3rd flight squad Il 14. Flight characteristics of the aircraft

In the first post-war years, the main aircraft on passenger airlines of the USSR were machines developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. In mid-1945, the piston passenger IL-12 was put into production. But during its development it was not possible to fully solve all the problems related to security. air transportation. To solve this problem, a new IL-14 aircraft was created.

History of creation

One of the most significant drawbacks of the IL-12 was the low thrust of the ASh-82FN engines, due to which the aircraft could not take off and climb with one engine failing. New project passenger plane was based on already proven technological and design solutions.

A novelty was the use of more powerful ASh-73 engines and an increase in the cabin, which could accommodate up to 48 passengers. The design of such a machine, designated IL-14, was developed and approved by the chief designer by the spring of 1947. But it was not immediately possible to realize it in metal.

Aeroflot, which was the main air carrier in the USSR, needed a new aircraft. The task for developing the machine appeared only in mid-1950, but by that time the Ilyushin Design Bureau already had serious developments on the new project.

The new IL-14 was based on the standard fuselage of the previous model, but completely new wings with a modified profile.

Calculations showed that a new passenger aircraft with such a wing would have enough power from standard ASh-82FN engines.

The first IL-14 prototype, equipped with the wing from the previous model, took off on July 13, 1950. The tests revealed shortcomings in the design, which were promptly eliminated on the second prototype under the designation IL-14P. The aircraft entered flight tests in October 1950, which lasted more than a year. Only at the very end of 1951 did the IL-14P enter State testing.

Based on the results of all tests, the aircraft was recommended for serial production. The first production vehicles underwent intensive testing under real operating conditions in various climatic conditions. Only after the successful completion of such tests the aircraft was finally accepted into production. This happened in November 1954.

The IL-14P aircraft was produced at several enterprises:

• Plant No. 30 (later MMZ “Znamya Truda”) in Moscow;
• Plant No. 84 named after V.P. Chkalov in Tashkent
• Plants in the GDR and Czechoslovakia under the designation VEB II-14P and Avia Av-14.

Later, a number of USSR factories took part in the overhaul of the IL-14.

Video - history of creation

During such repairs, the assigned service life of the aircraft constantly increased - if in 1957 it was 3,500 hours, then by 1972 it reached 35,000 hours.

Combat use

Civil aircraft were widely used on various routes within the USSR, including long-distance ones. But soon more advanced and high-speed ones began to be used for such flights. From that moment on, IL-14s began to be used on local airlines. The last passenger flights of this type were made in 1973.

The IL-14 aircraft was used more as a civilian airliner, so its military career is not replete with striking facts. The first military operation in which army vehicles took part was the suppression of the uprising in Hungary in 1956. The aircraft of the 201st separate squadron supported the activities of the contingent of USSR troops that took part in the events.

The second notable episode was the participation of transport vehicles from the 134th Separate Squadron in the Cuban Crisis of 1962. The planes were used to deliver various cargo to Cuba and were subsequently abandoned there.

The machines were widely used for air sampling and photography and filming during various nuclear tests at the test site. New Earth. Another area of ​​application for aircraft was the border service.

In the fall of 1983, several cars border service provided security for the area where the downed South Korean fell.

The aircraft delivered abroad became participants in the Suez crisis on the side of Egypt, and almost all of the aircraft remained intact. Subsequently, they were used for landings during various local conflicts. Most of the IL-14 aircraft supplied to Egypt were destroyed in 1967 during the Six-Day War.

Overview of the aircraft and its features

The wing of the IL-14P had a span similar to that of the IL-12, but due to the reduction of the fairing at the transition to the fuselage, the area decreased by 3 square meters. m. To increase strength, the thickness of the wing profile was slightly increased. Thanks to this, it was possible to move the fuel tanks in the wing consoles, at the maximum distance from the passenger compartment. Flaps were installed along the entire edge of the wing, which improved the controllability and maneuverability of the aircraft.

The designers paid great attention to combating icing of the vehicle and heating the internal compartments. For this purpose, hot exhaust gases were used, which were supplied from the manifold to the heat exchangers. The outside air heated in the heat exchanger was supplied to the cabin.

To increase the safety of night flights and flights in poor visibility conditions, the aircraft was equipped with modern navigation equipment and radio communications.

The plane's crew consisted of five people - two pilots, a radio operator, a flight engineer and a conductor. The passenger compartment was equipped with six rows of seats. Each row had three seats. At the beginning of the cabin there was a luggage compartment and a buffet, and at the end there was a wardrobe, a toilet and a second luggage compartment.

Production IL-14P aircraft used 14-cylinder star-shaped air-cooled engines ASh-82T. The main difference between the engines was improved technical data. Take-off power at nominal mode was 1900 hp, and it was maintained up to an altitude of 400..500 meters. By optimizing the cooling of the cylinder heads and other improvements, fuel consumption was reduced by 15%.

The first production of engines was characterized by a low resource, which did not exceed 500 hours. Only by 1967 was it possible to bring it to an acceptable 1200 hours. The engines were equipped with AB-50 propellers with four blades. The blade rotation drive is hydraulic. The propeller was installed in the feathered position in just 5 seconds, which increased flight safety.

Flight performance

Despite the increased take-off weight, the aircraft was not inferior to its predecessor in terms of climb performance. Improving the aerodynamic data of the wing made it possible to reduce fuel consumption and increase flight speed by 30 km/h at different altitudes. Due to the more advanced design of the vertical tail, the IL-14P turned out to be much more stable and controllable.

A fully loaded passenger airliner was able to take off with one engine operating in nominal mode. The maximum ceiling of the aircraft reached 7400 m with an initial rate of climb of 5.3 m/second.

With a take-off weight of 17,500 kg, the speed of the vehicle was:

• 393 km/h at the ground,
• 431 km/h at an altitude of 2400 m.

The maximum flight range was no more than 1250 km with an average aircraft speed of 358 km/h

Modifications

The aircraft was produced in large quantities various versions designed for passenger and transport transportation. Many versions had significant differences from the base model. For example, based on a standard fuselage, increased in length by 1 meter, high-capacity aircraft were produced, designated IL-14M. Such a liner could accommodate, depending on the size of the luggage compartment and buffet, 28, 32 or 36 passengers.

