Pilatus SB-5

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​ The Pilatus SB-5 was a civil utility aircraft developed by the newly formed Pilatus Aircraft company and the ETH Zurich during World War II.

History
In the winter of 1941, the construction of the special aircraft Pilatus SB-2 began. The pelican was designed as a "slow-moving aircraft". At that time, short take-off and landing distances as well as very good climbing performance were required for use in narrow alpine valleys. The Pilatus SB-5 was a project for an enlarged version of the Pilatus SB-2.

Construction
The overall layout was the same as the SB-2. The SB-5 was a single-engine shoulder-plane with a rigid nosewheel suspension. Also, the SB-5 was developed from the beginning as a plane with metal hull. Differences were apart from the larger dimensions following: The wings had now no sweep instead of the negative sweep and the drive consisted of a Cyclone radial engine instead of the Wasp Junior engine and a three-bladed propeller instead of the two-bladed propeller. The three-bladed propeller was also provided with an adjusting device by Escher-Wyss as a brake propeller. The cabin should now accommodate 9 people, 6 on 3 benches and 3 on 3 seats on the other side of the aisle, the cargo compartment and the cargo door flap would have been larger. With only one pilot, a passenger could have found a seat on the copilot seat. Since the hoped-for commercial success with the SB-2 was not achieved and as a result of the end of the Second World War mass ex-military aircraft were offered cheaply in Europe, it was unlikely that the Pilatus SB-5 would find buyers. Therefore, the project was finished before it was built. The production of the SB-5 was provided at the Pilatuswerke, therefore, this aircraft would also have the name "Pilatus SB-5" worn. The Pilatus SB-2 was called "Pelican"; it is not certain that the SB-5 would have got the (official) name "Super Pelican". Based on the plans for the Pilatus SB-2 is to be assumed that on the Pilatus SB-5, the rigid landing gear with wide skids for takeoffs and landings on snowfields or swimmers could have been mounted..

Aircraft data

 * Crew: 2 pilots/9 passengers or 1 pilot/10 pass.
 * Span: 22m
 * Maximum weight: 5t
 * Wing area: 55m²
 * Engine: 1 × Cyclone radial engine, 1000-1200hp
 * Maximum speed: 250 km/h

"SB" projects

 * The project SB-1 was intended as a pure experimental aircraft, commercial use was not planned.
 * The Pilatus SB-2 was the only SB project that resulted in a real built and flown aircraft.
 * Nothing is known about any designs with the names SB-3 and SB-4.

Internetlinks

 * Drawing Pilatus SB-5
 * Pilatus Aircraft: Projekte
 * History of the Pilatus SB-2 ETH-Bibliothek.