The legendary American Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft landed at the Kalachevo airfield in Chelyabinsk. Previously, this plane belonged to the American Hiller Aviation Museum, where it was purchased by Russian entrepreneur and enthusiastic pilot Evgeny Barsov, for the aviation museum he was creating in Surgut.
First of all, I would like to note that they wanted to conduct the visit to the South Ural land on such a world-famous plane quietly - they boarded in the evening, spent the night, and flew away in the morning. There was no media coverage, no press, nothing planned. Amateur photographs of the Dakota meeting in Kalachevo, posted on social media, literally in a matter of hours shook up the Chelyabinsk community of aviation enthusiasts. Well, how can such a grandiose aviation event for Chelyabinsk be missed, no matter how. We found out that the DC-3 was in Kalachevo, so we packed up and went, despite the fact that it was night and it was raining nastyly.
Already approaching the territory of Chelavia, the large face of this plane appeared. Compared to the local aviation inhabitants, he looks like a giant.
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The aircraft is one of the most popular in the entire history of world aviation - more than 16 thousand aircraft were produced.
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This particular car was produced back in 1945. The Russian registration number is marked on board, but the old American one is also in its original place.
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Somewhere I once read words of praise from pilots who flew such planes in the 1940s. The words are very simple, but say a lot: “The best replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3.”
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Wet through, but very happy, we went home to sleep. Let the plane get some sleep.
We had information that the flight was scheduled for the next day, at 8 am. We arrived at the airfield a little late, and a decent number of people had already gathered around the plane. And everyone is interested, everyone’s eyes are burning.
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In small groups, everyone was able to look into the cabin and interior of Douglas. The crew reacted to this with understanding.
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As can be seen from the inscription, the ladder is good when only one person goes up/down it.
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The archaic interior has a 2+1 layout; there is a TV in the cabin. The square windows once again remind us of the aircraft’s advanced age. Since the 1950s, airplane windows have been installed round or oval, and if with corners, then rounded.
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In the front row there is a table with a map of US air routes.
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There was a line to see the cabin.
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The instrument panel is not entirely authentic; modern aviation gadgets are installed in the center.
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Still, it’s hard to believe in the presence of this historical aircraft in Chelyabinsk.
The aircraft at one time gained such popularity that it was produced in different parts of the world under its own brands. For example, in the USSR it was the military transport Li-2 or the passenger PS-38, in Japan the Showa L2D. Moreover, these aircraft are still in operation: in Alaska in the USA, on the African continent and even in Antarctica. There is a modern modification of this aircraft called the Basler BT-67 with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67R turboprop engines, manufactured by Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh.
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Some close-ups. It was hard to do them at night, but in the morning it was the best.
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The propellers are manufactured in Connecticut by Hamilton Standard Propellers.
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It's not May outside, it's cold, so you need to carry out anti-icing treatment before departure.
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The aircraft is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines. The right engine has already started.
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The left engine started, the plane taxied for departure. The sound of the DC-3 engines is very characteristic and is not at all similar to the sound of the An-2 engines. I’m comparing it with the An-2, because so far I’ve only heard of the An-2 as a piston engine, and now the Douglas DC-3 has been added.
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The control tower balcony is a great place to watch Douglas take flight. On the ground, however, three times as many people saw off. I also filmed from the ground.
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The guys and I thought that the DC-3 would take off from a hard runway, but it taxied onto the ground.
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The advantage of cloudy, humid weather is that airplanes with propellers leave weird spirals when taking off.
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The red and white car slowly takes off from the ground and rushes into the cloudy October sky, leaving the hospitable Ural land. Surgut, accept the legend.
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This is how the legendary American Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft was met and seen off in Chelyabinsk.
There is a lot connected with this aircraft in the aviation of the Soviet Union. Its role in the development of domestic passenger and transport aviation is simply unique. And the place in the implementation of our Victory is difficult to overestimate. As for its role in the development of the domestic all-metal aircraft industry, based on thin-walled structures and the plaza-template linking method, then without undue modesty we can say that the organization of licensed production in the Soviet Union of this aircraft under the name PS-84, and later Li-2, was simply put the aviation industry on new modern tracks!
Of course, the DC-3 aircraft is a real flying legend and its appearance in Russia, especially in flying condition, is very significant. On the first day of the MAKS-2015 Air Show, I was given not just the opportunity to see this aircraft, but great opportunity walk around and visit inside. Therefore, I invite you to do a traditional walkaround with me and get acquainted with the design features of the aircraft.
To begin with, the canonical wiki reference: Douglas DC-3 (C-47, C-53, R4D, “Dakota”, Li-2 (in the USSR), Showa L2D2 - L2D5 (in Japan)) is an American short-range transport aircraft with two piston engines . Developed by Douglas Aircraft Company. First flight - December 17, 1935. Produced in a variety of passenger and transport versions, in the USA and Japan - until 1945, in the USSR - until 1952. One of the most popular aircraft in the history of world aviation: serial production, taking into account all modifications and licensed production outside the USA amounted to 16,079 vehicles.
If pkk_avia captured how the plane began its flight to Russia from Oshkosh, and photografersha accompanied him along the entire route and regularly covered him in August on the pages of the live magazine, then I will allow myself to go a little deeper and talk about, which combines classics and uniqueness at the same time!
The fin and stabilizer are also structurally a multi-spar monoblock, with the two halves of the stabilizer being joined together in the plane of symmetry of the aircraft, and joined to the fuselage by means of a bent angle, 100 bolts and a special profile edging a cutout in the skin of the rear fuselage.
The elevators and directional rudders are a metal frame with a tubular spar that absorbs all types of loads and fabric covering. This design was widely used on many aircraft and is recognized as a classic due to its ease of simplicity and manufacturability.
The fuselage of the aircraft is a classic semi-monocoque, consisting of a frame and skin. In cross section, it has a rather complex shape, different from the usual circle. Everything is done to ensure acceptable habitability with minimal dimensions. To ensure good aerodynamic shapes, the nose and tail sections have a rather complex cut-out shape for the skin, with most of it having a single curvature.
The developed wing fairing ensures a reduction in interference in the area where the wing meets the center section, on the one hand, and hides eight joint assemblies, on the other.
There is only one difference in the external contours of this specimen: the weather radar fairing has a more pointed shape compared to the original nose spinner.
The aircraft uses one of the simplest, lightest and most effective wing mechanization schemes: Schrenk landing flaps. Remember our WWII fighters, the Yak-52 and Yak-18T: the same design! And even on modern ones we see the same landing flaps: a simple and functional solution.
This aircraft uses outer skin made of thin clad sheets of duralumin (an alloy coated with a thin layer of pure aluminum, which is significantly less susceptible to corrosion), and they are not painted, but covered only with a protective transparent varnish. This type of cladding is quite difficult to maintain and maintain cleanliness and shine, but it embodies an extremely romantic, classically metallic style. Just remember the old American Airlines livery, for example on this one.
If you are not yet tired of laboratory work in the course “Airplane Design”, perhaps I’ll let you move on, in my opinion, myself interesting place in the design of the DC-3 aircraft. The aircraft wing has a monoblock structural and power design, which is rarely found in practical aircraft construction. If we look at any textbook on aircraft design, we will definitely read that, along with the spar and torsion design, there is also a MONOBLOCK. In modern textbooks, as an illustrative example, you can see a schematic drawing, but in publications of the 40-50s, as such an example, although without indicating the type of aircraft, you can see a drawing of a detachable part of the wing of a domestically produced Li-2 aircraft. As a rule, in less loaded structures, spar wings are used, and in more loaded ones, caisson wings are used, which are the golden mean or the optimal compromise between the spar and monoblock designs. What do we have here? A load-bearing skin supported by stringers that fully absorbs the bending moment and three vertical walls to transmit shearing force and torque. The flange joint between the console and the center section is striking in its simplicity and laconism. The corner, curved according to the shape of the profile and naturally hollowed out to fit the conical shape of the console, is attached with its lower shelf to the casing, stringers and linings that reinforce and distribute the load. And the vertical shelves of the console and center section, respectively, are connected to each other by many bolts with a diameter of ¼ inch. Naturally, in the zone maximum thickness profile, the pitch of the bolts is more frequent, and towards the ends of the wing profile the pitch becomes less frequent, which corresponds to the distribution of the load at the joint. The entire joint is located strictly along the flow, it does not add much extra resistance. The condition of the bolted connection is very easy to visually inspect during each pre-flight inspection. A large number of connecting elements increases the survivability and reliability of the structure. In passing, I would like to note that the flange connection is a very common type of joint in American aircraft construction. Just look at the Texan, also presented at MAKS (only here the joint at the top is covered with an omega-shaped fairing and is clearly visible in the live magazine igor113 ).