After 1960, most standard 18-seater aircraft were upgraded to this standard during major overhauls. Based on the airframe of one of these elongated aircraft, a single copy of a 14-seater aircraft with increased comfort was assembled under the designation IL-14M14.

Aircraft in special versions were often used to transport various delegations - one of the first such modifications was the IL-14PS, which had two sofas in the cabin to accommodate 5-6 people.

Later, the IL-14S began to be produced, which had a cabin for 6-8 passengers. The version was equipped with improved sound insulation and an expanded set navigation equipment. To work with it on board, a separate workplace for the navigator. The engines of such machines had more powerful GSR-6000A generators. One of these aircraft was handed over to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Based on the IL-14S, there was an SI version with increased fuel tanks (from 3510 liters to 4325) and improved thermal insulation of the passenger compartment. There was an 18-seater version designated IL-14SO, which was used in conjunction with a “luxury” vehicle for transporting ordinary members of delegations.

In total, about 50 different IL-14 aircraft were produced in the “luxury” version, and some of them were received as a result of a major overhaul of standard aircraft at plant No. 407 in Minsk. The last “luxury” IL-14s were written off in the first half of the 70s.

The IL-14T variant was built for army transport aviation. The main difference of such an aircraft was a cargo door with a width of 2.71 meters and a height of 1.6 meters, cut into the left side of the fuselage closer to the tail. On the starboard side there was a small door for landing troops of 25 people and a crew of 2-4 people.

To accommodate the landing party there were folding seats along the sides. The maximum load capacity of the IL-14T was 2000 kg. The aircraft's wing had structural reinforcements, and the navigator's cabin was equipped with a convex glass blister that housed a bomb sight.

The IL-14T aircraft could be equipped with units for the external suspension of cargo or bombs, as well as a heavy machine gun in the VU55 turret on the upper rear part of the fuselage. The fuselage windows had additional cutouts for firing by paratroopers from personal weapons. In the series, such an installation was not used due to significant aerodynamic drag in flight.

The IL-14T remained in service for a very short time and was supplanted by a more modern one.

There were several modifications based on the serial IL-14T:

1. IL-14T-TD, designed for the delivery of standard landing pallets.
2. IL-14TD, used only to deliver troops of 21 people.
3. IL-14TB, used to tow Yak-14 landing gliders.
4. IL-14TS, an ambulance version of the aircraft, designed to transport up to 18 bedridden wounded on stretchers.
5. IL-14-30D, a modernized version of the serial IL-14T for the delivery of 30 paratroopers or 3000 kg of cargo.
6. IL-14TG and IL-14G are civil versions of the transport aircraft.

Due to the creation of many modifications, the IL-14 was used for military, civilian and research tasks.

In addition to the production machines listed above, there were also a number of small-scale and single aircraft based on the IL-14:

1. IL-14 "Patrol", a radar-equipped aircraft for border troops.
2. IL-14RR, fish scout, equipped with radar. Used to search for schools of fish and identify cases of poaching. A total of 14 aircraft were built.
3. IL-14 "Polar", built on the basis of the IL-14M fuselage, in the amount of 8 copies. The vehicles had improved thermal insulation and were used to service Antarctic expeditions. The IL-14LR, an ice reconnaissance aircraft built in the amount of 34, also belonged to the same type.
4. IL-14FK and IL-14FKM, used for aerial photography. The planes had additional tanks in the wings and cabin.
5. IL-14 Weather laboratory, the number of such aircraft is unknown, but each of them had unique equipment.
6. IL-14AKS, used as a carrier of space communications equipment. The aircraft was equipped with a special antenna in the nose.

Advantages and disadvantages

The IL-14 aircraft for a long time played the role of Aeroflot's main long-haul airliner. It was this plane that laid the foundations regular flights inside the country. Thanks to its robust and simple design, the vehicle could be operated from airfields with poor quality pavement.

The aircraft's performance remained acceptable for passenger transportation until the early 70s. For takeoff and landing, the airliner required a runway only 1020 m long. Simple and intuitive controls made it possible for crews with little experience to fly the plane.

One of the main disadvantages of the IL-14 was the engines, which had a tendency to overheat the cylinders. Because of this, the pistons burned out and were destroyed. In this case, fragments of pistons and connecting rods damaged the cylinder liner and caused jamming or fire of the engine.

It was not uncommon for gasoline pipelines to break during the flight, as a result of which the leaked fuel ignited; such problems were especially common in the first years of operation.

Then modifications were made to the engine design to increase service life and reliability. But the problems with the quality of the ASh-82T engines were never completely resolved. Several plane crashes have occurred due to similar engine incidents. Over the entire period of operation, at least 70 IL-14 aircraft were destroyed in accidents, while the number of victims exceeded 1,150 people.

Conclusion

The IL-14 aircraft appeared at the beginning of the decline of passenger airliners with piston engines. But the machine was used for a long time on local lines, providing communications between many parts of the USSR.

The reliability and unpretentiousness of the design made it possible to use the aircraft to supply Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, which the latest machines could not cope with. To date, of the 1,348 IL-14s built, less than 20 have survived.

Three aircraft are in flying condition and are based at airfields in St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Tver region.

Airplane control video

Il-14 is a Soviet short-range piston twin-engine aircraft. It began to be developed in the 40s due to the need to replace the obsolete Il-12 and Li-2. The first flight took place on July 13, 1950.

After state tests of the Il-12, employees of the Ilyushin Design Bureau began work on creating a passenger-class aircraft that could land even if one of the engines failed. The first copy of the Il-14 was very similar to the Il-12. The only significant difference was the size and weight of the flying machine. Initially, the designers planned to install 2 ASH-73 air-cooled piston engines on the aircraft, but this project was frozen due to the impossibility of this type of engine fulfilling the required task of the new aircraft.

History of the creation of the Il-14 aircraft

Upon completion of state tests of the previous version of the Il-12, the designers of the Ilyushin bureau began designing a new device that would be able to make a safe landing with one working engine. The first developments looked very much like the Il-12 aircraft. The difference was the installation of ASh-73 type engines with increased take-off power. But further developments showed that increasing thrust does not solve the assigned problems. A new wing was developed for flight with one working engine, and its mechanization also improved aerodynamic qualities. To reduce air resistance during takeoff, the landing gear system was improved, allowing the struts to be retracted faster. We carried out work on feathering the propellers.

