Pilatus P-2

Infobox Aircraft
name=Pilatus P-2


caption=
type=
national origin=Switzerland
manufacturer=Pilatus Aircraft
designer=
first flight=1945
introduced=
retired=1981
status=
primary user=Swiss Air Force
more users=
produced=
number built=55 [www.samoloty.ow.pl]
variants with their own articles=

The Pilatus P-2 was a trainer aircraft designed by Swiss manufacturer Pilatus in 1942 and first flown on April 27 1945. It was used by the Swiss Air Force from 1946 until 1981.

The P-2 was a low wing monoplane of mixed construction (metal, wood and canvas) with a fully retractable tail wheel undercarriage and dual control tandem seating. To save cost several parts came from older Swiss AF machines, for example landing gear parts from their Messerschmitt Bf 109s. There were two series of production machines, one (P-2-05) unarmed and the second (P-2-06) equipped as armament trainers with a machine gun above the engine and wing racks for light bombs and rockets.

After the end of their Swiss AF use, the survivors (about 48) were sold into civilian use. At least 23 appear in 2008 on the national registers of Switzerland, Germany, France, the U.K. and U.S.A. They proved to be a popular civil flyer's aeroplane and have often appeared in Luftwaffe garb in films and airshows as an unidentified "enemy" aircraft.

Variants

;P-2-01:First prototype (HB-GAB/A-101/U-101), Argus powered.

;P-2-02:Non-flying static test frame.

;P-2-03:Hispano-Suiza HS-12Mb upright V water cooled engined prototype. Large ventral radiator.

;P-2-O4

:Armed version of P-2-03.

;P-2-05:Production version of unarmed machine, Argus motor. 26 delivered to Swiss AF.

;P-2-06:Production version of armed machine, Argus motor. 26 delivered to Swiss AF.

Operators

;SUI
*Swiss Air Force

pecifications (P-2-05)

aerospecs
ref= [Orbis 1985, page 2717] [Green & Pollinger, page 134]
met or eng?= met

crew=2
capacity=
length m=9.07
length ft=29
length in=9
span m=11
span ft=36
span in=1
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=2.70
height ft=8
height in=10¼
wing area sqm=17
wing area sqft=182.99
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=1380
empty weight lb=3040
gross weight kg=1800
gross weight lb=3970
lift lb=

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Argus As 410 A-2 inverted Vee air-cooled engine
eng1 kw= 347
eng1 hp= 465
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=340
max speed mph=211
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=306
cruise speed mph=190
range km=865
range miles=537
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=6600
ceiling ft=21654
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=6.5
climb rate ftmin= 1280
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=
armament2=
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6=

The armed P-2-06 version had similar specifications except for increased weights: empty 1522 kg (3355 lb); loaded 1975 kg (4355 lb).

Notes

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References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=
* Green, W & Pollinger, G, "The World's Fighting Planes" (1954). London: MacDonald.