Kalinin K-5
Kalinin · Soviet Union · first flew 1929 · airliner
The Soviet Union's principal domestic airliner of the 1930s, a high-wing, single-engine transport carrying up to eight passengers.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, elliptical |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | fixed undercarriage on a boxy fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- high strut-braced wing with elliptical tips
- fixed undercarriage on a boxy fuselage
- cabin windows along a deep, slab-sided fuselage for eight passengers
The braced high wing with elliptical Kalinin-style tips and boxy fixed-gear fuselage make it easy to tell from contemporary low-wing airliners.
Specifications
- The Kalinin K-5 has a length of 15.87 m (52 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 20.5 m (67 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 206 km/h (128 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 plus 8 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Konstantin Kalinin developed the K-5 from his earlier K-4, and it went into large-scale production from 1930, eventually reaching close to 260 examples, the biggest production run of any pre-war Soviet airliner.
Variants
Operated mainly as a passenger transport, with some airframes adapted for mail and light cargo duties on Soviet domestic routes.
Where you'll see it
It formed the backbone of Soviet internal air services through the 1930s, flying routes across the USSR until more modern types like the PS-84/Li-2 arrived.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.