In 1978 the blueprints were recovered from storage and a replica King Kite was built by David Jones using modern low drag wing profiles, with advice from
Professor Wortmann at Akaflieg Stuttgart.
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150:. To ensure full aileron control at high speed it was necessary to build a stiff wing with ribs at half the normal spacing with a deep laminated timber main
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196:. Both aircraft were impressed by the RAF for use by ATC officers, one breaking up in flight during 1946 and the other transferred to the RAFGSA (
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After their return from
Wasserkuppe the two remaining King Kites flew very little before the out break of the
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sailplane with wooden structure covered by plywood throughout, except for fabric covered
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The result of their efforts, the
Slingsby Type 9 King Kite, emerged as a cantilevered
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at the controls. Flight tests of the King Kite revealed a tendency to enter
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Simons, Martin. "Slingsby
Sailplanes". Shrewsbury, Airlife. 1996.
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The first King Kite made its maiden flight on 17 April 1937, with
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114:(BGA) were in a quandary as the only suitable aircraft was the
154:. The trailing edges of the wings were taken up by landing
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Simons, Martin (June 1993). "Sling's
Sailplanes: Part 9".
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Mungo Buxton, John
Sproule, Fred Slingsby and Peter Shaw
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198:Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association
158:inboard of the gull joint and ailerons outboard.
349:(New ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Co.
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8:
376:. Vol. 21, no. 6. pp. 48–52.
219:Jane's World Sailplanes & Motor Gliders
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179:Wasserkuppe 1937 International Competition
463:Slingsby Sailplanes and Slingsby Aviation
347:Jane's world sailplanes and motor gliders
315:4.24 lb/sq ft (20.7 kg/m)
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212:Specifications (Slingsby T.9 King Kite)
392:. Studio Editions: London. p. 29
332:
20:
239:20 ft 7.9 in (6.297 m)
7:
251:166.8 sq ft (15.50 m)
245:50 ft 10 in (15.5 m)
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16:British single-seat glider, 1937
390:Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation
1:
926:Aircraft first flown in 1937
294:620 lb (281 kg) 1
288:429 lb (195 kg) 1
112:British Gliding Association
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388:Taylor, J. H. (ed) (1989)
204:Re-birth of the King Kite
101:that first flew in 1937.
23:
911:1930s British sailplanes
345:Coates, Andrew (1980).
224:General characteristics
24:Slingsby T.9 King Kite
105:Design and development
97:designed and built by
91:Slingsby T.9 King Kite
461:Aircraft produced by
307:Maximum glide ratio:
921:Gull-wing aircraft
931:Mid-wing aircraft
916:Slingsby aircraft
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897:
689:T.66 Tipsy Nipper
584:T.31 Tandem Tutor
534:T.15 Kirby Gull 1
529:T.14 Kirby Gull 1
519:T.12 Kirby Gull 1
373:Aeroplane Monthly
188:After Wasserkuppe
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604:T.38 Grasshopper
574:T.29 Motor Tutor
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52:Manufacturer
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875:Tandem Tutor
820:Kirby Kite 2
815:Kirby Kite 1
804:
694:T.67 Firefly
674:T.59 Kestrel
634:T.49 Capstan
624:T.45 Swallow
599:T.37 Skylark
594:T.35 Austral
579:T.30 Prefect
539:T.18 Hengist
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472:designations
470:Manufacturer
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168:Philip Wills
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162:Flight tests
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79:Number built
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825:Kirby Tutor
810:Kirby Cadet
775:Grasshopper
770:Grunau Baby
569:T.26 Kite 2
564:T.25 Gull 4
524:T.13 Petrel
484:T.3 Primary
333:Simons 1993
300:Performance
905:Categories
780:Kirby Gull
720:Cadet TX.3
715:Cadet TX.2
710:Cadet TX.1
679:T.61 Falke
614:T.42 Eagle
479:T.1 Falcon
320:References
273:NACA 23021
249:Wing area:
865:Skylark 4
860:Skylark 3
855:Skylark 2
850:Skylark 1
805:King Kite
750:Falcon II
684:T.65 Vega
644:T.51 Dart
554:T.23 Kite
382:0143-7240
280:NACA 4312
243:Wingspan:
217:Data from
148:plexiglas
140:elevators
128:gull wing
62:Designer
845:Sedbergh
755:Falcon 4
745:Falcon I
589:T.34 Sky
499:T.6 Kite
136:tailpane
132:ailerons
99:Slingsby
56:Slingsby
47:England
890:V-Liner
885:Venture
870:Swallow
840:Prefect
835:Phoenix
800:Kestrel
795:Hengist
765:Firefly
730:Dagling
725:Capstan
703:By name
265:Airfoil
237:Length:
830:Petrel
790:Gull 3
785:Gull 2
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144:rudder
95:glider
33:Glider
760:Falke
740:Eagle
270:root:
231:Crew:
172:spins
156:flaps
29:Role
880:Vega
735:Dart
669:T.58
664:T.57
649:T.53
629:T.46
549:T.21
544:T.20
404:ISBN
394:ISBN
378:ISSN
351:ISBN
277:tip:
152:spar
142:and
89:The
120:RAF
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309:25
275:;
260:18
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454:e
447:t
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