The first flight of an experimental prototype of the Il-14 was carried out in July 1950 under the control of V. Kokkinaki. This flight lasted only 15 minutes due to overheating of the heat exchanger. After which the exhaust system was redone, which was combined with the air system. The vertical tail was also increased, which in turn improved the quality of control. The cabin was also re-equipped; the glass area was increased for better visibility.

Research by the state commission began in the winter of 1951 and was completed in August 1952. As a result, a report was compiled in which it was noted that the new machine was significantly superior in performance to the previous model.

Since 1952, operation of the device began in various climatic conditions. All flight tests showed the aircraft from the best side. The car was faster and more economical than the Il-12. In December 1952, this airliner was recommended for mass production, and production itself began in the fall of 1953 by decree of the USSR Council of Ministers. The Il-14 aircraft began carrying passengers in November 1954.

In the future, the aircraft could accommodate from 24 to 32 passengers on board. In addition, many modifications with special purposes were developed and manufactured. This airliner was actively used on USSR airlines until the end of the 80s, after which it was decommissioned. Such a long range of use can be explained by the fact that this machine was reliable and of high quality, but the most important reason was that there was nothing to replace it with. They stopped repairing Il-14 aircraft only in 1986.

Features and application of the Il-14 aircraft

IN this moment in the Russian Federation there are only three IL-14 type aircraft that can continue to fly. All three devices were restored by enthusiasts. All financial expenses also fell on their shoulders. The restored airliners are based at small airfields in our country.

The Il-14 aircraft was used in hostilities between the Egyptians and the Israelis. This Ila was used to transport officers; one such flight was shot down with the help of a fighter. According to official data, at least two more aircraft were shot down in military conflicts, in addition, many vehicles were destroyed at airfields. For civil transport, the IL-14 was used in many countries around the world.

IL-14 video

Due to the creation of many modifications, the IL-14 was used for military, civilian and research tasks. With its help, exploration of the poles was carried out, in addition, the IL-14 was widely used by geologists and cartographers. Wide application and excellent flight characteristics make this device one of the most outstanding among the entire line of world aircraft.

A possible solution was the ASh-82FN engine. In addition, we designed a new wing and changed its takeoff and landing mechanization. The new wing made it possible to increase the rapid separation of the device from runway. Climbing became a little faster thanks to a reduction in the time required to retract the landing gear and a reduction in propeller feathering. While maintaining the layout features of the passenger cabin, the aircraft improved the forward range of operating alignment, which in turn made it more stable on the ground and made it possible to remove the tail support.

On July 13, 1950, the first experimental Il-14 with ASh-82FN engines flew (commander Vladimir Kokkinaki). The flight lasted 15 minutes due to elevated temperatures in the air-thermal system. For the second prototype aircraft (Il-14P), a new exhaust and thermal system was designed in one unit. We increased the volume of the vertical tail and increased visibility for the pilot. The first flight of the Il-14P aircraft was made on 10/01/1950. On December 2, six months later, state tests began. And upon their completion on August 30, 1952, they concluded that the IL-14 was more effective in piloting and landing.

Regarding the IL-14 wing, one can note its unique aerodynamic layout. The scope of the SR-5 profile was constant. But thanks to the 3-degree chord (backward sweep along the line), the flushing characteristics were improved and the possibility of stall flows occurring during maneuvers at low speeds was eliminated. The boundary layer in the main part of the wing was made thicker, and it was here that the flow stall appeared. Gradually, as the angle increased, it shifted towards the end of the wing. This ensured that the ailerons remained highly effective to maintain continued takeoff at low speeds.

At the same time, we developed the use of a two-pump stable hydraulic system. The operating pressure was 10.8 MPa, and the reduction in hydraulic losses led to a halving of the time for extending and retracting the landing gear. The installed improved AB-50 propeller made it possible to reduce the negative drag of the engine propeller.

The AB-50 is a double action design.

1. Firstly, the translation of the blades occurred under the influence of increased oil pressure without centrifugal forces involved. This happened the same way at both large and small steps.
2. Secondly, the transition of the blade into the vane position or removal from it was accomplished using a forced vane pump and cylinder propellers of a specialized design.

Considerable work by the OKB employees was devoted to improving the anti-icing (antifreeze) system and the integrated air-thermal and heating plan. Having put all this together, it was decided to create a whole complex of anti-icing system that works thanks to exhaust gases from the engine. The exhaust system consisted of manifolds similar to half rings. They were not connected to each other; they were separately connected to the pipes located on the left and right sides of the engines.

The pipes, in turn, were connected to heat exchangers also installed in the right and left parts of the nacelles. This placement was more successful than in the IL-12. Heated air from the heat exchangers was directed to the anti-icing system. In some modifications, heated air went through pipes into the heating system or into both systems.

Immediately after all the improvements and modifications, tests of the aircraft began for flight stability in different weather conditions. Ultimately, the Il-14P characterized itself as a safe and reliable aircraft, capable of landing on a small runway even with an unpaved surface. Quite economical. The aircraft entered serial production after passing control tests at the Air Force Research Institute on December 30, 1952.

Regular passenger flights began two years later. And in 1955, the IL-14 became the main long-haul aircraft for Aeroflot. Il-14P with 18 seats and Il-14M with 24 passenger seats were the main ones passenger planes on domestic and international flights. But in the early 60s, An-24 gas turbine passenger aircraft appeared in the USSR, which in turn transferred the Il-14 to use exclusively on local airlines. The number of passenger seats on the plane gradually increased from 28 to 36 seats.

IL-14 variants

Il-14S, Il-14SI, Il-14PS, Il-14SO - high-comfort aircraft

Il-14G – cargo (maximum transported weight - 3500 kg)

Il-14T – transport

Il-14ZOD – transport-landing

Il-14FK, Il-14FKM - reconnaissance and for photography.

Il-14M is an export aircraft with 24 seats. 119 vehicles were designed and exported.

IL-14LL – flying laboratory

Il-14 aircraft made a great contribution to the development civil aviation in USSR. Thanks to them, passenger transportation has increased significantly. Thanks to improved radio navigation equipment and created ground radio equipment, Aeroflot managed to adapt to passenger transportation as quickly as possible.

The period of operation of Il-14 aircraft lasted until the 80s. These were mainly local flights in Siberia and the Far North. Already in the early 90s, cars that had worked for a long time began to be written off en masse. The use of IL-14 took more than thirty years. This is due to the fact that for a long time there were no models capable of replacing it.

