36-698: The Slingsby T67 Firefly , originally produced as the Fournier RF-6 , is a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft, built by Slingsby Aviation in Kirkbymoorside , Yorkshire , England . It has been used as a trainer aircraft by several armed forces, as well as civilian operators. In the mid-1990s, the aircraft became controversial in the United States after three fatal accidents during US Air Force training operations. The Firefly has poor spin recovery, and has been involved in at least 36 fatal accidents. The RF-6
72-484: A René Fournier design but structurally reworked by Slingsby into a wholly composite machine. At this time Slingsby Aviation employed around 130 people on its 12,220 square metre (131,000 square feet) site. The company had its own airfield at Kirkbymoorside with a 750-metre reinforced grass runway. Slingsby Aviation’s SAH 2200 hovercraft has operated in such varied regions as the Arctic Circle and Africa. Two are seen in
108-585: A 1963 model at an initial price of $ 13,300 and was powered by a Lycoming O-320 -D2B engine of 160 bhp (120 kW). The next year this engine was replaced by the Continental IO-346 -A engine of 165 bhp (123 kW). This engine was not a success and was in turn replaced by the Lycoming O-360 -A4J engine of 180 bhp (130 kW) starting with the B23 Musketeer Custom of 1968. In 1970
144-612: A new factory was needed and built in Welburn , just outside Kirkbymoorside. This opened in July 1939, when Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd was founded. The best selling Slingsby glider in the pre-World War II period was the Primary . During the war Slingsby built parts for other company's aircraft as well as their own military glider , the Slingsby Hengist , though the latter did not see action. Towards
180-624: A producer of specialised composite materials and components. The business is now known as Marshall Advanced Composites and produces composite parts for ships, submarines and aircraft. It is a subsidiary of Marshall of Cambridge . The business was founded in Scarborough by Frederick Nicholas Slingsby , an RAF pilot in World War I. In 1920 he bought a partnership in a woodworking and furniture factory in Queen Street, Scarborough. In 1930 Slingsby
216-672: Is used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force during pilot selection which is contracted out to TTC at Seppe Airport . The Firefly was used as a basic military training aircraft in Canada. The Canadian Fireflies entered service in 1992 replacing the CT 134 Musketeer . They were, in turn, replaced in 2006 by the German-made Grob G-120 when the contract ended. The aircraft were owned and operated by Bombardier Aerospace under contract to
252-805: The Cessna T-41 introductory trainer, but also to meet the Enhanced Flight Screening Program (EFSP) requirements. The Commander of the Air Education and Training Command stood down the entire T-3A fleet in July 1997 as a result of uncommanded engine stoppages during flight and ground operations. A major factor driving the decision were the three T-3A Class A mishaps. Three Air Force Academy cadets and three instructors were killed in these T-3A mishaps. The US Air Force has no replacement for this type, as it no longer provides training to non-fliers. The aircraft were eventually declared in excess of need in
288-543: The James Bond film, Die Another Day . On 10 August 2006 the name of the company was changed to Slingsby Advanced Composites . Since then the company was owned by three individuals and was no longer a part of Cobham plc. On 8 January 2010 the UK company Marshall Aerospace bought Slingsby Advanced Composites Ltd which currently trades as Marshall Slingsby Advanced Composites . In 2020, Marshall Slingsby Advanced Composites won
324-589: The Piper PA-28 Cherokees use oleo struts and the Grumman American AA-5s use fiberglass-sprung main gear, the Musketeer family use a trailing idler link gear system with compressed rubber pucks for shock absorption. This gives the aircraft quite different landing characteristics compared to the competition; light touchdowns are often accompanied by the idler links skipping and producing a landing that
360-708: The Royal Jordanian Air Force (still currently used). The Firefly was used in Britain for basic aerobatic training in the 2000s. In December 2012, the National Flying Laboratory Centre at Cranfield University in the UK acquired a T67M260 to supplement its Scottish Aviation Bulldog aerobatic trainer for MSc student flight experience and training. As of 2019 the Firefly is used in UPRT courses. The Firefly
396-514: The "B" model it replaced in 1977. Sierra production ended at the same time as the Model 23 Sundowner assembly line was closed up, during the aviation economic downturn of 1983. A total of 744 Sierras were delivered. The Musketeer design was further developed into a twin-engined aircraft, the Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess . The Canadian Forces purchased twenty-four 1971 model B23 Musketeers, with
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#1732854793547432-502: The 15 years of production which ended with the 1979 model year. Along with the introduction of the lower-powered Model 19 in 1966, Beechcraft also introduced a higher-powered version of the Model 23 Musketeer and named it the Beechcraft 23–24 Musketeer Super III. This upgraded model, first flown on 19 November 1965, had a Lycoming IO-360 fuel injected powerplant which produced 200 bhp (150 kW), 35 hp (26 kW) more than
