The Eshelman FW-5 was a 1940s American experimental cabin monoplane designed and built at Dundalk, Maryland by the Cheston L. Eshelman Company.^[1]

Design and development

The FW-5 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane, it had an unusual wing planform in which the wing centre-section was blended into the fuselage, this gave rise to the name The Wing.^[1] It had a fixed tailwheel landing gear and was powered by a 325 hp (242 kW) Avco Lycoming flat-six piston engine.^[1] The enclosed cabin had room for a pilot and three passengers. First flown in 1942 only two aircraft were built.^[2]

Specifications

Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 3 passengers
• Length: 23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
• Height: 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
• Wing area: 232 sq ft (21.55 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,507 lb (684 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,650 lb (1,202 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Avco Lycoming flat-six piston engine , 325 hp (242 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 180 mph (290 km/h, 160 kn)
• Range: 700 mi (1,127 km, 610 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,485 m)