Percival P-40 Prentice
The Percival P.40 Prentice was designed as a three-seat basic and radio-navigation trainer for the RAF, an unusual layout with a dual-control instructor and pupil seated side by side up front and a second pupil in a rear seat with no controls, gaining 'air experience' only. It replaced the Tiger Moth after entering service in 1947, with production split between Percival's Luton factory and a Blackburn-built batch at Brough. Pilots found its handling underwhelming compared with the trainer it replaced, and the RAF withdrew it after just six years, in 1953, for the improved Provost.
Did you know?
Its dual-control seating is side by side: a second, control-less rear seat gave extra pupils air experience only.
Specifications
| Length | 9.5 m (31 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Height | 3.9 m (13 ft) |
| Persons on board | 2 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 1.9 t |
| Range | 340 NM (630 km) |
| Stall speed | 44 kt (81 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft (5,486 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 15,000 ft (4,572 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,070 ft/min (5.4 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 315 m (1,033 ft) |
| Units built | 526 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
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