The Slingsby T-53 was the first all-metal sailplane designed and built in the United Kingdom. It was designed and built by Slingsby Sailplanes for evaluation by the Royal Air Force. The construction of the prototype was started in June 1966, with the first flight on 9 March 1967 at Wombleton. The Royal Air Force ordered 40 gliders, and the second T-53 was evaluated by them for use by the Air Training Corps. The order was cancelled following evaluation and the disruption caused when the Slingsby factory was destroyed by fire in November 1968. Following the fire Slingsby built a small batch of modified T-53B aircraft for the civil market which it named the Phoenix, and in 1969 sold the rights of the design and jigs to Yorkshire Sailplanes. Yorkshire Sailplanes produced an improved version with both nose and centre of gravity tow hooks known as the YS-53 Sovereign. Yorkshire Sailplanes subsequently went bankrupt in 1975.
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Immatriculé : G-DCXV (En état de vol), localisation : Gliding Heritage Centre (GB)