Now, let's climb aboard! The aircraft was most recently operated in Florida as a freighter, so the number of seats for accompanying personnel is minimal. Gasoline barrels are also clearly visible to ensure the necessary range when flying from the USA.
Another idiot's dream came true - yesterday I flew a Douglas DC-3. More precisely, the plane I flew on was a Douglas C-41A - a military VIP version specially manufactured in one copy, in 1939, for the Air Force. It was originally built in a DST - "Douglas Sleeper Transport" configuration - with four berths in the nose and a cabin in the rear. During the war, it was used as a personal aircraft by the commander of American aviation, General Arnold. In December 1945, he was decommissioned, and unlike most of his brothers, he did not end up in some Africa or South America, and in 1953 it was converted into the prototype of modern business jets. The berths were removed from the plane and a luxurious (as seen in 1953) interior was made. With it (updated several times) he flies to this day. It was originally sold to the Standard Oil Company, and after that it changed hands every couple of years, working mostly for different oil companies. At the end of the 80s, he fell into the museum rotation and changed several museums. A couple of years ago it was completely overhauled and restored to flying condition. On this moment the plane flew only 10,000 hours, which is a very small figure for the DC-3 (there are planes that flew 90,000 hours), and in terms of flight time it is one of the youngest DC-3s in the air. These days, the plane is owned by a company called Golden Age Air Tours and operates for hobbyists. air history on west coast USA.
I've been wanting to fly a DC-3 for a very long time (I even thought about flying to Canada and flying on Buffalo Airways, which until recently used the DC-3 for passenger transportation, but it turned out to be very difficult and expensive) and when he flew in our area this weekend, I couldn’t miss this opportunity. The flight cost was $299 for 45 minutes. The plane took off from the local airport in Napa and flew to San Francisco, circling over the bay. For me, accustomed to commercial flights, it was very unusual that they were allowed to stand up straight after takeoff, go into the cockpit and use the phone to make calls from the plane :). In 2016, I was driving a Ford Trimotor built in 1929 and it was very interesting for me to compare how much progress has been made in aviation over 10 years. I want to say that the progress was very strong - if the sensations from flying on the Traimotor were like on the An-2, then flying on the DC-3 is quite comparable to flying on the An-24. The plane did not shake or rattle despite the low altitude, and engine noise was relatively low (although this may be a result of the "VIP" version). Overall I really liked it.
By the way, next year this aircraft, along with about 30 other DC-3/C-47s, will participate in events marking the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings - Daks over Normandy.
Photos are clickable. And for modellers, a detailed roll of it can be viewed at svsm.org.
1. I think that among non-military aircraft, the DC-3 is one of the most beautiful aircraft of its time
2. Closer nose
3. Polished aluminum
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5. The plane has more powerful engines than the standard DC-3 - P&W 1830-94 with 1350 hp, versus P&W 1830-90 with 1200 hp.
6. History of the aircraft
7. Tail
8. At non-commercial American airports you can go directly onto the platform and walk along it
9. Napa is one of the main tourist regions of northern California, and one of the most expensive, so the line of business jets at the local airport is not surprising.
10. Cockpit. The warm lamp quality is slightly spoiled by the displays in the middle. I don’t know if this is necessary or if the owners just decided it was better this way.
11. PIC place
12. Salon. It was made like this in 1953, and you can see a lot of retro details in it.
13. Mobile phone
14. Course, altitude (feet) and speed (knots)
15. No smoking and fasten your seat belts
16. "Air conditioner" and individual light bulb
17. Kitchen
18.Dataplate
19. This is what its interior looked like in 1940.
20. Taxiing for takeoff
21. Sea of rivets
22. Pilots. These historic aircraft are typically flown by commercial pilots in their spare time.
23. San Quentin maximum security prison. When it was built, it was on the outskirts of everything, but now it is surrounded by the most expensive real estate in our area :).
24. San Rafael Bridge through the open cockpit window. Surprisingly, it was not cold at all, despite the fact that it was warm outside, but not hot.
25. A great rarity in our area, since 20 years ago they showed all the military bases, a warship. This is the tanker USNS Yukon (T-AO-202).
26. Was accompanied by two tugs.
27. It is very strange that he had crew cars on his deck. This is what aircraft carriers do when they permanently change their location, but I don’t think I’ve heard anything similar about the Yukon. Judging by Marine Traffic, he is now parked in the former .
28. Bridge, Yukon and oil terminal in the distance.
29. Homes of local rich people cost from $5 to $10 million.
30. San Francisco in a Haze
31. Angel Island - at the top you can see a concreted area with three rusty rectangles - this is the former position of the Nike Hercules air defense system. The rusty rectangles are the lids of underground missile storage facilities. One such position was converted into a nearby
32. San Francisco
33. Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Point, built in the 1860s, can be seen under the arch. I'm talking about him too.
34. Alcatraz. I never wrote about it, because I’ve never been :).
35. Museum ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien, the stern of the museum submarine USS Pampanito is visible in front of it
36. San Francisco. In the distance you can see the former Hunters Point naval shipyard with a huge truss crane. At the time of its construction in 1947, it was the largest in the world and could lift 630 tons. The shipyard was closed in the 70s, but the military trashed its entire territory so much (there they removed radioactive paint from ships coming from atomic tests and buried it right on the spot) that they still cannot clean it up, which is why it is still empty.
37. Vessels queuing for unloading/loading at the port of Okledno.
38. Bulk Treasure Island. It was built in 1936-37 for the world exhibition in 1939. In the background is the Port of Oakland and the former Alameda naval base where Mythbusters was filmed and where the aircraft carrier USS Hornet Museum now stands
39. Golden Gate
40. Abandoned barracks on Angel Island.
41. Oil terminals. Uv. gruppman
Obviously he can tell something interesting about them :).
42. Landing
43. The plane flew low and collected a whole generation of bugs on the windshield
44. Immediately after landing, the mechanic starts wiping something
45. Meanwhile, the airport lives its own life - oil workers flew from Arkansas on a Dassault Falcon 2000EX to drink wine.
46. That's all, I hope it was interesting.
The Douglas DC-3 is a multi-role twin-engine airliner produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company from 1936 to 1942.
Photo Douglas DC-3
According to the opinions of the world's leading experts, the Douglas DC-3 aircraft is a truly successful model not only for its time, but also until the 70s of the last century. Due to the reliability of this aircraft, quite acceptable flight characteristics and ease of maintenance, Douglas DC-3 aircraft are partially in use today.
The development of the Douglas DC-3 aircraft was carried out on the basis of the DC-2 model, however, aircraft manufacturers took into account earlier shortcomings and nuances and improved this model as much as possible. Initially, the aircraft were operated during the Second World War as transport and transport-passenger aircraft, however, later they entered service in civil aviation– it is known about 607 aircraft specially produced for civil aviation.
Douglas DC-3 photo
The aircraft's power plant consists of two Wright R-1820 Cyclone piston screw engines (depending on modification), capable of developing a total power of 2200 hp. and fly at speeds up to 333 km/h (cruising flight speed). The reliability of this aircraft was tested by pilots of several generations, and in fact the pilots did not have any complaints regarding control, speed and maneuverability.
