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Righton Big Wing

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Big Wing
The partially disassembled Righton Big Wing, circa 2015
Role Glider
National origin New Zealand
Manufacturer Douglas Huntly Righton
Introduction 1960s
Number built 1

The Big Wing was the name given to a large glider designed and built by Douglas Huntly Righton during the 1950s and 60s.[1][2]

Design and development

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Righton was a farmer from Ruawai in Northland, New Zealand. In 1931 he had been granted a patent for a variable incidence wing design.[3] Design of his glider is believed to have begun in the early 1950s, with construction lasting through to the late 1960s.[2]

The glider was a cantilevered parasol-wing monoplane of conventional configuration, notable for its large wingspan of 22 m (72 ft). The incidence of both the main wing and the tailplane could be adjusted in flight.[1][2] The fuselage was a simple slab-sided design and had a box-like cross-section. A long boom, extending from the nose of the glider, was fitted with a movable counterweight, allowing the glider's centre of gravity to be adjusted in flight.[1][2]

Operational history

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The Big Wing was never completed and did not undergo any flight tests. The glider had been stored in a series of rural barns and only came to public attention in 2015 when it was offered for sale through an online auction website. Its current whereabouts is unknown.[1][2]

Specifications

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Data from VGC News[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: two
  • Wingspan: 22 m (72 ft 2 in)

Performance

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Brown, Roger (Summer 2017). "From another age? NZ's 1950s 22-Metre Big-Wing" (PDF). VGC News. No. 150. Fleet, Hampshire, UK: The Vintage Glider Club Ltd. pp. 47–48.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Righton Big Wing". J2mcL Planeurs (in French). 12 June 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  3. ^ US 1,857,694, Douglas Huntly Righton, "Aeroplane", issued 10 May 1931