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The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British troop-carrying glider used during the Second World War. It was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Limited , alongside various subcontractors; the type was named after Horsa , the legendary 5th-century conqueror of southern Britain.
The first was Air Ministry specification X.10/40, which called for an eight-seater glider similar to the German DFS 230, which eventually became the General Aircraft Hotspur I; the second was specification X.25/40 which became the Slingsby Hengist, a fifteen-seat glider; the third was specification X.26/40, the 25-seater Airspeed Horsa; and the ...
Air transport for the brigade was normally the Airspeed Horsa glider, piloted by two soldiers from the Glider Pilot Regiment. [19] With a wingspan of 88 feet (27 m) and a length of 67 feet (20 m), the Horsa had a maximum load capacity of 15,750 pounds (7,140 kg)—space for two pilots, and a maximum of either 28 troops or two jeeps , one jeep ...
In March 1944, it was reallocated to 30 Group Airborne Forces, where it mainly operated tug aircraft towing Airspeed Horsa which were used in a number of operations. These included carrying the first glider-borne troops into Normandy to secure vital strategic positions in advance of the main landings on D-Day. A memorial to the men who flew ...
Operation Freshman was the codename given to a British airborne operation conducted in November 1942 during World War II.It was the first British airborne operation using Airspeed Horsa gliders, and its target was the Vemork Norsk Hydro hydrogen electrolysis plant in Telemark, Norway which produced heavy water as a by-product.
The gliders which were most widely used by the Allies were the American-designed Waco CG-4A, which could carry 13 passengers, and the British-designed Airspeed Horsa, which could carry 25 passengers. Both of these aircraft used plywood extensively in their construction, with the CG-4A also using aluminium to provide greater strength in its framing.
Transport for the brigade was normally the Airspeed Horsa glider, piloted by two men from the Glider Pilot Regiment. [8] With a wingspan of 88 feet (27 m) and a length of 67 feet (20 m), the Horsa had a maximum load capacity of 15,750 pounds (7,140 kg)—space for two pilots, a maximum of twenty-eight troops or two jeeps , one jeep and an ...
Airspeed Horsa cockpit. AS.51 Horsa I – (12 September 1941) Large troop-carrying glider; 2,245 built including seven prototypes. AS.57 Ambassador – (10 July 1947) Two-engine high-wing piston engine airliner, 23 built [22] AS.58 Horsa II – Variant of Horsa with openable nose section for front loading; 1,561 built. AS.65 Consul – (March 1946)