Whigham GW-5

GW-5
General information
Type	Glider
National origin	United States
Designer	Gene Whigham
Number built	one
History
Introduction date	1980

The Whigham GW-5 is an American mid-wing, single seat, FAI Standard Class glider that was designed and constructed by Gene Whigham, a retired flight test engineer for Convair. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Design and development

The GW-5 was designed for the standard class and as such it features a constant-chord 15 m (49.2 ft) wing with a Wortmann FX 61-184 airfoil and flaps for glidepath control. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

The GW-5 is of all-metal construction. The landing gear is a faired fixed monowheel. The aircraft has a bubble canopy and a conventional low tail. ^{[1] [2]}

One GW-5 was built. It was completed in 1980 and registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in the Experimental - Amateur-built category. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Operational history

The sole GW-5 built was sold in September 2012 and the registration has expired. ^[3] It is not known if the aircraft still exists or not.

Specifications (GW-5)

Data from Sailplane Directory and Soaring ^{[1] [2]}

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Wingspan: 49 ft 3 in (15.0 m)
• Wing area: 131 sq ft (12.2 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 18.5:1
• Airfoil: Wortmann FX 61-184
• Empty weight: 518 lb (235 kg)
• Gross weight: 770 lb (349 kg)

Performance

• Maximum glide ratio: 33:1
• Wing loading: 5.87 lb/sq ft (28.7 kg/m²)

See also

Related lists

• List of gliders

References

1. Activate Media (2006). "GW-2, GW-4 and GW-5 Whigham" . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
2. Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine , page 67, Soaring Society of America November 1983. USPS 499-920
3. Federal Aviation Administration (July 2011). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N8496C" . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
4. Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2011.