Repair work was carried out at two factories: 1953 - aircraft repair plant No. 402 in Bykov, 1957 - plant No. 407 in Minsk. And already in 1986, the repair of the Il-14 was stopped. At this time, there were three working machines in Russia. Il-14 RA-0543G was located at the Gorelov airfield, the remaining two Il-14T RA-1114K and Il-14T FLA-01707 were located near Moscow at the Orlovka airfield.

Mass production

Tashkent city, plant No. 84: 28 Il-14 aircraft were built in 1954, 52 in 1955, and 115 aircraft were built in 1956. In the period from 57 to 58, 118 Il-14P were designed. In parallel with these types, the Il-14T was built. 65 aircraft were built.

At plant No. 30 in Moscow, 375 Il-14Ps were produced between 1956 and 1958. In parallel with it, the Il-14T and Il-14FK were constructed at separate bases. If 291 units of the first type were produced, then only 31 of the second. The total number of aircraft produced in the Il-14 series was 1,348 aircraft, of which 1,065 were produced in USSR factories, 203 in Czechoslovakia, and 80 in the GDR.

In addition to civilian use, the IL-14 was also used for combat purposes. Known fact, that during the six-day war between Egypt and Israel, 2 aircraft of this class were shot down and about three more were destroyed per GDP.

The battles of the Great War still rumbled on all fronts. Patriotic War, and the Ilyushin Design Bureau has already begun designing a new aircraft, the purpose of which should be to serve the peaceful sky. Having started work in 1943, already in 1945 the first prototype of the new aircraft took to the skies. It was the Il-12 passenger airliner, which was supposed to replace the obsolete DC-3 (“Douglas”) and its Soviet analogue Li-2 in civil aviation.

S.V. Ilyushin did not stop with the creation of the Il-12 research papers to improve the performance of the new aircraft. Moreover, for the first time in the world practice of aircraft construction, the problem of safe take-off of a machine with one operating engine was posed and solved. This problem was solved by S.V. Ilyushin in the new Il-14 project. There were times in the future when a new machine would be called a “workhorse” for its reliability and performance, but the main thing was done - the safety of human lives in flight was ensured.

World experience in operating a huge fleet of twin-engine aircraft, and even in the operation of the domestic IL-12, showed that situations often arose when, if one of the engines failed on takeoff, it was no longer possible to stop the flight, which led to the death of people and vehicles. It was safer to continue the takeoff than to stop it.

At the end of 1946, after the completion of state tests of the Il-12 aircraft, the S.V. Ilyushin Design Bureau began to solve this problem. It was necessary to create an aircraft that should be able not only to complete a safe takeoff in such a situation, but also to maintain its flight and operational qualities. The need for such an aircraft became more and more acute with the development of passenger air transport.

Many options have been explored. The first of them is an increase in engine power. However, this option distorted the balancing of the machine with one engine running. A solution was found in improving the aerodynamic characteristics of the machine - it was necessary to make such changes to the design of the machine, as a result of which air resistance during takeoff would decrease.

OKB S.V. Ilyushin, together with TsAGI, developed a wing unique in its aerodynamic properties. The new wing had a forward sweep, greater thickness, and a smaller area with the same span. The wing mechanization was changed: flaps were installed, allowing the vehicle to quickly lift off the ground and quickly gain speed and altitude. The landing gear control system was also improved - the landing gear retracted twice as fast, which made it possible to further reduce air resistance during takeoff.

Calculations have shown that a machine with such aerodynamic properties can take off with one running engine of the previous model ASh-82FN, with slightly increased power.

In July 1950 Test pilot V. Kokkinaki made the first flight on the built prototype Il-14. After the flight, the vehicle was sent for revision; the air cooling system was modified, the vertical tail was changed, and the cabin structure was improved.

State tests, completed in August 1952, confirmed the superiority of the new Il-14 aircraft over its predecessor in all respects. Since the autumn of 1953 By decision of the government, the aircraft was put into mass production. Passenger transportation began to be carried out on the Il-14 in November 1954.

Design Features

As noted above, the differences between the Il-14 aircraft and the previous model were changes in the design that improved its aerodynamic properties. A wing with a unique aerodynamic configuration of the component units was designed. Thanks to the new wing and improved landing gear control, the aircraft took off faster from the runway and gained altitude and speed faster. The structure of the IL-14 passenger cabin improved the stability of the vehicle, which made it possible to do without a tail support. To protect against icing, an advanced anti-icing system (AIS) was installed.

Cockpit

Advantages and disadvantages of IL-14

The advantages of the IL-14 include its reliability and safety. Thanks to these qualities of the machine, the number of plane crashes and other accidents has decreased.

The powerful engines installed on the aircraft made it possible to use the Il-14 from unpaved airfields or from short runways, which in remote regions or due to the lack of equipped runways was very important quality. Thanks to the electronic navigation system installed on board, control of the vehicle was accessible even to a crew with little experience.

Thanks to the IL-14, the problem was solved for a long time passenger air transportation both on domestic routes and on foreign flights. With the advent of the Il-14, air travel has become as accessible a means of transport for the country's population as traveling by car. railway transport

. The demand for such transportation was so great that the passenger compartment in the cars was constantly modified, the number of passenger seats increased from 18 at first to 32 in some copies. The disadvantage of the aircraft was the high noise level from the piston engines in the Il-14 passenger cabin. However, as life has shown, this drawback did not affect the popularity of the airliner among the population. Il-14 aircraft flew all over the world, everywhere evoking well-deserved gratitude from passengers. Easy to use, comfortable and reliable, it really was flying. by intercity bus Specifications

Il-14 aircraft are shown in the table below.

Il-14 variants Over the long history of operation of the Il-14 airliners, about forty different versions of the aircraft were developed. This diversity is associated with the use of machines in a variety of directions - for, as transport vehicles, as ambulances, as flying laboratories and for military purposes. But the main ones among them are the following 13 options.

