Cloudcraft Phantom
Encyclopedia
The Cloudcraft Phantom was a glider
designed in the United Kingdom
in 1931 to make long flights. It set an unofficial duration British record but vandalism prevented a cross-Channel
attempt.
and plywood
. The wing had a single spruce spar with stressed ply to the leading edge forming a torsion box. At the time, the choice of the biconvex R.A.F. 34 airfoil
was unusual, the concave/convex Göttingen forms being generally used. The wing was high mounted on a long, shallow pylon just behind the open cockpit, braced with a single lift strut
on each side.
Its tailplane
was low mounted and the rudder
rounded and generous, mounted on a narrow fin
. It landed on a long skid reaching from the nose to well behind the wing trailing edge
.
The Phantom first flew on 11 June 1931.
One of the Phantom's earliest outings was to the glider demonstration at Bunster Hill, overlooking Ilam, Staffordshire
, on 27-28 June 1931, one of the Lyons Tea meetings. Unfortunately, some of the ply became detached near the cockpit and no flights were made. The month after its maiden flight, the repaired Phantom demonstrated its intended long-duration ability by unofficially breaking the British glider duration record with a flight of over 4¼ hours. The pilot was "Mungo" Buxton. It was the first time that the time set by Maneyrol in the Peyret Tandem
at the British Glider Competition nine years earlier had been bettered by a British pilot and aircraft in Britain.
Its owner, Michelson, intended to try for the Cellon prize for an unpowered cross-English Channel
flight but the aircraft was seriously damaged by vandals on the cliffs near Dover
. He could not afford to have it repaired and put it up for sale in 1932. The remains were bought by the Bradford and County Gliding Club in April 1933. It seems they wanted it for its instruments and launch rope, for the Phantom was too lightly built for club work. The remains ended up at the Slingsby Aviation
works at Kirbymoorside; they were there in 1938 but may have been burned during World War II
.
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
designed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1931 to make long flights. It set an unofficial duration British record but vandalism prevented a cross-Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
attempt.
Design and development
The Phantom was a single-seat, clean, high-performance glider designed for Mr Percy Michelson with distance records and a cross-channel flight in mind. It was an all-wood aircraft, built of spruceSpruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
and plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
. The wing had a single spruce spar with stressed ply to the leading edge forming a torsion box. At the time, the choice of the biconvex R.A.F. 34 airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
was unusual, the concave/convex Göttingen forms being generally used. The wing was high mounted on a long, shallow pylon just behind the open cockpit, braced with a single lift strut
Lift strut
Nearly all biplane aircraft have their upper and lower planes connected by interplane struts which divide the wings into bays braced by diagonal wires...
on each side.
Its tailplane
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
was low mounted and the rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
rounded and generous, mounted on a narrow fin
Fin
A fin is a surface used for stability and/or to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media, . The first use of the word was for the limbs of fish, but has been extended to include other animal limbs and man-made devices...
. It landed on a long skid reaching from the nose to well behind the wing trailing edge
Trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge rejoins. Essential control surfaces are attached here to redirect the air flow and exert a controlling force by changing its momentum...
.
The Phantom first flew on 11 June 1931.
Operational history
The Phantom gained its Certificate of Airworthiness in November 1931. Advertisements from July 1931 show that Cloudcraft hoped to sell the Phantom equipped as both Standard and Special models but the company closed for business at the end of 1931, so only was built.One of the Phantom's earliest outings was to the glider demonstration at Bunster Hill, overlooking Ilam, Staffordshire
Ilam, Staffordshire
Ilam is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District, lying on the River Manifold. This article describes some of the main features of the village and surroundings.- Ilam village :...
, on 27-28 June 1931, one of the Lyons Tea meetings. Unfortunately, some of the ply became detached near the cockpit and no flights were made. The month after its maiden flight, the repaired Phantom demonstrated its intended long-duration ability by unofficially breaking the British glider duration record with a flight of over 4¼ hours. The pilot was "Mungo" Buxton. It was the first time that the time set by Maneyrol in the Peyret Tandem
Peyret Tandem
The Peyret Tandem, a.k.a. Peyret Alérion Tandem, was a French single seat glider of tandem wing configuration. It won first prize at the first British Glider Competition of 1922.-Design and development:...
at the British Glider Competition nine years earlier had been bettered by a British pilot and aircraft in Britain.
Its owner, Michelson, intended to try for the Cellon prize for an unpowered cross-English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
flight but the aircraft was seriously damaged by vandals on the cliffs near Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. He could not afford to have it repaired and put it up for sale in 1932. The remains were bought by the Bradford and County Gliding Club in April 1933. It seems they wanted it for its instruments and launch rope, for the Phantom was too lightly built for club work. The remains ended up at the Slingsby Aviation
Slingsby Aviation
Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...
works at Kirbymoorside; they were there in 1938 but may have been burned during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
