• Aircraft
  • Can anyone name this mystery aircraft?

Hi All,

Can anyone identify this aircraft?

SEE NEXT POST by THOFF /john

Looks similar to some of the Latécoère aircraft.

Maybe a Latécoère 28 before adding floats / different engine??

Not much data or pix around to compare...

:?: :?: :?:

Google thinks it's a Kalinin K-5.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinin_K-5

Scroll down on this page and you'll see your image listed as a K-5:

http://www.aeromovies.fr/articles.php?lng=en&pg=1006

It certainly seems to be a K-5

??with a different engine, from the standard radial M-15 M-17 or M-17F (Bristol Jupiter built under license) ??

Thanks THoff

http://www.airwar.ru/enc/cw1/k5.html

Here's a partial translation of the website page;

Back in 1926, before the development of the K-4, Kalinin started designing a larger aircraft - 10 - 12 passengers. However, production problems are not allowed to do this project seriously.

Only in October next year Ukrvozduhputi aircraft factory was assigned to such a machine. Airliner included in the five-year plan of experimental aircraft, along with the first airliner Tupolev ANT-9.

Lead designer of the project was I.G.Neman. In 1928 drawings of the new airplane, the index K-5 have been submitted to the Council and approved by the Civil Aviation Scientific-Technical Commission UWS.

The project was ready to spring 1929, after which the construction of two aircraft. For them, ordered a couple of engines Gnôme Rhône Jupiter.

But managed to get only one engine.

The prototype was ready by mid-autumn of 1929. The first flight took place on October 18. The car lifted into the air pilot, MA Bullfinch and flight engineer PN Vlasov.

As the third member of the crew flew Kalinin himself. It happened at the Kharkov airport "Sokolniki". The plane was easy to drive, well listen to the steering wheel. May 30, 1930 K-5 flew to Moscow, where he passed an examination before the State Commission.

The State Commission has determined that the aircraft fully meets the required specification. But the engine is unreliable - frequent breakdowns crankshaft and connecting rods, the failure of candles, and should be replaced.

Under the new engine - Pratt & Whitney Hornet, created a second prototype. He was ready in the spring of 1930 when the engine was finally obtained. This copy was in flight around Ukraine in May - June 1930.

Upon completion of the tests began mass production and operational testing of K-5 on the Moscow - Kharkov. That summer, the plane began to fly on the Kharkov - Mineral Water.

Then Kharkiv - Baku. The pilots were happy with the machine.

On the first mass-produced copies of the engine was the M-15. His life was only a few tens of hours, which was not acceptable for transport aircraft.

Besides motor was fragile. There were frequent failures in flight, leading to a forced landing and flight disruptions. Caused a remark and aircraft design.

For these reasons, even Inspectorate of Civil Aviation has decided to discontinue the acceptance of the K-5. I had to do revision.

Only in May 1932 failed to achieve acceptable performance. Production resumed. Before November 1932 was made to several tens-5 M-15 engine.

The proof of the reliability of the machine was modified flight June 25, 1933 through the Great Caucasus Mountains - the first in the country's history, among other things. The flight from Tbilisi to Pyatigorsk fulfilled one of the planes of the Transcaucasian management GVF.

The route ran at an altitude of 4500 meters. Journey time was 2 hours and 30 minutes. (Then had to fly to Moscow, but the flight did not take place due to flaking skin).

February 14, 1932 for the first time flew modification to the M-22 (Soviet License motor Bristol Jupiter VI, State Aircraft Factory production ╧ 29 in Zaporozhye).

This enhanced version of the fuselage, wing, tail crutch shortened engine mounts. Beauty upholstered soft sound absorbing lining. It established a comfortable adjustable seat.

Beauty and the pilot's cabin was equipped with heating. The first aircraft of this version was peretyazhelen, but then managed to bring it to the customer's requirements (ie, Aeroflot). In 1933, the K-5 M-22 came on the line.

Thank you for your replies gentlemen.

Peter.

Photo showing Soviet registration marks; in cyrillic

> SSSR-P562 (cccp-P562) which may indicate prototype??

Excerpt from Janes Encyclopedia of Aviation, Volume 4: (without any photos in Janes)

"The K-5 was an eight-passenger development of the K-4, usually powered by a 391 kW (525 Hp) M-15 engine. In 1932 Plant C.H. (formerly Kalinin) received an order for 120 K-5s, which entered service with Dobroflot in the following year. It is likely that total production was double this figure."

Janes described the Russian Kalinin AK-1 and K-4 in addition to the excerpt on the K-5, and also went on to describe the K-6 single engine mail-carrying parasol-wing monoplane, and the K-7 and K-9 two-seat monoplane. The K-7 was a giant aircraft for 128 passengers tested in 1933, later the same year crashing with heavy loss of life.