Douglas DC-3
Depending on the cabin configuration, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft can accommodate 24 passengers (basic production model), however, these aircraft were actively used for any purpose, including transporting cargo, landing paratroopers, etc.
In addition to the basic production version, the aircraft was produced in several modifications, mainly adapted for specific missions.
The basic production version of the aircraft was named Douglas DST, while during daytime passenger flights, the aircraft could accommodate 24 passengers, however, in the case of long-term air travel or air travel at night, the cabin was equipped with special sleeping areas and allowed accommodation on There are only 16 people on board.
Photo of Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 version was a more universal model, designed for a constant number of passengers on board - 21 people. This version did not receive any technical innovations.
The Douglas DC-3A model received updated, more efficient and powerful (1200 hp each), Pratt & Whitney R-1830-21 piston aircraft engines, allowing it to accelerate to a speed of 350 km/h (cruising speed).
The modification of the Douglas DC-3B began to have more reliable Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines with a power of 1200 hp. every. Among other things, more capacious fuel tanks allowed the aircraft to cover distances of up to 2.5 thousand kilometers.
The Douglas DC-3C was a redesigned military version of this aircraft. Any changes in flight performance The aircraft did not happen, however, the cabin was converted for civil aviation, which allowed various airlines around the world to operate this model.
The Douglas DC-3D model was a 28 new aircraft produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company from parts and components of military models.
Douglas DC-3 cockpit
Douglas DC-3S is an improved model, equipped with a new modified wing and tail section, which slightly increases the maneuverability and controllability of the aircraft. The model was equipped with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2000 engines with a power of 1300 hp. everyone that provided aircraft cruising speed of 370 km/h.
Douglas DC-3\LXD1 - a special version produced in a single copy for the Japanese Navy.
The Douglas C-41A model was produced as a VIP transport for high-ranking persons. The main distinguishing feature of this modification was the high-quality interior, which almost completely absorbed flight noise.
The Douglas C-48 modification was introduced as only one aircraft, and was used for almost 20 years by the American airline United Air Lines as a business class aircraft.
The Douglas C-48A model is an 18-seat passenger aircraft, which is essentially an updated version of the Douglas DC-3A, with the exception of a modified interior, improved aerodynamic shapes and installed electronics.
The Douglas C-48B version was nothing more than a modification of the C-48A model, specifically oriented to the needs of medical aviation.
The Douglas C-48C model had a spacious 21-seat passenger cabin, and at its core the aircraft was actually a military version converted for the needs of civil aviation.
VIP salon Douglas DC-3
The Douglas C-49 series aircraft were modifications based on the Douglas DC-3 and Douglas DST versions, with various cabin layouts.
The Douglas C-50 series of aircraft consisted of redesigned aircraft of the Douglas DC-3 version - the main difference was only the cabin equipment and overall passenger capacity.
The Douglas C-51 model was ordered from an American aircraft manufacturer in a single version specifically for the Canadian air carrier Canada Colonial Airlines.
Douglas C-52 is a modified and redesigned version of the Douglas DC-3A model, with new Pratt & Whitney R-1830 piston aircraft engines installed with increased power.
Douglas DC-3 interior
The Douglas C-68 was a modified, 21-seat version of the Douglas DC-3A. The passenger compartment was equipped with new, more comfortable passenger seats, as well as a number of other minor innovations. Only two aircraft of this version were built.
The Douglas C-84 is a redesigned version of the DC-3B. A distinctive feature of this aircraft was the modified wing shape, as well as more capacious fuel tanks.
The Douglas R4D-2 model was converted into a high-class aircraft and was operated only by Eastern Air Lines for charter flights and business air transportation.
Modifications Douglas R4D-4, Douglas R4D-4R and Douglas R4D-4Q are special versions developed for US Navy aviation.
The military version of the Douglas DC-3 Dakota II aircraft is a special development for the Royal Air Force of Great Britain. The model is currently out of service.
Among other things, several special versions were created based on the Douglas DC-3 model, which are quite popular all over the world.
- Airtech DC-3\2000– a redesigned version of the DC-3 model? With installed PZL ASz-62IT aircraft engines capable of developing power of 1100 hp. every. Among other things, the aircraft’s avionics were replaced with new, more advanced and modern ones;
- Basler BT-67– an improved version of the Douglas DC-3 aircraft, which received an increased fuselage length, which contributed to greater passenger capacity, as well as new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-67R engines;
- BSAS C-47 TP Turbo Dakota– a special version developed on the basis of the DC-3 model for the South African Air Force, with new installed Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65R turboprop aircraft engines;
- Conroy Turbo Three– modification equipped with Rolls-Royce Dart Mk turboprop engines. 510;
- Conroy Super Turbo Three– a redesigned version of the Conroy Turbo Three model, equipped with more modern engines and avionics;
- Conroy Tri Turbo Three– three-engine modification, equipped with powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65R turboprop engines;
- Greenwich Aircraft Corp Turbo Dakota DC-3– a modification built on the basis of the DC-3 model, with two installed Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR turboprop engines, an extended fuselage, and a modified wing;
- TS-62– special version adapted for Soviet aircraft engines ASh-62IR;
- TS-82– analogue of the TS-62 model, adapted for ASh-82FN engines;
- USAC DC-3 Turbo Express– modification based on the DC-3 version, equipped with a turboprop power plant, which includes two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45R engines;
- Douglas C-47– a version of the DC-3 model intended for operation in the US Air Force as a transport or transport-passenger aircraft;
- Showa\Nakajima L2D– military version produced for the Japanese Air Force and Navy;
- Lisunov Li-2- a model produced under license in the USSR.
Technical characteristics of Douglas DC-3.
- Crew: 2 people;
- Passenger capacity: 21 people (Depending on modification);
- Aircraft length: 19.7 m (Depending on modification);
- Wingspan: 29 m (Depending on modification);
- Aircraft height: 5.16 m (Depending on modification);
- Empty aircraft weight: 7.65 tons (Depending on modification);
- Payload: 4.35 tons (depending on modification);
- Maximum take-off weight6 12 tons (Depending on modification);
- Cruising speed: 333 km/h. (Depending on modification);
- Maximum flight speed: 370 km/h. (Depending on modification);
- Maximum flight range: 2400 km. (Depending on modification);
- Maximum flight altitude: 7100 m;
- Aircraft engine type: piston (Depending on modification);
- Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-1820 Cyclone (Depending on modification);
- Power: 2 × 1100 hp (Depending on modification).
From DC-3 to Li-2
Vladimir KOTELNIKOV Moscow
In the mid-1930s, Aeroflot's flagship was the PS-9, a twin-engine version of the Tupolev ANT-9, a low-speed aircraft with fixed landing gear and old-fashioned corrugated skin. Neither in its flight performance nor in its level of comfort did it meet the requirements that had changed significantly since the late 20s. But the domestic aircraft industry could not offer something significantly better to replace it. The creation of passenger cars PS-89 (ZIG-1) and PS-35 (ANT-35) was delayed, and their characteristics lagged behind the world level. The solution was found in selecting a successful design abroad. The choice fell on the American Douglas airliner.
In July 1933, the prototype DC-1, a high-speed all-metal twin-engine monoplane, entered testing. Smooth skin, retractable landing gear, variable pitch propellers - everything was in the spirit of the times. On the basis of this machine, the DC-2 was created, which was mass-produced from May 1934. In the same year, the Douglass entered North American lines. They quickly gained popularity due to their high performance, reliability and efficiency. The volume of orders from the company was constantly increasing. The aircraft were built in both civil and military transport versions - with a reinforced floor and a wide loading hatch.
In the course of further improvements, an even more spacious DST appeared in December 1935, equipped with both Railway carriage, sleeping places, and then its DC-3 variant with regular seats. This last one became the most widespread passenger airliner late 30s and all 40s.
