BOK-5

The BOK-5 following its third re-painting. The base colour might be yellow, but remains factually unknown.

The BOK-5 was an experimental flying wing design conceived and built by V. Chizhevskij during 1936. The aircraft utilized the engine (M-11) and landing gear units from the U-2 trainer, but otherwise was a unique and advanced original design.

The aircraft was tested at the NII VVS by no less a figure than P. Stefanovskij, who reported that the BOK-5 had exemplary handling and flight behaviour. Though the design had been initiated for military purposes, Stefanovskij stated that the little flying wing could be introduced immediately into civil aviation, so fine were its safety properties. Despite this positive report, the BOK-5 was not placed into manufacture and remained a sole prototype.

The BOK-5 as completed initially, in a nice white or light grey colour.

The second and better known appearance of the BOK-5, this time
sporting an amazing and quite gaudy finish. The artwork is
thought to have been inspired by the zhar ptitsa scheme on the K-12
and other similar aircraft, but who really knows? Such was the
mystery of 1930s Soviet aviation....