The PWS-5 or PWS-5t2 , was a multi-seated Polish liaison aircraft , developed in 1928 by PWS ( Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów - " Podlasie Aircraft Factory").
7-611: In 1927 , the Aviation Department of the Polish War Ministry opened a contest for a liaison and observation plane capable of operating from unprepared airfields, in cooperation with land Army units. In the PWS factory, Aleksander Grzędzielewski and Augustyn Bobek-Zdaniewski proposed a plane, designated initially PWS-7 , the first prototype of which was flown on 28 December 1928 at Biała Podlaska by Franciszek Rutkowski , with
14-551: A ring mounting . The undercarriage consisted of a fixed split axle conventional landing gear , with a rear skid. All fuel was carried in a 190 L (50 US gal; 42 imp gal) fuel tank mounted in the fuselage, forward of the pilot's cockpit. The 9-cylinder Skoda-Wright Whirlwind J-5 air-cooled radial engine was built under licence in the Polish Škoda Works , giving a nominal power of 160 kW (220 hp) and take-off power of 180 kW (240 hp) when driving
21-533: A long take-off run, poor handling in the glide at slow speed and low ceiling due to the use of an inadequate Wright propeller. Other competitors: the PZL Ł.2 and Lublin R-X were evaluated, with better results, so no more PWS-5s were ordered. The PWS-5 was a two-seater biplane of wooden construction with a rectangular section fuselage, rectangular in cross-section 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) wide, with plywood skin, except
28-721: A two-blade fixed pitch wooden propeller. Single PWS-5s were evaluated in different Lotnictwo Wojskowe (Military Aviation) units: Air Regiments nos. 2, 4 and 6 and in the Aviation Training Center at Dęblin and the Air Escadre of the River Flotilla at Pińsk , after which they were used for secondary tasks, such as target-towing. Data from Polish Aircraft 1893–1939 General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era 1927 in aviation This
35-612: The War Ministry considered the design satisfactory, with good handling and stability, ordering a short series of 5 aircraft which were designated PWS.5t2 by the factory in a similar fashion to the French Air Ministry ("t" standing for towarzyszący - army co-operation and 2 being the crew size). However, a detailed evaluation in the Aviation Technical Research Institute (ITBL) showed, that the 'PWS.5t2' had
42-526: The designation changing to PWS-5 in 1929. An interesting feature was the interchangeable upper and mainplanes which resulted in the upper wings being shorter than the lower, due to the lack of a centre-section between the upper planes. In February 1929 a second improved prototype, with a shorter forward fuselage and larger tail surfaces, designated PWS-5a was flown, which, in spite of being heavier than planned, empty weight 735 kg (1,620 lb) versus 600 kg (1,300 lb), that affected performance,
49-490: The engine compartment which was covered with aluminium sheeting. The rectangular wooden wings had two-spars, covered with canvas and plywood, with the Upper and lower wings connected by N-shaped inter-plane struts and staggered forward. The crew of two, sat in tandem open cockpits, the pilot having a windshield, and the observer sat in a higher cockpit with glazed upper sides, and a 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis machine gun on
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