The Douglas family of aircraft attracted the attention of Soviet specialists from the very beginning. For better acquaintance, on the recommendation of a delegation headed by A.N. Tupolev who visited America, through Amtorg (an organization registered as an American corporation with Soviet capital and performing the functions of a trade mission), in August 1935 they purchased one serial DC-2. The aircraft was tested by the Experimental Flight Testing and Development Department (OELID) of TsAGI and studied by specialists from the Experimental Structures Plant (ZOK). The reviews were only positive. Despite urgent requests, the DC-2 was not transferred to the Air Force Research Institute, allowing the military only to inspect it.
By the spring of 1936, after an exchange of views between the GUAP NKTP, the GU Civil Air Fleet and the UVVS, the decision to master the production of “Douglas” in the USSR had already practically crystallized. SUAI initially wanted to do without a license, limiting itself to a thorough study of the sample. The head of the UVVS, Ya. I. Alksnis, on the contrary, offered to buy the company’s technical assistance to speed up the solution of the problem. The opinion of the military was important, since the Douglas was not least considered as a potential military transport aircraft. In addition, in April 1936 it was assumed that our industry would simultaneously develop the civilian and military (the documents indicate “bomber”) version of the Douglas. Apparently, they meant the DB-1 (B-18 “Bolo”) unified with the DC-2, but with the advent of the domestic DB-3, interest in the DB-1 disappeared. In 1939, it was remembered again, but this time it was finally rejected as outdated.
But more and more serious plans were made for the passenger Douglas. They have already begun to look for a suitable enterprise that could master a rather technologically complex machine. In his memo to People's Commissar Voroshilov, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Lavrov in March 1936 proposed introducing an American aircraft at Factory No. 18 in Voronezh, removing the TB-3 from production there. Later, plans appeared for the construction of a special plant in Kuibyshev.
On March 21, a decree was issued by the Labor and Defense Council (STO) on the purchase of a DC-3 sample in the United States, and on April 21, a decree was issued on the acquisition of a license for it. The order has been given - it must be carried out. A commission headed by N. M. Kharlamov went to America.
Negotiations with the Douglas company ended successfully. On July 15, 1936, an agreement was signed for a license to manufacture the DC-3 in the Soviet Union. To accept technical documentation and master new technologies for us, in September of the same year, groups of specialists began to be sent to the Douglas plant. A report on the business trip of A.A. Senkov, who went to the USA with the very first group - on September 4, has been preserved. In it he lists the work he performed: acceptance of drawings, translation of inscriptions, technical descriptions, American standards, operating and piloting instructions, compiling lists of required materials. The company had to provide a set of drawings, specifications, photographs of parts and assemblies at different stages of manufacturing and assembly, and descriptions of technological processes. A specific modification of the DC-3 (and it was built in several versions, differing in the number of seats, interior layout, location of the front door, equipment and engine installation) had not yet been selected at this stage.
For more detailed information, in the USA in November 1936 we bought one DC-3-196 (No. 1589) with Wright SGR-1820-G2 engines. The company Excello acted as an intermediary in the purchase of the aircraft. On December 1, the disassembled car was sent by sea to Europe. This machine was intended for study at TsAGI, which was planned for 1937.
The search for a plant to develop Douglas is finally over. On December 26, 1936, the STO issued a decree on the production of licensed aircraft, according to which the development of the DC-3 was prescribed to plant No. 84 in Khimki near Moscow. On January 10 of the following year, a corresponding order from the GUAP appeared, placing responsibility for this on plant director Murashev and chief designer V. M. Myasishchev. At that time, this enterprise was engaged in the repair and alteration of civil aviation aircraft, as well as assembling PS-9 from the stock of plant No. 22. In April, Myasishchevsky KB-6, which was previously part of AGOS TsAGI as a department, was relocated to Khimki.
Assembly of Soviet-order DC-3-196 in the USA. Photo courtesy of A. Stepanov
DC-3 of the Directorate of International Lines of the Civil Air Fleet, 1939. Photo from the archive of G. Petrov
The final scope of work under the license agreement was recorded in the Amtorg order dated November 30, 1937. According to it, all documentation on the DC-3-196 modification as of June 3, plus all changes that would be made to the drawings before December 1, were transferred to the Soviet side . The vehicle was equipped with Wright SGR-1820-G2 engines, Hamilton Standard propellers, and an autopilot. In addition, the Douglas company had to supply one finished aircraft in disassembled form and one at the stage of preparation for assembly (i.e., in fact, a set of components and assemblies), two sets of blanks (castings, forgings, etc.) and purchased products. A separate clause stipulated the company’s assistance in mastering the hydropressing process in the USSR.
The aircraft was supposed to be built in two versions - civilian passenger and military transport. On February 16, 1938, in Khimki, the model commission was presented with a full-size model of the Soviet Douglas. passenger modification. The commission had two chairmen at once: from the UVVS - Grebenev, from the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet - Zakharov. The layout was accepted, although a number of comments were made. The commission noted that the flight range of 1,220 km is insufficient for the Civil Air Fleet, the strength of the aircraft does not meet the standards adopted in the USSR, and the division of the machine into components does not allow it to meet railway dimensions. For the future, it was recommended to install frontal hoods based on the model of the Valti V-1AS aircraft, change the location of the radio station, bringing it closer to the American model, and mount the AVP-12bis autopilot (a copy of the American Sperry), following the example of the German transport aircraft 52/Zt put canvas sleeves over the emergency fuel drain holes. On the first production aircraft it was required to provide a ski landing gear, and on the 1939 series it was required to make it retractable.
On all civil "Douglas" in war time they were going to install weapons. One ShKAS machine gun was supposed to fire from the fuselage up and back, the second was installed in the lower hatch on an installation similar to the SB. Both had 500 rounds of ammunition.
After making a number of changes, the layout was presented to the commission again, on January 11, 1939 - almost a year after the first show.
The creation of two purely military modifications was also envisaged - transport-landing and sanitary. But production began with passenger cars, which had fewer differences from the American prototype. The aircraft, difficult to manufacture and designed for unfamiliar template technology, took a long time to master. Periodic “purges” also contributed to the delays, eliminating valuable personnel from experienced aircraft builders. Among the “enemies of the people” was V. M. Myasishchev, who eventually ended up in the prison design bureau of the Special Technical Department of the NKVD and never returned to work on the Douglas.
After him, the work on developing production was led by designer A. A. Senkov (appointed chief designer of the plant even before Myasishchev’s arrest) and chief engineer of plant No. 84 B. P. Lisunov. The design was adapted to the use of domestic materials, metric rolled products, and other equipment and instruments.
For 1938-39 OKB-1 workers at plant No. 84 recalculated almost all components and assemblies, taking into account changes in materials and other strength standards. But the Douglas airframe did not receive practically any reinforcements, since by American standards it was considered overly durable and only in some typical design situations did it fall slightly short of the Soviet ones. Subsequently, the Americans installed significantly higher power engines on the military transport version of the Douglas C-47, which created correspondingly greater loads on the airframe, with virtually no additional reinforcements.
When converting inch sizes into metric ones, we simply rounded up almost everywhere. Thus, the center section butt bolts, instead of 6.35 mm, were chosen with a diameter of 7 mm. And so on.
The aircraft was equipped with Soviet M-62IR engines with a take-off power of 1000 hp. With. This engine was a “cousin” of the SGR-1820-G2. Both of them were a product of improvement of the original SR-1820-F3, produced in the USSR under the M-25 brand. The variable pitch propellers were also domestic, such as VISH-21 (automatic).
Aeroflot's DC-3-196 before departure from Moscow. Winter 1940. The spinners were already installed in the USSR. Photo from the archive of G. Petrov
The cabin and passenger compartment were slightly rearranged, the wheels were replaced with domestic ones, bigger size, designed shock-absorbing struts designed to withstand heavy loads.
