The Cramlington Cramcraft was a simple, single-seat, primary training glider, designed and built in the United Kingdom by Cramlington Aircraft Ltd. at Cramlington Aerodrome in 1930.[1] About three were built.
| Cramcraft | |
|---|---|
| Role | Basic training glider |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Cramlington Aircraft Ltd., Northumberland |
| First flight | c.5 October 1930 |
| Number built | c.3 |
The Cramcraft was a single-seat primary glider trainer, aimed at newcomers to the sport and designed with simplicity, robustness and low cost in mind rather than aerodynamic performance.[2] It was a wooden aircraft with wings of rectangular planform built around two box spars which, like the ribs, were made from spruce and plywood.[1] Ailerons reached to the wing tips but no airbrakes were fitted.[2] The tail surfaces were carried on a narrow, flat boom formed by two parallel beams from the wing leading edge, braced together and fabric covered.[1] Both the boom-mounted tailplane and elevators it carried were rectangular in plan, though the latter had a cutout for rudder movement and extended beyond the tailplane.[2] The rudder was mounted on a very narrow fin and initially extended further below the boom than above[2] but was later modified so that little projected below and the upper profile became more rounded.[3]
Initially the pilot's seat was mounted well below the wing leading edge on the narrow edge of a board or plank.[2][4] The under edge of this board was shaped to curve up forwards and served as a skid. The board was fixed to the wing spars by two pairs of parallel V-form lift struts, the angle between them being unusually small.[2] This arrangement left the pilot completely exposed and a later version placed him in a short nacelle.[3] Both wings and tail were further wire braced, with lift wires from the fuselage and above from a pair of inverted V-struts mounted on the two boom beams.[2]
The first serious testing was on 5 October 1930. Several pilots flew the Cramcraft, though no flights of more than 30 seconds were achieved that day.[5] It is probable that three Cramcrafts were built, at least one of them flying with the Newcastle Gliding Club and another with the Sunderland club, both near to Cramlington.[2]
Data from Ellison[2]
General characteristics