Pilatus SB-5

SB-5
A model of the proposed SB-5
Role	Civil utility aircraft
National origin	Switzerland
Manufacturer	Pilatus Aircraft
Developed from	Pilatus SB-2 Pelican

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

Design and development[]

In the winter of 1941, the construction of the Pilatus SB-2 Pelican began, designed as a low-speed aircraft with STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) performance, as well as very good climbing performance required for use in narrow alpine valleys. The Pilatus SB-5 was a project for an enlarged version of the Pilatus SB-2,^[1] but with the end of WWII the market for light utility transports disappeared so Pilatus abandoned the SB-5 before construction of a prototype began.

The SB-5 was a single-engine high wing monoplane with a fixed nosewheel with a light-alloy semi-monocoque fuselage shell, accommodating 9-10 passengers in 3 rows of three, with an optional passenger in the co-pilot seat. Power was to have been supplied by a Wright Cyclone driving an Escher-Wyss constant-speed reversible pitch 3-bladed propeller.^{[citation needed]}

Specifications (SB-5)[]

Data from^{[citation needed]}

General characteristics

• Crew: 1-2
• Capacity: 9-10
• Wingspan: 22 m (72 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 55 m² (590 sq ft)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 750–890 kW (1,000–1,200 hp)
• Propellers: 3-bladed Escher-Wyss constant-speed reversible-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn)

References[]

Further reading[]

• Eichenberger, Roland (1989). Pilatus Flugzeuge: 1939–1989 (in German). Stans: Pilatus Flugzeugwerke.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pilatus SB-5.

• "Pilatus...Les Projets...Abandonnés". Pilatus-history-and-news (in French). Pilatus. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
• "History of the Pilatus SB-2" (in German and English). ETH-Bibliothek. Retrieved 26 March 2020.