Victor_N_Dashkiyeff
Sic transit gloria aeroplanes
This awkward and old-fashioned biplane in fact is one of the greatest airplanes in the history of aviation. It is Antonov An-2 ('Colt' in NATO classification). It has received the nickname 'kukuruznik' (the 'corncob') in this land, having inherited it from no less famous light night bomber of World War II the Polikarpov U-2 biplane. An-2 is probably less familiar to Western. But in Soviet Union, it played exactly the same role as Douglas DC-3 has played in American history. It has accessed the Aviation for people, making traveling by air affordable by virtually every. You can imagine the talent of designer Antonov and his team, given that the An-2 was his the very first powered airplane, and until it Antonov designed only gliders. An-2 made the maiden flight in 1947 (design was completed in 1940, but WW2 prevented it's materialization). More than 18000 aircrafts have been manufactured. Today (in 2012) 2271 An-2's are still in active service in 27 countries. Several aircrafts have 40+ years of active srevice with 20000+ flight hours.
It's also the greatest single-engined biplane in the World. It is powered by the ASh-62IR engine, the Soviet derivative of the famous Wright Cyclone R-1820. Antonov An-2 is noted in the Guinness book as the single aircraft in the World which is manufactured permamentely during 60+ years. (Now An-2's are made in China with the annual amount 10...20 pieces)
An-2 is typical "Bush Flyer", the class of aircraft familiar for residents of Canada and Alaska. An-2 is ideally suited to the vast areas of Russia. These airplanes have spread to every corner of the country. An-2 is an extremely reliable flying machine, unpretentious in maintenance and service, ideal for operation from unpaved airfields. Improvised airfields were established in all regional centers and many large villages. Thus inhabitants of rural areas and provinces have get quick and convenient access to the centers of civilization. The road network is absent at all on vast expanses of the USSR. So An-2 became the only means of transport. They were used in all conceivable roles. They have done the excellent job during Korean and Vietnam wars. During the Balkan wars of the 1990s, Croatians used An-2, even as an impromptu night bomber. In Soviet aviation An-2 were massively used to train pilots and paratroopers especially, as well as liaison and transport aircrafts.
An-2's were regularly used on Soviet North Pole stations on drifting ice - and in Antarctica too. Once the impenetrable band of pack ice prevented the evacuation of the Antarctic expedition after a 1.5-year mission. On board of the Soviet icebreaker there were two completely worn An-2. One of them had a damaged engine in addition. But their pilots have used the occasional tabular iceberg as airfield and have taken polar researchers home. They had to fly a couple hundred of miles over the high seas. So single engine failure over icy water would mean the imminent death.
But best of all An-2 served just in peaceful roles, on domestic routes and especially in agricultural aviation. The replacement of the An-2 has not been found. After Soviet Union fall the sharp rise of aviation gasoline price has forced to ban An-2 flights to many remote areas. As a result, thousands of settlements have disappeared from the map, Siberia has became literally depopulated. It was found that termination of An-2 operations has caused the loss of all contacts with the "Great Land". Numerous attempts to solve the problem have shown that the only substitute for the An-2 is ... the An-2 itself. But with the turboprop engine. This modification was done back in 1980's under the name of An-3. But the struggling economy in the CIS prevents mass production of the An-3.
347 flying accidents were noted during the whole An-2's biography. It is not the large figure if take into account the enormous number of these machines. So An-2 may be considered as the very safe aicraft.
Naturally An-2 has it's own shortcomings - because every piece of technique possess it. Apart of the expensive gasoline the second one is conducted with it's low pounds per square foot figure. The An-2 just as each biplane, is 'highly volatile'. Therefore, it is very sensitive to the atmospheric turbulence. For example, crossing the border between field and forest, or between the shore and the water surface immediately causes acute passengers seasick. Aircraft equipment is purely Spartan, comfort is absent at all. But as for the "bush-flyer" it is OK.
Sic transit gloria aeroplanes
This awkward and old-fashioned biplane in fact is one of the greatest airplanes in the history of aviation. It is Antonov An-2 ('Colt' in NATO classification). It has received the nickname 'kukuruznik' (the 'corncob') in this land, having inherited it from no less famous light night bomber of World War II the Polikarpov U-2 biplane. An-2 is probably less familiar to Western. But in Soviet Union, it played exactly the same role as Douglas DC-3 has played in American history. It has accessed the Aviation for people, making traveling by air affordable by virtually every. You can imagine the talent of designer Antonov and his team, given that the An-2 was his the very first powered airplane, and until it Antonov designed only gliders. An-2 made the maiden flight in 1947 (design was completed in 1940, but WW2 prevented it's materialization). More than 18000 aircrafts have been manufactured. Today (in 2012) 2271 An-2's are still in active service in 27 countries. Several aircrafts have 40+ years of active srevice with 20000+ flight hours.
It's also the greatest single-engined biplane in the World. It is powered by the ASh-62IR engine, the Soviet derivative of the famous Wright Cyclone R-1820. Antonov An-2 is noted in the Guinness book as the single aircraft in the World which is manufactured permamentely during 60+ years. (Now An-2's are made in China with the annual amount 10...20 pieces)
An-2 is typical "Bush Flyer", the class of aircraft familiar for residents of Canada and Alaska. An-2 is ideally suited to the vast areas of Russia. These airplanes have spread to every corner of the country. An-2 is an extremely reliable flying machine, unpretentious in maintenance and service, ideal for operation from unpaved airfields. Improvised airfields were established in all regional centers and many large villages. Thus inhabitants of rural areas and provinces have get quick and convenient access to the centers of civilization. The road network is absent at all on vast expanses of the USSR. So An-2 became the only means of transport. They were used in all conceivable roles. They have done the excellent job during Korean and Vietnam wars. During the Balkan wars of the 1990s, Croatians used An-2, even as an impromptu night bomber. In Soviet aviation An-2 were massively used to train pilots and paratroopers especially, as well as liaison and transport aircrafts.
An-2's were regularly used on Soviet North Pole stations on drifting ice - and in Antarctica too. Once the impenetrable band of pack ice prevented the evacuation of the Antarctic expedition after a 1.5-year mission. On board of the Soviet icebreaker there were two completely worn An-2. One of them had a damaged engine in addition. But their pilots have used the occasional tabular iceberg as airfield and have taken polar researchers home. They had to fly a couple hundred of miles over the high seas. So single engine failure over icy water would mean the imminent death.
But best of all An-2 served just in peaceful roles, on domestic routes and especially in agricultural aviation. The replacement of the An-2 has not been found. After Soviet Union fall the sharp rise of aviation gasoline price has forced to ban An-2 flights to many remote areas. As a result, thousands of settlements have disappeared from the map, Siberia has became literally depopulated. It was found that termination of An-2 operations has caused the loss of all contacts with the "Great Land". Numerous attempts to solve the problem have shown that the only substitute for the An-2 is ... the An-2 itself. But with the turboprop engine. This modification was done back in 1980's under the name of An-3. But the struggling economy in the CIS prevents mass production of the An-3.
347 flying accidents were noted during the whole An-2's biography. It is not the large figure if take into account the enormous number of these machines. So An-2 may be considered as the very safe aicraft.
Naturally An-2 has it's own shortcomings - because every piece of technique possess it. Apart of the expensive gasoline the second one is conducted with it's low pounds per square foot figure. The An-2 just as each biplane, is 'highly volatile'. Therefore, it is very sensitive to the atmospheric turbulence. For example, crossing the border between field and forest, or between the shore and the water surface immediately causes acute passengers seasick. Aircraft equipment is purely Spartan, comfort is absent at all. But as for the "bush-flyer" it is OK.