Righton Big Wing
{{Short description|New Zealand glider}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2025}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name = Big Wing | image =Righton Big Wing.jpg | caption =The partially disassembled Righton Big Wing, circa 2015 }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type = Glider | national origin = New Zealand | manufacturer = Douglas Huntly Righton | designer = | first flight = | introduction =1960s | retired = | status = | primary user = | more users = | produced = | number built = 1 | developed from = | variants with their own articles = }} |
The Big Wing was the name given to a large glider designed and built by Douglas Huntly Righton during the 1950s and 60s.
Design and development
Righton was a farmer from Ruawai in Northland, New Zealand. In 1931 he had been granted a patent for a variable incidence wing design. Design of his glider is believed to have begun in the early 1950s, with construction lasting through to the late 1960s.
The glider was a cantilevered parasol-wing monoplane of conventional configuration, notable for its large wingspan of {{convert|22|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The incidence of both the main wing and the tailplane could be adjusted in flight. 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.
Operational history
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.
Specifications
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