Contrary to initial expectations, not a single aircraft was assembled in 1938. The first car left the workshops of plant number 84 only in the summer of 1939. After short factory tests, it was transferred to the state-owned Civil Air Fleet Research Institute. The aircraft, which had long appeared in documents simply as “Douglas,” was now called PS-84. The tests ran from September 3 to December 17. We made 166 flights, flying 73 hours and 45 minutes.
Straight from the tests, the plane went to the front, to the Finnish border. All winter it transported the wounded to rear hospitals. According to updated data from the NKAP, serial production of the PS-84 needed to be launched in the 4th quarter of 1939: two aircraft had to be delivered in October, two in November and three in December. The customer for all of them was the Air Force. In fact, we passed six. The military ordered another 20 vehicles for the next year, 1940.
All the first Douglass had a significant proportion of American parts. For example, they had Bendix wheels measuring 1143x432 (main) and 559x229 (tail) with American tires, some electrical equipment, Hamilton ZE50 propellers (interchangeable with domestic VISH-21), and Fairchild S-7 radio half-compasses.
But the Red Army Air Force did not want to have ordinary passenger vehicles, but special military transport ones. The first project of this kind was presented by Senkov in June 1939. On July 29, a resolution of the Defense Committee required the plant to submit a prototype of this option for state testing in December. In November, one of the first production PS-84s was converted into the transport-landing PS-84K and factory tests were carried out, but during distillation on January 4, 1940 at the Air Force Research Institute, the vehicle suffered an accident. The factory urgently produced a backup. This time there were no flight tests at the plant; the state ones at the Air Force Research Institute were combined with the factory tests. They started on May 11th. The pilot, Captain Predein, and the navigator, Major Marin-Fedorov, flew.
The PS-84K differed from serial passenger cars in that it had a reinforced interior floor, a wide hatch on the left side with a lid that opened upwards, and the presence of a crane to facilitate loading heavy cargo. 26 paratroopers sat not like passengers in the PS-84, and not like in the American S-47 - on the sides, but on benches along the axis of the vehicle, back to back. The landing commander was located in a separate chair, at whose seat a connector was made for connecting to the SPU. When transporting cargo, all seats were removed. The internal volume of the fuselage made it possible to place 10 barrels of fuel, two 45-mm cannons with limbers or one 76-mm. It was possible to transport oil cans, aircraft engines, and ammunition.
An external load suspension was also provided. A special bridge was attached under the center section. The Der-19 and Der-31 bomb racks carried a variety of cargo - PDMM parachute bags, PDBB gas tanks with a capacity of 100 to 400 liters, universal boxes (each carrying 300 kg of cargo). The discharge was carried out using an ESBR-3 electric discharger; There was also a spare mechanical ASBR. The bridge was removable; five workers installed it in just 7 minutes.
The total payload of the PS-84K was 2400 kg - 400 kg more than the conventional PS-84.
The PS-84K passed state tests satisfactorily, and it was recommended for service with the Red Army Air Force. At the same time, they demanded that the identified shortcomings be eliminated - change the position of the left door (built into the cargo hatch lid), cover the floor with rubber, make the landing seats folding, install weapons (“at least 2 machine guns”), and provide seat belts for the paratroopers. At temperatures below 10 degrees below zero, the engines cooled down during maneuvering - they required winter blinds, and at the same time put a spinner on the propeller hub (the first PS-84 did not have spinners, as well as the DC-3).
During military tests on June 17–18, the PS-84K was used to land soldiers of the 201st Airborne Brigade at the Relbitsy airfield near Leningrad. The paratroopers left the plane through both doors - left and right - in 12–14 seconds. The landing took about one and a half minutes. The conclusions of the report read: “The PS-84-K aircraft in the landing version significantly better than an airplane TB-3..."
The second military modification of the Soviet Douglas was the ambulance PS-84I. The partition between the cabin and the luggage compartment was removed, creating a large space where stretchers stood in three tiers. In total, the vehicle took on board 18 bedridden, three sedentary patients and one orderly. There was no prototype of the PS-84I, but about a dozen DC-3s of different series purchased in the USA were converted to this version, using them during the fighting on Khalkhin-1ol and on the Finnish front. During the war with Finland, the first PS-84 was also turned into a ambulance.
From the surviving documents it follows that they planned to both build the PS-84K for the Air Force (both with and without weapons), and, if necessary, convert ordinary passenger PS-84s into them, having provided for this possibility in advance. The head of the Air Force Research Institute A.I. Filin wrote in July 1940: “All aircraft. PS-84 should be built with all the changes necessary to convert them into military versions ... "
In general, by the summer of 1940, the concept of the formation of Soviet military transport aviation had changed dramatically. Previously, in Peaceful time it actually did not exist as such. There was only a special-purpose squadron near Moscow, which partially performed transport functions, and small transport air squadrons in the districts. In case of war, they were going to mobilize all suitable aircraft from the civil air fleet. But by the beginning of the 40s, the already accumulated experience of military campaigns led the Air Force to the need to have its own transport aviation, with special equipment, crews trained for the transport of troops and airborne assault forces. The leadership of the Civil Air Fleet tried to defend the old approach that was beneficial to it and even demanded that all DC-3s owned by the military be transferred to civil aviation. However, the new concept won.
But this required a lot of planes. In October 1939, the Air Force alone estimated its needs at 510 vehicles, and by January 1943 they wanted to increase the fleet to 815 Douglass. The appetites of Aeroflot also grew, which by this time had launched the DC-3 on all international and most important domestic routes.
The productivity of the low-power plant No. 84 was certainly not enough for this. The NKAP initially gave him a plan for 1940 of only 20 aircraft. To increase the production of PS-84, a number of urgent measures were taken. The plan included the modernization of the enterprise in Khimki, bringing its productivity to 500 vehicles per year, and the construction of a new plant in Tashkent, which was supposed to simultaneously build PS-84 and DB-Zf. On January 11, 1940, a resolution of the Defense Committee appeared on the introduction of Douglas at plant No. 124 in Kazan (it was given a plan of 100 vehicles), but in reality, only 10 were produced at this enterprise due to the restoration of production of TB-7 (Pe-8) airplanes. Factory No. 84 was urgently allocated new machines, specialists, additional funds for the expansion of work, and already from the 2nd quarter of 1940 the plan was sharply raised.
Aircraft manufactured in late 1940 - early 1941 were distinguished externally by spinners with ratchet-type autostarters, frontal winter cowls, and internally by an almost complete transition to domestic instruments and equipment. Now all vehicles had Soviet propellers, RPK-2 radio semi-compasses, Soviet wheels 1200x450 (main) and 600x250 (tail). New wheels began to be installed on aircraft No. 316. Moreover, our tires began to be installed on the DC-3. In the frosty winter of 1939-40, the cameras on the latter often burst. At the same time, hydraulic system seals were replaced on American planes, which were already leaking at 20 degrees below zero. The empty weight of the PS-84, after making a number of minor changes, rose from 7060 to 7200 kg.
During 1940, they managed to assemble 64 vehicles (51 were accepted), the vast majority of them went to the Civil Air Fleet. The passenger PS-84 had a crew of five people: two pilots, a radio operator, a flight mechanic and a flight attendant. The latter was originally called the “barmaid”. The cabin accommodated 21 passengers, but with maximum fuel filling, only 13 people were taken on board.
As before, only passenger PS-84s were assembled. Despite pressure from the Air Force, industry refused to build military versions, fearing the disruption of very intense plans. The 1940 plan failed, just like last year, and the introduction of new options frightened the leadership of the NKAP.
Based on the DC-3, we designed modifications for various purposes. In 1939, Senkov made a proposal to strengthen the PS-84 airframe and install AM-35 engines on the vehicle. The People's Commissariat supported the designer and ordered the construction of two prototypes. They wanted to build this modification in passenger, ambulance, training and landing versions. But after careful study it turned out that the alterations would be too great. It would be necessary to change the kinematics of the chassis, the power set of the center section and re-arrange the equipment due to a significant shift in alignment.