• Il-14 is the first and only copy, used for experimental testing of the design, designed for 18 seats, tested with air-cooled ASh-82FN engines.
• Il-14P is the main mass-produced version with new engines of the ASh-82T model of higher power.
• Il-14M - version used for research purposes during the development of the design in the future, designed for 24 passengers, later for 28 and 36 people, had a more elongated fuselage
• Il-14LL is a variant of a flying laboratory, used for research and reconnaissance work, especially in the Arctic.
• Il-14S - (or Il-14SI, Il-14PS, Il-14SO) - special versions of the vehicle, intended for transporting the country's leadership and party leaders, had a passenger compartment increased comfort and additional fuel tanks, providing greater flight range.
• Il-14ZOD is a transport and landing version of the vehicle, with an airborne ejection device.
• Il-14G - a cargo version of the vehicle, had a payload capacity of 3.5 tons.
• Il-14T is a transport version of the vehicle.
• Il-14FK (or Il-14FKM) - used for aerial photography.

Exploitation

So, Aeroflot included a unique aircraft, which in the future received the characteristic of a “workhorse” for its performance and unpretentiousness. Regular passenger transportation began on it in 1954.

Since the beginning of 1955, the IL-14 has become the main medium-range civil aviation aircraft in the country. On the routes, the main variants used were the Il-14P for 18 passengers and the Il-14M for 24 passengers.

The number of passenger seats on the plane constantly increased and reached 36 seats. As passenger airliner The IL-14 was used by both the Warsaw Pact countries and other states friendly to the USSR. The cars were used on the country's air routes until the early 1990s, after which they were gradually written off. Such a long service life, more than 30 years, was explained by:

• Firstly, reliability and quality.
• Secondly, big amount modifications with special functions, the machines were widely used for research and military purposes.
• Thirdly, and most importantly, there was no replacement for them.

The aircraft was successfully used in the northern regions of the country for ice drift reconnaissance. Participated in escorting the nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" to the North Pole, accompanied to North Pole research ski expedition. He visited both poles of the planet, the research of which was carried out with his help.

There is no equivalent replacement for this aircraft in the northern regions of the country until today. Unpretentious, capable of takeoff and landing from small ice areas, it flawlessly performed its assigned functions, despite 70-degree frosts, thin air or other difficult weather conditions. The IL-14 was also widely used in geology and cartography for aerial surveys of the area.

In addition to peaceful use, Il-14s took part in the 6-day war between Israel and Egypt. In the fighting, the “silts” suffered losses, two vehicles were shot down and three more were destroyed at the airfield. The aircraft was also built under license in the GDR and Czechoslovakia. You can see a photo of the IL-14 below .

Conclusion

Il-14 airliners made a great contribution to the development of the USSR civil air fleet. They served Aeroflot well until the early 1990s. With the advent of the Il-14, the country's domestic aviation received an impetus to further development and switch it to new level technical equipment and operational culture. The use of IL-14 has brought passenger air traffic into the category of accessible modes Vehicle messages. Thanks to its qualities, the aircraft “outlived” some jet airliners in the service of the country.

To date, only three Il-14 aircraft suitable for flight have survived in the Russian Federation. All of them were restored using the efforts and funds of enthusiasts. The total number of Il-14 aircraft built was 1,348 units, of which 1,065 units were manufactured in the USSR, 203 units in Czechoslovakia, and 80 units in the GDR. This is such an interesting story.

In contact with

Veliky Ilyushin [Aircraft designer No. 1] Yakubovich Nikolai Vasilievich

Chapter 12 IL-14 - the last piston airliner

Il-14 - the last piston airliner

Three projects are hidden under the designation Il-14. The first of them was a bomber designed during the war, then under this designation the Il-12 variant with ALU-73 engines was developed. Only the project of a passenger aircraft with ASh-82T engines was brought to life, which, in fact, became a deep modification of the Il-12.

An experimental 18-seater Il-14 aircraft, designed for 1900-horsepower ASh-82T engines, was built in 1950 in accordance with a government decree of June 10 of the same year, but the lack of engines delayed the start of its flight tests. According to the assignment, on the Il-14 it was necessary to eliminate the shortcomings of the Il-12 identified on production vehicles, improve aerodynamics (in particular, the niches of the main landing gear after their release were closed by a flap, which reduced aerodynamic drag during takeoff and landing, and also prevented the entry of dirt and foreign objects), and install engines that guarantee safe flight on one engine.

Il-14P in flight

The first flight of the Il-14 prototype, piloted by the crew of V.K. Kokkinaki, took place on July 13, 1950. Outwardly, it was no different from the Il-12. The aircraft retained the wing, empennage and power plant of its predecessor, the ASh-82FN. All new items related to individual aircraft systems were hidden under its skin. Then the old engines were replaced by ASh-82T with aluminum crankcases. Factory tests of IL-14 with new power plant began on September 20 and continued until October 31, 1950.

Since the new aircraft, like the Il-12, was designed for 18 passengers (three seats in a row: double on the left side, single on the right side), then, by modern standards, based on the pitch of the seats, the passenger cabin can be safely attributed to the first class.

While the first prototype was being tested, a second vehicle was built, designated Il-14P. Her first flight took place on October 1, 1950.

A significant difference between the IL-14P and its predecessor was the wing. Not only its plan form has changed, but also its profile - a modified SR-5. Initially, the aircraft had a vertical tail with only an increased fin area, but in January 1951 a new rudder was made, the area of ​​which increased by 1.53 m2. In addition, a spring trimmer was installed on the steering wheel, which reduced the pedal effort when one of the motors failed.

Il-14P undergoing state tests at the Air Force Research Institute

As usual, at the stage of factory testing a number of defects were identified, the elimination of which was delayed until the spring of next year. State tests of the Il-14P began on December 2, 1951. The leaders at this stage were pilots A.S. Rychkov (commander) and V.N. Germanov, who died in a ridiculous accident at the Chkalovskaya airfield in 1953 as a result of a collision between an Il-12 taking off and a Mi-4 helicopter that suddenly appeared on its course. The plane was flown by test pilots A.I. Voskanov and Druzenkov (Research Institute of the Civil Air Fleet), and from the Research Institute of the Air Force - A.D. Alekseev, Yu.A. Antipov, E.V. Golenkin, S.G. Grandfather, I.M. Dzyuba, M.A. Nyukhtikov, A.V. Sarygin and V.M. Shulgin.

During the tests, which ended in August 1952 with a positive assessment, the detachable parts of the wing with fuel compartments were replaced with consoles with plug-in tanks, and the engines were changed three times.