468-654: The Aerospace Company of the Year in the Corporate Live Wire North England Prestige Awards. Beechcraft Musketeer#Canadian military service The Beechcraft Musketeer is a family of single-engined, low-wing, light aircraft that was produced by Beechcraft . The line includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport , the Model 23 Musketeer , Custom and Sundowner , the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III,
504-548: The Beech line between the fixed gear Musketeers and the much larger, faster, more complex and expensive Beechcraft Bonanza . 1974 saw the introduction of the improved B24R Sierra powered by the Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 engine and new propeller variant as a 1974 model year. The improved C24R in 1977 was powered by the same engine and larger propeller. Beech also did an aerodynamic cleanup on the "C" model making it 6 knots faster than
540-509: The C23 version was introduced also under the name "Musketeer Custom". In 1972 the C23 was renamed the "Sundowner". When properly equipped, the B23 and C23 are approved for limited aerobatics . A total of 2,331 Beechcraft 23s of all variants were manufactured by the time production was completed 20 years later in 1983. The Beech 19 was introduced as a 1966 model year. Despite having a lower model number, it
576-781: The Canadian Forces. The Firefly was used as a basic military trainer in the United Kingdom until spring 2010, when they were replaced by Grob Tutor aircraft. The aircraft are owned and operated under contract by a civilian company on behalf of the military. In the UK, it was under a scheme known as "Contractor Owned Contractor Operated" (CoCo). Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory. General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20141024X52246&key=1 Slingsby Aviation Slingsby Aviation
612-519: The company became Slingsby Engineering , part of the public/private holding company British Underwater Engineering (UBE). In July 1982 Slingsby Aviation was set up by, and as part, of Slingsby Engineering. Slingsby Aviation passed from UBE to ML holdings in 1993, then to Cobham plc in December 1995. Slingsby's last aircraft was the T-67 Firefly , a two-seater military training aircraft, originally
648-518: The design was soon revised to replace the wooden structure with one of composite material. Slingsby produced several versions developing the airframe and adding progressively larger engines. The Slingsby T67M, aimed at the military (hence "M") training market, was the first to include a constant-speed propeller and inverted fuel and oil systems. Over 250 aircraft have been built, mainly the T67M260 and closely related T-3A variants. The largest Firefly operator
684-480: The early 2000s and disposed of by scrapping in 2006. The Royal Air Force used 22 Slingsby T67M260s as their basic trainer between 1995 and 2010. Over 100,000 flight hours were flown out of RAF Barkston Heath by Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines students, and at RAF Church Fenton with RAF and foreign students. The Firefly has also been used by the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force , and
720-513: The end of the war and afterwards the company produced large numbers of training gliders for the Air Training Corps (ATC). After the war Slingsby continued to make increasingly refined gliders for civilian use in clubs and competitions. Their greatest success was with the Sky at the 1952 World Gliding Championships , which finished in first, third and fourth place. The later Slingsby Skylark series
756-470: The first CT-134 arriving at CFB Portage la Prairie on March 23, 1971. The initial batch of CT-134s was replaced in late 1981 with twenty-four 1982 model Beechcraft C23 Sundowners, which were designated by the CF as CT-134A Musketeer II. A significant difference between the Musketeer line and other similar light aircraft is the Musketeer's landing gear. While the competitive Cessna 172s use spring-steel main gear,
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#1732854793547792-413: The first Sierras, which were designated A24R models. Other than the instrument panel these aircraft were mechanically identical to the earlier A23-24 model. The Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III proved the utility of the 200 hp (150 kW) engine in the Musketeer airframe, but the fixed-gear configuration prevented using full advantage of the extra power of the injected Lycoming. The obvious solution
828-459: The highest payloads of four-cylinder, fixed gear, simple single-engined aircraft available. Most Model 23-24s were produced in a four-seat configuration. A very small number were produced with a 4+2 configuration with the baggage area convertible to seat two children. This configuration option was more common on the Sierra models that followed the Model 23-24. One of the few weaknesses of the Model 23-24
864-523: The old name of Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd, and original design declined, though they built versions of other aircraft, both powered and unpowered. Slingsby’s last glider, which was also their last original design, was the GRP Slingsby T.65 Vega. This ceased production in 1982, by which time high performance sailplane design had moved away from the UK. During the upheavals in the British aerospace and marine sector
