title: Slingsby Kirby Cadet
text: # Slingsby Kirby Cadet
  
  The Slingsby T.7 Kirby Cadet is a British training glider designed and built by Slingsby that first flew in 1935 and saw service with the Royal Air Force for use by the Air Training Corps as the Cadet TX.1 throughout the 1950, 1960s and 1970s.
  
  ## Design and development
  
  The T.7 was developed to specification 20/43 from the civilian Kirby Kadet to meet an Air Ministry requirement for a training glider as part of the air cadet programme, and it entered service as the Cadet TX.1 with the Royal Air Force. It was further developed with a change of wing into the T.8 Kirby Tutor (service name Cadet TX.2) which in turn was developed into a two-seat version the T.31B Tandem Tutor (service name Cadet TX.3). One saw service in SLAF from 1957-1959.
  
  ## Former operators
  
  ### United Kingdom
  
  * Royal Air Force
  
  ### Sri Lanka
  
  * Royal Ceylon Air Force
  
  ## Specifications
  
  Data from
  
  General characteristics
  
  * Crew: 1
  * Length: 20 ft 10.6 in (6.364 m) (later production)
  * Wingspan: 41.7 ft (12.7 m)
  * Wing area: 170 sq ft (15.8 $m^2)$
  * Aspect ratio: 8.67
  * Airfoil: Göttingen 426
  * Empty weight: 297 lb (134.5 kg)
  * Gross weight: 513 lb (232.7 kg)
  
  Performance
  
  * Wing loading: 3.0 lb/sq ft (14.7 $kg/m^2)$
  