State tests of the Il-14P, during which 125 flights were performed, were completed with ASh-82T engines with steel crankcases. As follows from the conclusion of the Air Force Research Institute, the aircraft withstood them and recommended

was approved for mass production. It was also noted that the IL-14P allowed the flight to continue if one of the engines failed immediately after lifting off the runway. The airliner also had better stability and controllability when flying on one engine, it had a more effective anti-icing system, the landing gear was retracted three times, and the propellers were moved to the feathering position twice as quickly as compared to the Il-12. This was significant progress.

From August 13 to October 18, 1952, the Il-14P underwent operational tests at the Civil Air Fleet Research Institute. Based on the April 1953 government decree, the IL-14P was put into mass production at plant No. 84 in Tashkent.

One of the first modifications of the car was the Il-14S saloon aircraft, intended for high-ranking officials. On February 1, 1955, the government decided to produce 20 of these “silts” for the 2nd Special Purpose Red Banner Aviation Division (Akdon), later the 8th Adon. Then, depending on the interior layout, the Il-14SI and Il-14SO variants appeared.

Landing version of the Il-14D with the turret removed

In September 1955, development of a 24-seat version of the aircraft began. The main external difference of the modified aircraft (No. 05–06) compared to the previous version of the Il-14P was the fuselage, lengthened by a meter. The total volume of all cabins and auxiliary rooms of the extended fuselage increased from 60 to 64 m 3 , and the volume of the passenger cabin - from 33.5 (for the Il-14P) to 38 m 3 .

The first flight of the modified aircraft with the USSR insignia - L1629, piloted by V.K. Kokkinaki, took place on November 1, and in December of the same year the aircraft was transferred for state tests to the Civil Air Fleet Research Institute (now the State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation).

After modifications, the airliner passed control tests in April 1956 at the Air Force Research Institute under the designation Il-14M. On June 18 of the same year, the government signed a decree to launch mass production of this machine. The aircraft were operated in this form until 1960.

Based on the order of the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet No. 21 of January 21, 1960, Il-14M aircraft began to be converted into 28, 32 and 36-seat versions, which significantly increased their profitability.

To increase passenger capacity, seat pitch was reduced to 870 mm. As in the case of the Il-14P, the buffets were replaced with a small folding table, a thermos (tank) with drinking water, and food, dishes and portable separator grids for storing bottles were placed in ordinary standard suitcases. All this equipment was placed on the starboard side in the flight attendant's compartment - between the wall of the hydraulic compartment and the front partition of the passenger cabin. The flight attendant's folding seat was mounted on the wall of frame No. 13.

At the same time, the front trunk was placed in place of the radio compartment. At the same time, part of the radio equipment was removed, and the rest was moved to the navigator and radio operator's cabin.

The front partition of the passenger compartment was made portable. When installed on frame No. 15A, the aircraft was used in a 32-seat version, and on frame No. 15 - in a 36-seat version.

The first cargo version of the aircraft was the Il-14T, created on the basis of the Il-14P in accordance with the June 1954 government decree. As on the Il-12D, a cargo door (2.71 m wide and 1.6 m high) with a gate was cut into the left side of the fuselage, while the width of the cargo door increased by 0.4 meters. In addition, on the opposite side there was an entrance door for the crew and passengers, which, like through the gate, allowed the landing of paratroopers and cargo in soft containers.

The onboard conveyor made it possible to drop cargo with a total weight of 2000 kg in 12–15 seconds at a speed of 300 km/h. In addition, cargo could be transported under the center section on beam holders.

The project included a VU-55 rifle mount with a heavy machine gun.

In November 1954, design documentation for the Il-14T was transferred to the plant in Tashkent. The plane was built in the spring of 1956, and on June 22 V.K. Kokkinaki (leading engineer - D.N. Simanovich) performed the first flight on it.

Tests of the Il-14T at the Air Force Research Institute, which began on September 12 of the same year, generally confirmed the stated data, but during the process of its jumping by test paratroopers, it turned out that the landing speed was limited to 250 km/h due to the contact of the paratroopers with the door openings. In terms of piloting technique, the aircraft was practically no different from the passenger Il-14P, but with cargo on an external sling. maximum speed decreased to 366 km/h. In October, testing continued on the basis of the military transport regiment stationed in Tula.

As the main aircraft of the military air force, the Il-14T did not last long, and as the An-8 and then the An-12 aircraft arrived, the piston “trucks” switched to secondary roles, providing combat training for Air Force units.

In April 1957, the Air Force decided not to install an upper gun mount on the Il-14T transport-landing aircraft as it would not provide effective protection against fighter attacks, but would significantly reduce the aircraft’s performance characteristics.

The Il-14T served as the basis for the Il-14TB cargo glider towing vehicle and the Il-14TS ambulance. The aircraft was widely used abroad, in particular in Vietnam, Egypt, Laos and Poland.

On November 14, 1955, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to develop, based on the Il-14P, the Il-14-30D transport and landing aircraft, designed for landing up to 30 fighters and transporting small cargo with a total weight of up to 3000 kg.

The IL-14-30D differed from the IL-14P in having an extended landing cabin with a height of 1.94, a width of 2.67 and a length of 9.89 m. Thermal insulation of the landing cabin and toilet was replaced with a lightweight one and installed in the cabin new system heating and changed lighting. Front loading hatch luggage compartment was absent. The panels and beams of the landing cabin floor were strengthened, and 30 folding seats for paratroopers were installed along the sides of the cabin.

For civil aviation, in 1956, on the basis of the Il-14M passenger aircraft, but with the Il-14P fuselage, the cargo Il-14Gr was created. Another difference from the Il-14T was the absence of a gate in the cargo hatch (but with crane"goose" in his opening). The Il-14Gr was built in small numbers and was used mainly to transport cargo on civil airlines, as well as in Polar Aviation. The maximum carrying capacity of the aircraft, like the Il-14T, did not exceed 2000 kg.

The Il-14Gr had the same cargo compartment as the Il-14-30D with a reinforced metal floor and a large double-leaf cargo door on the left side of the fuselage behind the wing. Along the sides of the cargo compartment there were folding seats. Loading and unloading of the aircraft was carried out using ground loading facilities.

An Il-MFK aircraft was built for the Main Directorate of Geodesy and Cartography, intended for photo-cartographic work. The basis for its creation was the December 1955 government decree. The aircraft was developed jointly with NII-17.

