The
Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider with the
Mark I
having a wingspan of 88 feet (27m) and a length of 67 feet (20m)
designed as a high-wing cantilever monoplane with wooden wings and a
wooden semi-monocoque fuselage. The fuselage was built in three sections
bolted together, the front section for the pilot's compartment and
freight loading door while the middle section accommodated troops or
freight and the rear tail unit section.
It was fitted with a tricycle landing gear for take-off and once in
flight this could be jettisoned and landing was by way of the castoring
nose wheel and a sprung skid under the fuselage.
Just aft of the pilot's compartment on the port side was the
hinged freight loading door that doubled as a loading ramp. 15 troops
could be accommodated (or up to 30 on some operations) on benches along
the sides of the main compartment with another access door on the
starboard side. The fuselage joint at the rear of the main section
could be broken on landing to assist in rapid unloading of troops and
equipment and additionally three supply containers could be fitted
each side under the centre wing section. Alternatively the
Horsa could carry a single
Jeep or a
6 Pounder Anti-Tank gun.