One of the first production PS-84 on a ski chassis. The aircraft of the first series did not have propeller spinners. photo from the archive of G. Petrov
Aeroflot PS-84 at the Central Aerodrome, May 1941. Please note that the landing gear struts are of the original American type.
Photo from the archive of G. Petrov
Similar modifications were designed with domestic engines M-63, M-88, M-103, M-105, M-81 and M-90 and American Wright R-2600. They all promised to increase the aircraft's speed by 50–60 km/h.
In the same 1939, the Air Force Research Institute developed tactical and technical requirements for a night bomber based on the DC-3. Two answers to these requirements appeared: on the PS-84K they provided for the suspension of FAB-100 bombs on cargo bridge holders, and in October a project for a more advanced vehicle with M-63 engines appeared. The aircraft was supposed to carry three machine gun mounts and 1200 kg of bombs on the internal sling. But due to the low flight data, the introduction of this modification into production was considered inappropriate.
In September 1940, Senkov presented a new project, PS-84A, with M-71 engines. The car was distinguished by a reinforced airframe, chassis fairings, engine hoods with skirts (as later on the S-47) and a larger wing area. Passenger (for 26–34 seats), military transport (with a load of up to 3000 kg), landing (for 45 people), ambulance and headquarters options were provided. It is interesting that the military subtypes of the PS-84A were not armed. Machine gun mounts were provided on the bomber, created on the basis of the PS-84A. But this aircraft was not a complete modification of it, but only used part of its components and assemblies (albeit a very significant one). Responding to the requirements of the Air Force and Civil Air Fleet to increase the flight range, the designer completed a preliminary design of the PS-84M with M-30 diesel engines.
KB-29 considered the possibility of equipping the Douglas with a pressurized cabin. But all this remained on paper. Only the ordinary passenger PS-84 was built in series. Even the PS-84K only remained a prototype.
The rate of production of Douglas vehicles in Khimki gradually increased. In April 1941, the 84th plant produced its hundredth aircraft. By the beginning of the war, Aeroflot had 72 PS-84s. Another 49 copies belonged to the Air Force, 5 to naval aviation and several vehicles to the NKVD.
Immediately after the German attack on the Soviet Union most PS-84 was assembled in separate air groups of the Civil Air Fleet, which supported combat operations on the fronts and fleets. As of June 25, they contained 68 PS-84 and DC-3, including 51 as part of the Moscow Special Purpose Air Group (MAGON). They took part in many important operations during the initial period of the war. PS-84 delivered cargo and reinforcements to the front, and transported the wounded and evacuees.
Since July 1941, defensive weapons began to be installed on the Douglas. At first they did it handicraft, right in the air units. For example, they placed MV-3 turrets from crashed bombers on top or placed machine guns on primitive pivot mounts in the loading hatches of the rear luggage compartment.
At the end of the same month, at the Vnukovo airport air base, engineer M. M. Kulik designed the conversion of the PS-84 to accommodate the VUS-1 upper turret with the ShKAS machine gun. At the same time, provisions were made for installing two more ShKAS machine guns on pivot mounts in the luggage compartment. In Vnukovo, one aircraft was modified and tested. The car was piloted by M. A. Nikiforov. During the first flight, buffeting occurred - a bulky turret disrupted the flow around the fuselage. The installation had to be redone. In an improved form, on September 17, 1941, it was accepted as standard.
PS-84 on the Leningrad front, 1942. The forward fixed ShKAS machine gun is clearly visible.
Photo from the archive of G. Petrov
Testing of the GAM-10 flame arrester muffler on the Li-2 aircraft. Photo from the archive of N. Gordyukov
Evacuation of Kirov plant specialists from besieged Leningrad. The aircraft has a VUS-1 upper turret with a ShKAS machine gun. 1942
Photo from the archive of G. Petrov
In Vnukovo, a weapons workshop was created, through which aircraft that belonged not only to the Civil Air Fleet, but also to the Air Force were passed through. V.N. Chitaev became the head of the workshop. Along with the weapons, the PS-84 was equipped with armored backrests and seat cups for parachutes. Soon the standard set of Douglas weapons was supplemented with a fixed ShKAS machine gun in the nose of the fuselage.
Already in early October, armed PS-84 MAGON began operating on the “air bridge” to besieged Leningrad. On October 17, gunner Novitsky from the crew of pilot Pantelli shot down a Bf 109 fighter attacking a transporter.
Kulik’s drawings were transferred to plant No. 84, but they did not have time to use them there. The Germans were approaching Moscow. Enterprises from the capital and Moscow region began to be exported to the east. On October 15, the staff of plant No. 84 also began evacuating. Trains with equipment were sent to Central Asia, the enterprise was located on the site of the unfinished aircraft plant No. 34 in Tashkent (where, by the way, before the war it was planned to assemble the PS-84). On January 7, 1942, the first PS-84 was assembled there from components taken from Khimki. The series has already started on January 17th.
Wartime vehicles received weapons, and interior decoration and equipment underwent significant simplifications. The VUS-1 turret was soon replaced by the UTK-1 for the UBT machine gun. The armament “ate up” at different altitudes up to 14–17 km/h maximum speed (it dropped to 281 km/h) with equal take-off weight. Accordingly, the range fell (to 2350 km), the rate of climb deteriorated (they began to spend 10 minutes more to climb to a height of 5000 m) and the practical ceiling decreased by half a kilometer. Armored seat backs have become mandatory. The weight of the weapon with ammunition was 134 kg. The entire output was sent to the front; the rear departments of the Civil Air Fleet received practically nothing. The structural modifications of the aircraft in Tashkent were led by A.P. Golubkov.
Since the summer of 1942, PS-84s began to be used as night bombers. Bomb racks for 1000 kg of bombs were mounted under the center section. The maximum fuel supply was increased to 3110 liters. The take-off weight of the vehicle exceeded 11,500 kg (compared to the pre-war norm of 10,900 kg). It was then, apparently, that the same reinforced double strut of the “leg” of the chassis appeared, which is considered a characteristic distinctive feature of Soviet-made Douglas vehicles.
A ton load corresponded to maximum range. On the “short arm” it was possible to take much more, but there was simply nowhere to hang bombs. In these cases, the crews often took additional small bombs into the fuselage, from where they threw them out through the door by hand. The main bomb racks were equipped with standard electric bomb releasers and emergency mechanical ones. There was no space for installing an optical bomb sight on the PS-84, so a primitive sight was placed at the right window of the cockpit.
Since the flight weight increased compared to the passenger version, a number of small reinforcements were introduced into the airframe. The machines, modified in parts without reinforcements, were operated with restrictions on take-off weight and maximum flight speed.
A stand with a double strut of the main chassis leg. Photo courtesy of S. Pazynich
Disaster at the airfield of the Tashkent aircraft plant. Pilot Garanin tried to land a Li-2 with a failed engine, but, hitting a building with his wing, crashed into a parking lot, damaging two more aircraft there. November 12, 1942 Photo from the archive of N. Yakubovich
If pre-war passenger cars were not painted, maintaining the natural color of duralumin, now airplanes began to be painted according to the Air Force standard - green top, blue bottom. In the field, this camouflage was often complemented by patches of black or brown paint without any specific pattern. Both earlier production vehicles and the American-made DC-3 were camouflaged.
Passenger PS-84s were no longer built during the war. The only exception can be considered five aircraft with pre-war interiors, specially manufactured in Tashkent in June 1943 for the flight of the Soviet delegation to Tehran. They were collected with special care and adopted by a special commission. Another (according to other sources - three) aircraft was converted into a passenger workshop by the 1st NKVD air regiment in the village of Bykovo near Moscow. It had fewer seats than the standard one, the interior was more spacious, and the finishing was even more luxurious. But Stalin did not fly in any of these machines, preferring the American S-47 to all of them - without much comfort, but faster and more reliable.
