Politechnika Warszawska PW-5 Smyk

Politechnika Warszawska · Poland · first flew 1993 · glider

The Politechnika Warszawska PW-5 Smyk is a single-seat sailplane designed at the Warsaw University of Technology and manufactured in Poland. It is a monotype World Class glider.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × none, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	6.22 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Single-seat glass-epoxy composite glider
Trapezoidal shoulder-set wings with bow-shaped ends
Fixed main wheel behind the pilot with a smaller front wheel

The wings are trapezoidal with bow-shaped ends and shoulder-set on the fuselage, with Schempp-Hirth-type air brakes on the upper surface only. The structure is all glass-epoxy composite, and the rudder is fabric covered.

Specifications

The Politechnika Warszawska PW-5 Smyk has a length of 6.22 m (20 ft).
It has a wingspan of 13.44 m (44 ft).
Its maximum speed is 220 km/h (137 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was designed under Roman Switkiewicz and chosen unanimously from 42 design proposals in the IGC World Class competition. It was originally built by PZL at Swidnik and first flew in 1993.

Variants

The Bielsko version, the B1 PW-5, has safety and performance improvements. A motorglider designated PW-5M was planned, and the PW-6 is a two-seater derivative.

Where you'll see it

The PW-5 sold less well than expected because its cost was comparable to older Club class gliders of higher performance. Fewer than 200 have been built, and over 70 were exported to the United States.

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