01/31/2012. Remarks by Ray Watkins: "The R-5 continued the general layout of the earlier R-4 but was a completely new design. The R-4 had a fabric covered, lattice-frame fuselage with the two crew seated side-by-side in the cabin. The R-5 fuselage had three sections; an aluminum-framed cabin with Plexiglas glazing and tandem seating for two (pilot in the rear), a steel frame center section covered by plastic-impregnated plywood panels and a wooden monocoque rear tail boom.
The picture shows a YR-5A prepared for a rescue mission, with the center panels removed, clearly showing the engine installation."
Read the type remarks on page 11078.