was born on 25. 05. 1889 Kiev, Ukraine.
26 dead. 10. 1972 Easton ( pc. Connecticut, USA).
It all began for him almost mystical, as so often happens with gifted people. ... I saw myself walking along a narrow corridor. On both sides of the doors were finished with a nut, as the boat was lying on the floor of a magnificent carpet. Fell from above the soft blue light of electric lamps. When I walked the floor under your feet slightly vibrating, vibration, and it was like a rocking boat. I was convinced in a dream that I was flying on board the huge vessel. When I awoke, I was told that the man has never created a successful flying machine, and in general, this is a pipe '.
What was not rasstaralis to 40 billion rubles of federal budget of St. Petersburg and attached them to strengthen local organizational brain ' observers ' from various ministries and agencies, to the 300th anniversary of a favorite ( of the first two in order of size ), president of the capital was comme il faut. Foreign guests prepared floating five - star hotels, the filling of which seems to have been charged with ' Mister Twister ', ' with a bathroom, living room, a fountain and a garden ' in each cabin. Rostral columns trusted chimney sweep - clean the soot to accidentally fire on the tops of the holiday is not blinked slo. Even last year's withered leaves gently in the bucket grabbed, then spawn with such diligence in North Palmyra was not done. Like, all provided to the greater glory of the All-Russia in the eyes of world public. Or does not it?.
Guests, of course, be happy. With sincere compliment to be clicked his tongue, looking at the gilded weathercock Peter and Paul Cathedral, inhaling the fragrance of the magic of the White Nights with white pianos in every bush. However, on one notable occasion, which would cause high foreign guests feel the sincere admiration, the organizers of the unprecedented celebrations simply forgot. And so turns supersonic fighters, spray in the sky over the Neva white, blue and red ribbons in the colors of the flag of the Fatherland, will simply be an aesthetic detail, and not an attribute of air show for the glory of Russian aviation, which in those days was supposed to mark the 90th anniversary of one of the .
May 26, 1913 in Petersburg, the first in the world airplane flight multiengined 'Russian Knight ' (otherwise known as 'Grand' ). The machine is a young engineer Igor Sikorsky opened a new chapter in the history of world aviation, because until then, even the founders of the French aeronautics dared to fly only on single-engine machines, disaster risk. After 2.5 months, the aircraft set a world record, held out in the air 1 hour 54 minutes with seven passengers on board. Researchers design creativity Gennady Katyshev Vadim Mikheev, and will write later: ... Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky Priority in building heavy ships multiengined absolutely undeniable, and it is the subject of our great national pride '. It is worth adding that the event is May 26, 1913 was a kind of intermediate between the creation of a landmark date Nikolai Zhukovsky aerodynamic laboratory, and the advent of the jet engine.
' The most - most ... H. Tupolev, in fact - is able to continuer of genius of the designer. A Sikorsky tried to not even mention the. However, a couple of historical justice is still broke as a living grass through asphalt ideological ' taboo '. Flying Boat Sikorsky S- 43, established already in the U.S. and purchased by the Soviet trade representatives, participated in the home designer in search of the missing crew in the northern ice Levanevsky and even starred in the famous ' agitation ' the charms of life in the Land of Soviets, the film ...
And after the war, U.S. President Eisenhower once a ride on the S- 58 Sikorsky helicopter design, the guest Nikita Khrushchev. Soviet General Secretary machine so much that he ordered the couple to purchase salon S- 58 for local trips top party elite of the state of workers and peasants. That would be impressive. But in the jubilee week, such an item does not appear. However, we will try to fill this gap and we recall about the event itself in the history of Russian aviation, and the person by whom it was.
May 26 around 9 Ytra in the meadow adjacent to the airfield Hull St. Petersburg, the club is not only a bevy of eager onlookers waiting for an unusual and, most pleasant, free spectacles. Dense groups were also serious professionals who are virtually no doubt the failure of a bold experimenter was believed that even if 4 tons and can climb into the air, the sudden stop at least one engine will immediately lead to a drop in aircraft. but. 'Russian hero ' not only described several circles above the airfield, and landed gently at a given point - far from it became a maternity home for the hangar. The name of a young student of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University of Igor Sikorsky became known to the educated public, which is literally lined up in the queue to ' ride ' over the capital and its suburbs, and even ' go to the balcony ' at the height of bird flight.