As a night bomber, the PS-84 could not boast of either speed or maneuverability. But its crew worked in much more comfortable conditions than, say, on the Il-4. Spacious cabins, dual controls that allowed pilots to change each other, a salon where, if necessary, you could take a nap on covers, a toilet and a buffet, heating (in the IL-4 in winter it was not much warmer than outside) and ventilation, heat and sound insulation and good instrumentation made the aircraft very convenient for long-distance raids.
To combat ice freezing, alcohol deicers were used to wash the propeller blades and cockpit glass. True, in the latter case, Soviet quality caused a number of troubles for the crew. “Due to the leakage of the window frames ... alcohol flows into the pilot’s cabin and often heavily wets the pilots’ clothes ... During a change in flight altitude, alcohol flows out through the filler neck and floods the flight radio operator.” Whether you want it or not, have a bite!
The behavior in the air of the slightly inert, but obedient pilot of the former airliner favorably distinguished it from the unstable Il-4, which exhausted the pilots. In terms of defensive armament, the PS-84 and Yl-4 were approximately equal, although the Douglas had absolutely no fire in the space behind the tail and under the fuselage. Having received a bomb suspension, the PS-84 did not lose the capabilities of a transport aircraft. Thus, Soviet aviation received a dual-purpose machine that could be used in one way or another depending on needs. Since September 1942, this version of the transport-bomber began to be called Li-2. They began to actively staff Long Range Aviation (LRA) regiments.
But the capabilities of the Li-2 as a bomber were significantly limited by two circumstances: firstly, only the external suspension of bombs both limited their number and caliber and reduced the already low speed passenger plane, secondly, the bombing accuracy suffered greatly from the navigator’s poor downward visibility and from the primitiveness of the sight on the vehicle. So the next step was quite naturally to improve the Li-2 to enable the navigator to look down and use a more modern optical sight. In 1943, the Li-2NB appeared.
There was only one pilot on it. The navigator occupied the next chair.
An NKPB-4 night bomb sight was installed for it. The second important difference of the Li-2NB was the internal suspension of bombs. An example of this modification was aircraft No. 1845408. It was tested at the Air Force Research Institute, but was rejected. In particular, its bomb armament was criticized. In addition, the proposed alteration of the fuselage seemed too complicated. They were afraid that mastering the new design would affect the rate of mass production.
Li-2 at Mukden airfield. August 1945
Khabarovsk Airport. There is a pair of Li-2 and Il-12 in the parking lot. 50s. Photo courtesy of O. Mutovin
In December 1944, the Li-2VP was put up for testing. His bomb placement scheme was much simpler. Instead of creating a special bomb bay, bomb cluster holders were installed directly in the cabin, and bombs were dropped through tunnels in the floor. External bomb racks were retained. When the FAB-100 was suspended inside, the bomb load reached 1500 kg. Defensive armament remained standard - a UTK-1 turret on top and two ShKAS in the side hatches. The bow machine gun was considered useless and eliminated. For the navigator, two bomb sights were provided: OPB-1r (day) and NKPB-7 (night). The car was tested by the crew of V.I. Zhdanov. The transition to internal suspension somewhat improved the bomber's flight characteristics, and the Li-2VP was recommended for mass production.
But he still didn’t make it into the series. They preferred a much simpler modification of the basic Li-2, again called Li-2NB. Aircraft No. 18411906 was modified as its prototype. The bomb suspension on it remained external, designed to carry four 250 kg bombs. The crew accommodations have been changed. The radio operator settled in the former front trunk behind the right pilot, and the navigator was placed on the left, near the emergency door, which was now completely glazed, turning it into a large window. The door was convex, and behind it was placed an NKPB-7 bomb sight, looking into the lower section of the door, the glazing of which folded down to improve visibility. Radio equipment has been improved somewhat. Instead of the domestic radio semi-compass RPK-2, the American Bendix MN-26C was installed, and the RSBbis radio station was replaced with RSR-1.
The new “NB” was tested at the Air Force Research Institute by a crew of pilot M. A. Nyukhtikov and navigator N. P. Tsvetkov. The flight data has not changed compared to the serial Li-2. The navigator's visibility was considered insufficient. But the changes compared to the vehicles that were already leaving the workshops were minimal, and the Li-2NB went into production. These aircraft took part in many operations during the final period of the war, both as bombers and transports.
Since 1944, Li-2 received thermal de-icers located on the wing and stabilizer. Their leading edges were covered with a paste based on graphite chips, through which a current was passed.
At the end of the war, the Li-2 was built as a night transport bomber (with an empty interior for cargo), unarmed cargo and ambulance. The last option had the highest empty weight - 8114 kg. There were stretchers in three tiers inside the ambulance. In total, he took 18 bed-ridden wounded, two seated wounded and an orderly.
Some aircraft were equipped with American MN-26C radio semi-compasses. The type of main radio station changed constantly. First it was RSB-1, then RSB-3, RSB-Zbis, RSR-1, RSR-2. In addition, the RSI-3 VHF station was installed directly in the units (at the same time an additional radio mast appeared - on top on the left side).
Even in the middle of the war, in addition to the standard retractable ski landing gear, the aircraft was adapted to use take-off skis from the Civil Air Fleet Scientific Research Institute. The plane rolled into these galosh-shaped skis along special walkways using a tractor or under its own power. To install it in the tail ski, the plane was jacked up. After takeoff, the skis, which were not attached to the wheeled chassis in any way, simply fell off.
Li-2 AVIARCTIC. Photo courtesy of P. Batuev
Although by the end of the war the Li-2 became the most popular long-range aviation aircraft (19 regiments flew on them), they began to be replaced as a bomber by the Il-4 and B-25. Their main function was transport and landing operations. For these purposes, a special modification of the Li-2 was prepared, partially using components of the pre-war PS-84K. She received a reinforced floor and a cargo hatch on the left side, the lid of which hinged upward. Unlike the PS-84K, the troops were placed along the sides on plywood folding benches.
This aircraft carried bomber standard weapons. It clearly became the basis for the modification of the Li-2T, which was built en masse already in the post-war period. The Li-2T differed from the vehicle tested in 1944 mainly in the lack of weapons.
On the Li-2T, heat and sound insulation was located only in the cockpit; heating was not installed at all. The cargo compartment was expanded due to the front luggage racks (as on the PS-84I). The crew consisted of four people - two pilots, a radio operator and a flight mechanic, as before the war, but without a flight attendant, who, in the absence of passengers, was unnecessary.
On April 22, 1945, a decree of the State Defense Committee appeared on the introduction of the Li-2T into production. Tests of the prototype, manufactured in Tashkent, took place at the Air Force Research Institute in September-October 1945. The series was first built at plant No. 84, but in small quantities, since in the fall of 1945 they resumed production of the Li-2 in a version with 19 passenger seats, and from the end of 1946, plant No. 126 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which had ceased production of the Il-4, began to develop this machine. Li-2Ts were supplied to both the Air Force and civil aviation.
In general, the post-war evolution of the Li-2 was greatly influenced by the acquaintance with the S-47s supplied to us during the war. Compared to the pre-war DC-3, which became the prototype of the PS-84, it received many improvements. Feathering propellers, convenient swinging cargo doors through which even a Jeep could be pulled, excellent equipment, accurate and reliable instruments and much more.
Li-2 from OSAG, which took part in the delivery of goods to besieged Leningrad. Khvoynoye airfield, October 1941
Li-2 No. 1848703. Beginning of May 1944.
Li-2 from 62 AD DD, 1943. Note the unusual spelling of the digits of the number.
Li-2 from the 23rd Civil Air Fleet OAP. Winter 1945-46
Li-2 USSR-N328 “Aviaarctic”. The method of applying a number to the wing is shown on the example of the upper and lower surfaces of the left console
Operating American equipment, our crews reasonably asked questions: “Why does the Soviet VISH-21 propeller have a guarantee of 50 hours, and the more complex Gidromatic - for 750? Why does the radio equipment on the S-47 include a radio altimeter, three radio stations, an automatic radio compass and a blind landing kit, and at the same time it is six times lighter than the poor and low-power domestic one?” Etc.