900-408: The retractable gear Model 24R Sierra and the military CT-134 Musketeer . The Musketeer line was in production from model years 1963 to 1983, during which time a total of 4,366 were produced. The type certificate for the Musketeer family of aircraft has been owned by Hawker Beechcraft since March 26, 2007. The first of the line was the Model 23. It was introduced under the "Musketeer" name as
936-404: The standard Model 23 Musketeer of that year. This model initially sold for a price of $ 16,350 in 1966. In 1966 a single demonstration Model 23-24 was equipped with a constant speed propeller. In succeeding years approximately one third of production aircraft were delivered with the constant speed propeller. The Super Musketeer typically has a useful load of 1050 to 1080 pounds – giving it one of
972-414: Was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Kirkbymoorside , North Yorkshire, England. The company was founded to design and build gliders and sailplanes . From the early 1930s to around 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and international level competitions. It then produced some powered aircraft, notably the composite built Firefly trainer , before becoming
1008-470: Was a later variant and was a lower-powered trainer version of the Model 23. It lacked the 23's third side window and had a Lycoming O-320-E2C powerplant of 150 bhp (110 kW). The Sport was introduced in 1966 with a standard price of $ 11,500. When properly equipped, the A19, B19, and M19 Sports are approved for limited aerobatics. The Model 19 was named the "Musketeer Sport" and a total of 922 were built over
1044-423: Was designed by René Fournier [ fr ] , and first flew on 12 March 1974. An all-wooden construction, it featured a high aspect-ratio wing echoing his earlier motorglider designs. Fournier set up his own factory at Nitray, near Tours to manufacture the design, but after only around 40 had been built, the exercise proved financially unviable, and he was forced to close down production. A four-seat version
1080-523: Was one of the founders of the Scarborough Gliding Club . After repairing some of the club's gliders, Slingsby's business built its first aircraft, a German designed RRG Falke which flew in 1931. By late 1933 Slingsby was advertising training gliders for sale. In 1934, encouraged by a local landowner, the business moved to Kirkbymoorside, some 30 miles from Scarborough, operating as Slingsby, Russell & Brown Ltd . As demand for gliders built up,
1116-456: Was retracting the landing gear and this resulted in the Model 24R. The Musketeer Super R, A24R in 1970 was the first model year for the new retractable version of the Musketeer to compete with the Piper Arrow. Renamed the "Sierra", in 1972. The initial A24R Sierra was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B of 200 bhp (150 kW) and sold for a standard price of $ 24,950. The Model 24R completed
Slingsby T67 Firefly - Misplaced Pages Continue
1152-477: Was superseded by the Model 24 Sierra. These were serial numbered MA-1 to MA-369 and were the only models to have a "MA" serial number, making them easier to distinguish than other members of the Musketeer line. In the last few airframes of the series a new instrument panel with the same "vertical tape" gauges that were used in the early Sierras was introduced. These models were known as the A24 and are not to be confused with
1188-442: Was that it had a simple heat distribution system that provided warm air via the firewall to the area under the instrument panel only. This meant heat to the rear seat passengers was less than optimal. Later aircraft featured increasingly better ducting designs that provided heat to all four seating positions. The fixed-gear Model 23-24 was produced only between 1966 and 1969. A total of 369 Musketeer Super IIIs were completed before it
1224-636: Was the United States Air Force, where it was given the designation T-3A Firefly . The Firefly was selected in 1992 to replace the T-41 aircraft for the command's Enhanced Flight Screening Program, which would include aerobatic maneuvers. From 1993 to 1995, 113 aircraft were purchased and delivered to Hondo Municipal Airport in Texas, and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The type was meant to not only replace
1260-527: Was their post war best seller. Slingsby began to move toward glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and metal construction methods, but the company, trading as Slingsby Aircraft Ltd since 1967, went into liquidation in July 1969 following a disastrous fire in the previous November. After this Slingsby became part of the Vickers Group in November 1969, initially as Vickers-Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd , then reverting to
1296-735: Was under development by Sportavia-Pützer [ de ] as the RF-6C, but this demonstrated serious stability problems that eventually led to an almost complete redesign as the Sportavia-Pützer RS 180 Sportsman . In 1981, Fournier sold the development rights of the RF-6B to Slingsby Aviation , which renamed it the T67. The earliest examples, the T67A, were virtually identical to the Fournier-built aircraft, but
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