Airspeed As.51 Horsa

Combat Glider

In 1948 the Belgian Army was planning to provide the Para-commando units with Horsa combat gliders. For this purpose an order for six Horsa's was placed with Airspeed in January 1949. Unfortunately, even after delivery of the first aircraft, the Belgian Government refused to grant permission to operate heavy gliders over Belgian territory. The sole Horsa delivered to the Belgian Army was transported to Schaffen where at first it was used for ground training but finally ended up as a gate-guardian. Unfortunately the wooden machine suffered from the humid weather conditions and was scrapped by the end of the fifties or early sixties.