From here it immediately followed - why not implement all this on the Li-2? So they gradually implemented it.
Since 1946, the Li-2P (passenger) and Li-2T (cargo and transport-landing) were built in parallel. The Li-2P was produced in three versions: for 15–21 seats, for 15 seats with improved comfort (for long-distance lines and management), and the so-called. economical for 24 seats, where the distance between the seats was reduced. The Li-2T was produced in a single version for both military and civilians. All changes were made to both modifications almost in parallel, with a slight delay of plant No. 126 relative to Tashkent.
In 1946, the ancient autopilot AVP-12bis (hydraulic) was replaced by the AP-42 (electric), also copied from the American, but more modern, wartime one.
Li-2, which took part in the landing of the high-latitude (Arctic) expedition in 1947. Photo from the archive of G. Petrov
One of Aeroflot's linear Li-2s. Photo by B. Vdovenko
Li-2 USSR-04219 Polar Aviation Directorate. The astrodome appeared on later modifications of the aircraft. April 1961 photo courtesy of P. Batuev
The most important stage in the improvement of the post-war Li-2 occurred in 1947. On the 231st series (from aircraft No. 18423110), the location of the oil coolers was changed. Previously, they stood almost vertically in the engine nacelle - two large cylinders. Now they were lowered down to the engine suction pipe and hung horizontally, covered with a common fairing cover. Adjustable flaps used to be at the air inlet, now they are at the outlet. As a result of all this, a characteristic “lip” appeared under the engine nacelle.
On the 250th series, changes affected only the Li-2T. All of them pursued the goal of increasing the efficiency of the vehicle during parachute landings. Previously, the main entrance door (on the right) opened outward, now it opens inward (as on the pre-war experimental PS-84K). Inside the cargo compartment, two steel cables were stretched near the ceiling, to which carabiners for forced deployment of parachutes were attached.
On the 252nd series (in May 1947), the autopilot was replaced with an improved AP-42A, on the 257th series they installed the RPKO-2B radio semi-compass, which made it possible to work with broadcast stations as radio beacons. All this is the so-called. “conditional” series corresponding to the machines of both factories.
The engine of a Li-2 aircraft produced in the early 50s with a modified oil cooler (“lip”) and a feathering propeller. Photo courtesy of S. Pazynich
Li-2T, exhibited at the training center in Ivanovo. Photo by S. Panov
On the 262nd series, the Li-2T was again modernized: a door was installed in the cargo hatch. It also opened inwards. Now the paratroopers left the plane twice as fast. At the same time, easily removable seats were made for the landing forces - very simple benches made of wood and plywood, each for two people. We sat with our backs to the wall. The commander's seat was in the left row, closer to the doors. When transporting goods, the benches were removed so as not to carry excess weight, or they were simply folded back against the wall. On the 266th series, the plywood floor of the cargo compartment was replaced with a corrugated metal one, which better withstood concentrated loads. Rubber tracks were laid on top of it.
In the second half of the year, changes were made to the electrical equipment, a hydraulic balancer was installed on the main landing gear (instead of a rubber one), and the RSI-6 VHF radio station was introduced as a standard one. All this exactly copied the S-47. Heating appeared on the Li-2T (for the crew), and on the 277 series, a device for towing landing gliders was installed on the aircraft. At the same time, part of the tail spinner had to be cut out, and the plane became even more similar to the C-47. The crew monitored the glider through a periscope that stood on the ceiling above the flight mechanic and radio operator's positions - a converted OP2-LM bomb sight.
In October 1947, the Li-2P and Li-2T airframes were unified. The layout of the front part of the fuselage of the truck was changed according to the model of the passenger one. Volume cargo compartment at the same time, it was slightly reduced due to the creation of three luggage compartments. At the very end of the year, feathering propellers AV-7N-161 finally appeared, which significantly simplified piloting the machine on one engine.
The very next year, 1948, the Li-2 was equipped with “wipers” on the windshields of the cockpit. The wipers were electric; on the S-47 there were hydraulic ones, more powerful, which not only wiped away raindrops, but also tore off a thin ice crust. On the 300th series, the aircraft was equipped with a radio altimeter RV-2, a marker radio receiver, an automatic radio compass ARK-5, and the electrical system was made single-wire. Further, the Li-2 underwent mainly minor changes in equipment. We can name only three significant differences between aircraft of later series: the transition to hot air heating, the replacement of electrothermal de-icers with thermal ones, and the installation of one large horseshoe-shaped oil cooler instead of two round ones. The abandonment of the old steam boiler greatly pleased the flight mechanics who had to tinker with it. The capricious and unreliable device often filled the car with clouds of steam; mechanics were called “stokers.” Now we have installed gasoline heater stoves BO-10 and BO-20. The same furnace heated the air passed through the leading edge of the stabilizer. The leading edges of the consoles were heated by air passing through jackets covering the exhaust manifolds of the engines.
Everything described above is, as it were, the general line of evolution of the Li-2. And how many other modifications there were, experimental aircraft, unrealized projects! Since 1948, the UchShLi-2 (“training and navigator”) was built for the Air Force. Its cabin was equipped with 10 workstations for student navigators with the necessary instruments and bomb sights. The aircraft could be used to teach both navigation and bombing. Such machines were used for a long time in a number of military schools, for example, in Chelyabinsk.
The second, less successful, military modification of the Li-2 was a minesweeping aircraft. His first project, called PS-84T, was proposed by Golubkov back in 1943. The machine was intended to detonate bottom magnetic mines. Under the wings and fuselage there was a huge coil-ring, held in place by a system of cables and braces. The current in the coil was created by an electric generator powered by an additional engine. The development of the PS-84T, later renamed Li-2MT, proceeded slowly throughout the war. Two of these aircraft were going to be demonstrated at an air parade in August 1948, but it is unknown whether this actually took place. The last mention of the Li-2MT dates back to 1949, when a project was prepared to install a new M-14 aircraft engine as an auxiliary engine.
At the end of the war, there were plans for a radical modernization of the Li-2 with the installation of a significantly larger engine. If the Americans did this with the S-47, then why can’t they improve the Li-2 in a similar way? And in 1945, the Li-2 with ASh-82FN engines began testing. The speed rose to 418 km/h, the ceiling to 8800 m. On the basis of this experimental vehicle, the T-82M project with airframe reinforcements was developed. The take-off weight of this variant was supposed to reach 15,600 kg. But the Il-12 appeared, and the T-82M was not allowed to move.
In 1953, the Antonov Design Bureau developed the high-altitude Li-2V with TK-19 turbochargers. The vehicle was intended for operation on the Dushanbe-Khorog line and for meteorological reconnaissance. The plane was equipped with oxygen devices for the crew and passengers. They built a small series of Li-2V.
Many modifications appeared during modifications at aircraft repair bases and repair factories. These include the Li-2Gr - a hybrid of passenger and cargo versions, carrying 10 passengers and 1200 kg of cargo, the Li-2F for aerial photography with two cameras, additional gas tanks in the cabin and a projection of the pilot's cockpit glazing on the right side and a blister near the cameras on the left.
There was a Li-2RP for fishermen, where an observer sat in the glassed nose to monitor the movement of the schools. Some vehicles later received radars.
The Li-2 was also used to take samples during testing of the first Soviet atomic bombs. The cockpit was not pressurized; they simply tried to seal it more thoroughly. The planes carried cigar-shaped containers with special porous padding.
Various departments prepared “salon” options for their bosses with luxurious upholstery, huge armchairs, and wide sofas. Velvet and leather, oak and Karelian birch - everything was used to decorate these cars.
Li-2T of post-war production, demonstrated in the museum at Poklonnaya Hill. Pay attention to the location of the oil cooler (“lip”).
Li-2 at MAKS-97. Photo by A. Sargsyan
