Udet U 5

The Udet U 5 was a touring aircraft developed in Germany in the early 1920s.^[1][2][3] It was found to be underpowered for its intended role, and only a single example was built.^[3] However, its design served as the basis for the more successful Udet U 8.^[3]

U 5
Role	Touring aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Udet Flugzeugbau
Designer	Hans Henry Herrmann
First flight	1923
Number built	1
Developed into	Udet U 8

Design

The U 5 was a parasol-wing, cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration.^[4] It had a conventional tail, and fixed, tailskid undercarriage.^[4] The pilot sat in an open cockpit, and an enclosed cabin could seat two passengers.^[4] Power was provided by a radial engine in the nose, driving a two-bladed propeller.^[4]

Construction was wooden throughout.^[4] The fuselage was built of moulded plywood in an oval cross-section.^[4] The wings had an almost elliptical planform and were mounted to the top of the fuselage on very short struts.^[4] Unlike previous Udet designs that had a very angular fin, the U 5 had a fun with a curved leading edge, resembling the fins of Albatros aircraft of World War I.^[4]

Development

Construction of the U 5 was completed in July 1923, and it received the registration D.302.^[3] Udet Flugzeugbau hoped to present it at the 1923 aeronautical exhibition in Gothenburg in August, but it was not ready in time.^[3]

Apart from the overall lack of power, testing revealed that the aerodynamic fairings fitted to the cylinders of the radial engine made it prone to overheating, and these were removed.^[3]

Specifications

Data from Birchal 2013, p.45

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 2 passengers
• Length: 7.28 m (23 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)
• Height: 2.46 m (8 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 18 m² (190 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 470 kg (1,036 lb)
• Gross weight: 800 kg (1,764 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh 5 seven-cylinder, radial, air-cooled piston engine, 57 kW (76 hp) (77 PS)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)