The 'A-12' was a highly unusual experimental
glider designed by
Georges Abrial in the early 1930s. Not only was the design
tailless, but it featured wings of extremely small
aspect ratio (1:6) - short and stubby, unlike the usually long and slender wings of a sailplane. After encouraging tests of models in the
wind tunnel at
St Cyr, Abrial built a full-sized version. This eventually presented so many technical problems that he abandoned development in
1932 after christening the craft
Bagoas, after the Persian poisoner.
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