Antonov A-2
| A-2 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Training glider |
| National origin | USSR |
| Designer | Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov |
| First flight | 1936 |
| Number built | ca. 2,300 |
The Antonov A-2 and related designs were a family of two-seat training gliders produced in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and 1940s, all derived from the single-seat Antonov A-1 family.[1] They were produced in large numbers, with at least 2,300 built by 1937, and together with the single-seaters, production exceeded 7,600 by the same year.[2]
Like the A-1, the A-2 was a minimalist primary glider, with a conventional tail mounted on a boom and a strut-braced monoplane wing, mounted parasol-fashion. However, while the single-seat primary gliders featured wings of constant chord, the two-seaters used the longer-span, tapered wings that had been developed for the soaring versions of the single-seat family (P-s1 and P-s2).[3] The other major difference was the design of the cockpit gondola. The single-seaters featured an aerodynamic fairing that slid on and off to provide access to the pilot's seat.[4] The two-seaters, however, had a permanently fixed cockpit pod that seated the pilot and instructor in tandem, open cockpits, each with a small windscreen The rear cockpit was located directly beneath the wing and was accessed via a door on the port side of the gondola.[3] Apart from the change in gondola, all other components remained interchangeable with the Ps-2[5]
Variants
In each case, the "s" stands for serii (серии – "series")
Uchebnyi (Учебный – "Trainer")
- U-s5 (У-с5)
- U-s6 (У-с6)
Specifications (U-s5)
Data from Shushurin 1938, 67
General characteristics
- Crew: two, pilot and instructor
- Length: 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 13.80 m (45 ft 3 in)
- Height: 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 17.1 m2 (184 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 120 kg (264 lb)
- Gross weight: 264 kg (581 lb)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 70 km/h (40 mph, 35 kn)
- Rate of sink: 1.1 m/s (220 ft/min)
Notes
References
- Krasil'shchikov, Aleksandr Petrovich (1991). Planery SSSR (Gliders of the USSR). Moscow: Moskva Mashinostroyeniye.
- Sheremetev, Boris Nikolayevich (1959). Planery (Gliders). Moscow: DOSAAF.
- Shushurin, V.V. (1938). Atlas konstruktzii planerov (Directory of glider construction). Moscow: Gosudarstvennoe izdatel'stvo oboronnoi promyshlennosti.