Slingsby T-67 Firefly

Before acquiring the assembling and advancement rights for the French Fournier RF-6b two seat aerobatic fundamental coach in 1981, Slingsby spent significant time in sailplane development and composite materials, yet now focuses much of its exertions on its fruitful T-67 Firefly.

The Firefly is an advancement of the Fournier RF-6b. The RF-6b first flew in March 1974, and Fournier assembled 45 RF-6b-100s fueled by 75kw (100hp) Rolls Royce Continental O-200 level fours through to the early 1980s. In 1980 Fournier flew an all the more compelling advancement of the RF-6b, the 87kw (116hp) Lycoming O-235 controlled RF-6b-120. It was this airplane that framed the premise for Slingsby's T-67 Firefly.

Slingsby at first manufactured nine T-67as, which were fundamentally RF-6b-120s, preceding putting into creation its own particular advancement of the sort, the T-67b. The T-67b was the consequence of a reasonably careful redevelopment of the T-67a. The primary distinction was that the T-67b was made practically totally from glassfibre strengthened plastics (Gfrps), Slingsby drawing on its extremely broad involvement in that field. The profits of GFRP incorporate better imperviousness to weakness, less weight and less drag.

The authoritative common form of the Firefly is the T-67c. The T-67c is like the T-67b with the exception of its all the more capable 120kw (160hp) Textron Lycoming O-320 motor. Variations of the T-67c are the T-67c-1 with standard fuselage fuel tankage and one piece covering, the T-67c-2 with a two piece shelter, and the T-67c-3 with wing tanks and three piece shade. Numerous T-67cs have been sold to flying schools and institutes (counting KLM) while others are in military administration.

The military Firefly is the T-67m, which first flew in December 1982. The principal model was the T-67m-160 with a 119kw (160hp) Textron Lycoming AEIO-320-D1b motor. With the presentation of wing fuel tanks and two-piece shade, the assignment was changed to T-67m Mk2. The following variation was the T-67m-200 with a 149kw (200hp) AEIO-360-A1e which made the first flight on May 16 1985. The last variation was the T-67m-260 (fueled by a 195kw (260hp) AEIO-540) first flown in May 1991.

Numerous T-67m are utilized for military introductory pilot preparing and screening, and 113 T-67m-260s were conveyed to the US Air Force as the T-3a Firefly, while some are utilized by regular citizen flight schools for air transport and military preparing (the recent under government contract). T-67ms have aerobatic proficient motors and two razor sharp edge steady speed propellers, in addition to different progressions, contrasted and the T-67c.