Slingsby Collection
Slingsby Aircraft List
1939 Slingsby T.6 Kirby Kite
Photo credit: Lyle Jansma
Acquired with funds from Jerry Wenger
Fred Slingsby was an RAF pilot who repaired gliders and designed his own which were based on German designs. He founded Slingsby Sailplanes, Ltd., moved it to the village of Kirbymoorside, England and in 1935 made improvements to the very successful German Grunau Baby II, which he was building under license. He extended the wing span slightly, used Grunau Baby parts wherever he could and streamlined the fuselage, dubbing his glider the T.6 Kirby Kite. It was a high performance aircraft for its time, making a 55-mile flight in its first competition. In WWII sixteen Kirby Kites were impressed into service for RAF pilot training. Of the many Kirby Kites built only about eight remain. The one in WAAAM’s collection was restored by Bob Gaines with the original varnish finish it had from the factory in 1939. In 2002 this airplane won the Vintage Sailplane Association Restoration Award.
1939 Slingsby T.13 Petrel
Acquired with funds from Jerry Wenger.
Based in part on the successful German Rhönadler, the Slingsby Petrel quickly became a darling of the skies. After just three units production halted due to World War II. During the war this Petrel was impressed for training both anti-aircraft gun crews and the Royal Observer Corps’ aerial spotters. Post-war, as British Glider Association (BGA) 418, WAAAM’s Petrel continued to draw the eyes of many including the glider enthusiast Bob Gaines of the USA who purchased this glider in 2001 and was flying it stateside by 2002. Gaines began a complete restoration in 2005 but he passed away before it was finished. Through the generosity of WAAAM’s donors, the museum was able to acquire four gliders from the Gaines collection. The Petrel restoration was completed to original factory style and once again took to the air in June 2017.