The serial Il-14P (serial number 07–18) was converted into the experimental Il-14FK. In addition to the placement of photographic equipment, it was equipped with additional fuel tanks in the wing consoles with a volume of 860 liters. Serial production of the IL-MFK began in December 1956.

In 1963, in accordance with GUGVF Order No. 299 (1962), the conversion of some Il-14 and Il-MM aircraft into the “FK” and “FKM” variants began, respectively. In addition to photographic equipment and additional fuel tanks, they were equipped with AP-6E autopilots, APR programmatic turnaround machines, DAK-DB-5 remote astrocompasses and KS-6 heading systems.

Il-14T cargo plane

There were other modifications of the Il-14, including a fish scout with a ROZ-1 ground surveillance radar, borrowed from the Tu-124 aircraft.

As already mentioned, in accordance with the April 1953 government decree, the IL-14P was put into serial production in the fall at plant No. 84 in Tashkent and in the same year they decided to transfer the license for the production of the aircraft to the GDR.

The plane was piloted by the crew of N.S. Gavritsky. A year later, on May 9, control tests of the Il-14Avia were completed.

In 1956, Il-14s began to leave the assembly shop of Moscow Plant No. 30. From 1954 to 1958, Plants No. 30 in Moscow and No. 84 in Tashkent built 1,065 Il-14 aircraft of various modifications. In the GDR, the Dresden plant produced 80 Il-14Ps in the 18-seat version.

In September 1954, at the Czechoslovak Avia plant named after. Georgiy Dimitrov began to transfer documentation for the production of the Il-14 aircraft. There they were produced under the designation AVIA Av-14. They planned to build 24-seater aircraft, but due to delays in receiving drawings, they were forced to make an aircraft slipway for 18 passengers. This procedure took eight months. At the same time, aircraft components were manufactured and assembled.

The first Il-14 was assembled in May 1955, but was rejected because substandard rivets were used. The same enterprise produced ASh-82T engines and AV-50 propellers, but at first production aircraft were equipped with 3rd series engines received from the Soviet Union (12 copies). The first aircraft took off in the summer of 1956; by August 18, it had completed three flights under the factory test program and no serious defects were found.

In June 1956, in accordance with government decree, serial production of the Il-14M began at factories No. 30 and No. 84. In the same year, the leadership of Soviet civil aviation asked the Main Directorate of Economic Relations of GUES and GKAT to conclude an agreement with Czechoslovakia for the supply of aircraft to the USSR only in variant of the Il-14M. In Czechoslovakia, 203 vehicles of various modifications were built, mainly Av-14-24 (Il-14) with 24 seats. Since 1957, they switched to the production of 32-seat Av-14-32 and from 1959 - 40-seat Av-14-40. The latter option was intended for operation on short (local) airlines. In addition, they released cargo planes Av-14T (Il-14T), and in 1966 they built a small series of photogrammetric aircraft AVIA Av-14FG with a glassed-in navigator's cabin in the forward fuselage - an analogue of the Soviet Il-MFK. The navigator's cabin protruding beyond the fuselage of the passenger aircraft significantly reduced the aerodynamic quality, and, as a result, the maximum speed of the Av-14FG decreased to 350 km/h, the ceiling to 6900 m, and the range to 1290 km.

The popularity of the Il-14 in the world is evidenced by the fact that by May 18, 1963, 246 aircraft were exported through the USSR Ministry of Foreign Trade. In particular, not only cargo and passenger versions of the Il-14 were supplied to China, but also, since 1957, the Il-MFK, intended for aerial photography.

From 1954 to 1958, plants No. 30 and No. 84 produced 1,065 Il-14 aircraft of various modifications.

In November 1954, operational tests of the serial Il-14P (USSR - L5063, serial number 0204) were completed, carried out by the crew of pilot A.I. Voskanova. Then the “il” transported cargo, mail and official passengers, i.e. Civil Air Fleet employees. The first Il-14P intended to transport passengers on Aeroflot airlines was the Il-14P (USSR - L5054), assigned to the Moscow Transport Aviation Administration (MUTA) in October 1953.

To reduce operating costs, in June 1954, flights of Li-2 aircraft without flight mechanics began on the Leningrad-Sverdlovsk and Moscow-Leningrad airlines; later, this experience was adopted by the Il-14 crews.

Aeroflot began transporting passengers on airlines using the Il-14P on November 30, 1954, 19 days after the completion of operational tests. In accordance with the order of the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet, transportation of 18 passengers was allowed on modified Il-14P (based on test results), as well as on vehicles that entered the Civil Air Fleet after November 1, 1954.

Contrary to expectations, indicators such as increasing the operational reliability of the machine and reducing accident rates initially left much to be desired. The reason for this was still the engines. For example, in 1955, a delegation of Norwegian women died due to the destruction of the cylinder and piston of the ASh-82T engine in the Il-14 crash.

The government, concerned about this, appointed a commission in August 1955 headed by the head of TsAGI A.I. Makarevsky, instructing her to develop measures to improve the reliability of the IL-14. The result of her work was a recommendation to improve the cooling of engine cylinder liners and to remove the second and fifth cylinders for inspection, including their liners, every 100 hours of operation.

The IL-14, installed in front of the airport in Arkhangelsk, once served as a meteorological laboratory. Photo by Alla Gushchina

Only until 1961, due to scuffing and burnout of pistons, destruction of liners of the second and fifth cylinders of engines, there were 80 forced landings and 33 flights on one engine, and in nine cases the engines caught fire.

On November 14, 1974, the flying laboratory Il-14M (USSR - 91175, serial number 147001425) crashed. Shortly after takeoff from Zhulyany airport (Kyiv), the plane’s engine caught fire, which could not be put out, and the fire spread to the wing...

According to the MAP order of September 22, 1955, Ilyushin was instructed to convert the Il-14 into 24 seats.

For this purpose, on the starboard side of the cabin, single seats were replaced with paired ones. In November 1955, V.K. Kokkinaki tested the first 24-seat version of the Il-14P (serial number 05–06).

However, between this event and the order of the Civil Air Fleet Main Directorate to convert the linear Il-14P to this version, a distance of almost two years lay. Only on July 13, 1957, in addition to the order of June 12, it was ordered to convert the Il-14P from 18-seat to 24-seat in accordance with the approval of the chief designer V.N. Bugai layout without moving the front partition and sideboard. The modification of the aircraft was carried out at the ARB-400 aircraft repair base, and the IL-14P (USSR - L5053), previously converted to this version at the same enterprise, was taken as the standard.

