Pilatus SB-5


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

Construction

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.

History

In the winter of 1941, the construction of the Pilatus SB-2 Pelican began, designed as a slow-moving aircraft with STOL 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, but with the end of WWII the market for light utility tansports disappeared so Pilatus abandoned the SB-5 before construction of a prototype began.

Pilatus "SB" projects

;SB-1: Intended as a pure experimental aircraft, commercial use was not planned.
;SB-2: The only SB project to be built and flown.
;SB-5: An enlargement of the SB-2, abandoned before construction began.