The earliest machines were raised high, and this exotic pleasure for a time was available. But the inventor is not limited to providing an attraction for St. Petersburg 's leading lights: During a test flight, he gave an answer to a replica of skeptics - is consistently turned off the engine with one or the other. 'Russian Knight ... Drew attention to it, and at home. Who do you think? . And personally, His Imperial Majesty.
In the summer of 1913, Nicholas II expressed a desire to personally see the wonder of flying. For this royal inspection Igor Sikorsky flew in Tsarskoye Selo, which was the highest award granted for hours. For 23 -year-old student was a real treasure - start in life. It all began for him almost mystical, as so often happens with gifted people. ... I saw myself walking along a narrow corridor. On both sides of the doors were finished with a nut, as the boat was lying on the floor of a magnificent carpet. Fell from above the soft blue light of electric lamps. When I walked the floor under your feet slightly vibrating, vibration, and it was like a rocking boat. I was convinced in a dream that I was flying on board the huge vessel. When I awoke, I was told that the man has never created a successful flying machine, and in general, this is a pipe '. It was hard to expect a reaction from his home: his father Igor, Kiev, a psychiatrist and a famous. A. Sikorski, in turn, emerged from a poor family of a village priest, to the ' heavenly affairs ' had a special relationship. But his son was able to realize their dream: after school and study in the Sea Cadet Corps, he went to France to study aeronautics in a technical school Dyuvino de Lanno. There, carefully absorbed the knowledge of mathematics and shipbuilding, he understood how to apply the mechanics to the theory of gliders - the plane needs a motor. In the Kiev Polytechnic he organized and led student aviation society, but faced with the first failure. His first design - the helicopter ( helicopter when it was called ) with the two rotating screws in different planes could take off the ground only to the weight of 180 kg, and the pilot - there is no. But Sikorsky is not disturbed: in 1910 he built a biplane C-2, equipped with 25- horsepower engine. This car has risen by 180 meters, setting a record of all the Russias. A year later, the new model has the C- 5 flew at a height of half a kilometer an hour, and its constructor has won first prize in a competition organized by the military. All the cars he collected the money his sister in a shed in his father's estate of Kiev. The habit of spartan conditions it still is useful.
Also in 1911 Sikorsky came to the conclusion that the future - not for a single-engine airplanes, and for large aircraft. This discovery, he is obliged to. mosquito, which zalet jet in the carburetor, which nearly led to the engine is stopped. The inventor was almost killed when a miracle izvernuvshis land the plane between rail cars and the wall. Aiming to make a big car, which would have been able to carry the load and overcome significant distance, he gave a start to creating long-range aircraft. And yet, according to Lieutenant-General Mikhail Oparin, his 'Russian Knight ' was the ' founder of the strategic bombers '. In 1914, Sikorsky was celebrating yet another triumph of human ingenuity over nature: even at the Russian- Baltic Wagon Works, he built his second flight ' Ilya of Murom ', with a 100 -horsepower engine and a wingspan of 31 meters, which flew from St. Petersburg to Kiev . Personally, from the emperor Sikorsky received the Order of St. Vladimir 4 degrees and 100 thousand rubles for further work. But the applause drowned in the press news from the Balkans: the return of the day came news of the assassination of Austrian Archduke. December 23, 1914 decision of the Minister of War Russia has been put into effect to ' the organization of the squadron air- ships ' Ilya of Murom '. Conceived as a transport, the aircraft was re-equipped: he is now, a wooden, but in steel ' armor ' of the bullets could carry up to 780 kg bombs, machine guns, 8 'Maxim ' and the crew of up to 10 people. German fighters ' Fokkers ' flocks were killed by Russian air strikes fortresses. ' Muromtsev ' was built 80 units, each new - more and more perfect. Military historians say that the army was not destroyed Samsonov would Masurian marshes in Poland, went to Sikorsky Aircraft Command in time to rescue her.
And Russia would prevail in the skies of Europe, if not revolution. After the October 1917 ' Air Baltic ' got up, the workers were too busy with the affairs of the proletarian, and military aircraft were not needed due to the declared ' peoples of the world '. Talented and energetic Gen. Michael Shidlovsky, who headed the Russian squadrons, with which all the war years, Sikorsky has worked and been friends, the red men brutally murdered near the Finnish border. And most engineer, caressed by the old regime, was threatened with arrest. In the chaos and anarchy in the emergency demand of the aviation industry did not have hope, but to help commissioners to fight against his country, he had not seen for themselves the meaning. In March 1918 he went to America.