General Aircraft Cygnet

GAL.42 Cygnet II
Cygnet II G-AGAX at Manchester (Ringway) Airport in March 1955 shortly before it was destroyed in a crash
Role	two-seat trainer/sporting
Manufacturer	General Aircraft Ltd
Designer	C.R. Chronander & J.I. Waddington
First flight	1937
Retired	1988
Status	retired
Number built	10

The General Aircraft GAL.42 Cygnet II was a 1930s British single-engined training or touring aircraft built by General Aircraft Limited at London Air Park, Hanworth.

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 London Air Park, Hanworth. 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.

File:GACygnet.jpg

The first Cygnet with original tail and undercarriage

During that period C.W. Aircraft had invested heavily in another design, the C.W. Swan. 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.

Surviving aircraft

File:Museum of Flight GAL Cygnet II.jpg

Cygnet G-AGBN, National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, Scotland (2010)

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 National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, Scotland. It formerly was a part of the Strathallan Collection owned by Sir William 'Willy' James Denby Roberts until the dissolution of the collection. The National Museum of Flight failed to acquire it but the bidding was taken over by Victor Gauntlett who donated to the museum.

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 Colón and was unable to depart therefrom. It remained there and subsequently was converted into a monument at the Air Club entrance. In 2008 it was reported to be in poor condition.

Military operators

United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
  • No. 510 Squadron RAF

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 1 passenger (side-by-side seating)
• Length: 23 ft 3 in (7.09 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m)
• Height: 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
• Wing area: 179 ft² (16.63 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,475 lb (669 kg)
• Loaded weight: 2,200 lb (1000 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 2,200 lb (1000 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Blackburn Cirrus Major II 4-cylinder inverted inline piston engine, 150 hp (112 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 135 mph (217 km/h)
• Range: 445 miles (716 km)
• Service ceiling: 14,000 ft (4265 m)
• Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.06 m/s)
• Wing loading: 12.29 lb/ft² (57.62 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 14.67 lb/hp (8.92 kg/kW)

See also

Related development

• General Aircraft GAL.45 Owlet

Related lists

• List of aircraft of the RAF

References

• Historic Aircraft Cygnet page
• Museum of Flight Cygnet page
• British Aircraft of World War II
• British Aircraft webpage