But this was not considered the limit. In accordance with the order of the Civil Air Fleet Main Directorate No. 21 dated January 21, 1960, Il-14P aircraft were converted into 28- and 32-seat aircraft.

To increase passenger capacity, seat pitch was reduced from 990 to 870 mm. The buffet was replaced with a small folding table, a thermos (tank) with drinking water, and food, dishes and portable separator grids for storing bottles were placed in ordinary standard suitcases. All this equipment was located on the starboard side in the flight attendant's compartment - between the wall of the hydraulic compartment (frame No. 13) and the front partition of the passenger cabin. The flight attendant's folding seat was mounted on the wall of frame No. 13.

At the same time, in place of the radio compartment, which was located on the left side of the fuselage between the 11th and 13th frames, the front trunk was located. At the same time, part of the radio equipment was removed, and the rest was transferred to the navigator and radio operator's cabin.

The front partition of the passenger compartment was made portable. When installed on frame No. 16, the aircraft was used in a 28-seat version, and on frame No. 15 - in a 32-seat version.

The first Il-14 of the Leningrad Aviation Enterprise (USSR - L1776) landed at the Shosseynaya airfield on August 23, 1956 and in the same month began passenger transportation on the line connecting Moscow with the Northern capital. A little more than a month later, on October 1, flights on the Il-14 began on the Leningrad - Murmansk route. In January 1957, the geography of use of the Il-14 expanded; it operated regular flights to Gorky, Kyiv, Arkhangelsk, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Berlin.

By 1959, the aircraft was brought to full condition, and this allowed it to begin testing in July with a take-off weight of 18,000 kg.

Until the early 1960s, the Il-14 was the leader in passenger traffic at Leningrad Airport, and only with the advent of the Tu-104, Tu-124, An-24 and Il-18 did it begin to lose its position.

The last scheduled flights of the Il-14 with passengers took place in 1973, but the flagship of the 50s was in no hurry to give up its position, continuing to transport cargo and solve problems related to aerial photography.

Il-14T was used as a calibrator for testing airfield blind landing systems

Operation of the Il-14 at Aeroflot ceased in the late 1980s, and the reason for this was not only physical aging, mainly of power plants, but a sharp reduction in the country's production of aviation gasoline.

Despite the high accident rate, in the second half of the 1950s, the Il-14P was the main player on international airlines connecting Moscow with foreign countries. For example, on July 17, 1957, the Il-14P USSR - L1874, flying from Riga to Copenhagen, hit a factory chimney and fell into the bay near Copenhagen. All 23 people on board were killed. According to other sources, L1874 crashed on August 15 in Copenhagen harbor. The author was unable to clarify the time of this event, since the emergency act was not found in the available archives.

Exactly a month later, two Il-14s collided over Kiev - L1360 and L2071. There were other incidents, but the operation of the machine was not interrupted, moreover, it was constantly being improved.

Thus, by mid-1961, a group of Aeroflot Il-14 aircraft had flown over 5,000 hours without major repairs. In the fall of the same year, new KT-97/2 wheels with tires measuring 865x280 mm were tested on the aircraft. Their implementation began in 1962.

On April 4, 1962, an extraordinary incident occurred. During a training flight, the left flap did not retract during landing on the USSR-41852 aircraft. As it turned out later, the bolt connecting the rocker to the rod had broken. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the plane was badly damaged.

On July 6, 1962, an Il-14 crashed near Tashkent. It has not yet been possible to establish whose plane it was, Aeroflot or the Air Force; it is only known that there were 14 people on board.

Four Il-14s were operated by the flight squad, which later became the Kosmos airline. Its main task was to service OKB-1, now RSC Energia named after. S.P. Queen. One of these aircraft was on display at the Aviation and Cosmonautics Museum of the Samara Aviation Institute from 1988 to 2003. The relic, as a memory of the outstanding designer of our time, was scrapped.

The operation of aircraft on a wheeled chassis in the Arctic and Antarctica is only possible from well-rolled snow-covered runways. For landing on unprepared sites, especially those chosen from the air, a ski chassis was required, since the snow crust, which appears strong in appearance, in fact often turns out to be very fragile and cannot withstand the pressure of the wheels.

The only customer for skis for the Il-14 was the Polar Aviation Administration (UPA), so their development began at the UPA design bureau under the leadership of L.A. Khokhlova.

The first experiments with skis, as well as devices for emergency fuel drainage in flight, were carried out on the USSR-L476 machine. At the same time, launch boosters were tested on the same aircraft in the first quarter of 1963 at Domodedovo airport, which significantly shortened the takeoff run and made it possible to take off from “high-altitude” sites. southern continent. Flight tests of the Il-14 with these innovations were carried out by the pilot of the Scientific Research Institute of the Civil Air Fleet (now the State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation) A.A. Lebedev.

This Il-14T once worked in Polar Aviation

Although the Il-14, along with the Li-2, began to enjoy a reputation among polar explorers as a reliable and trouble-free machine, there were plenty of emergency and catastrophic situations. For example, on September 2, 1960, during the flight of a group of Il-14 aircraft from Cape Schmidt to Moscow, USSR-04200 crashed. The plane crashed in the area of ​​Mount Belaya near the village of Zakhnovo (in the territory of the Kenozersky National Park).

Several “silts” were delivered to Antarctica by sea, and they were almost always operated under extreme conditions. At the same time, in Antarctica the Il-14 made flights lasting 12–14 hours! Naturally, there were some emergency situations. After accidents, some cars were lost in the snowy expanses, while others, if circumstances permitted, were assembled into “new ones.” For example, after accidents, a vehicle was assembled from the sides of USSR-04180 and USSR-41834, which retained the second identification mark. And, for example, something like this happened: the Il-14 USSR-41803, which had been written off and wasted for a year in a landfill, was revived. After all, it was necessary to fly on something. The weakest link in the Il-14 was the ASh-82T engines. The production of “silts” was stopped long ago, and they flew mainly on repair engines, but they also had their limits.

In March 1990, the Il-14 USSR-41808 aircraft made its last flight in Antarctica, since it had the last two engines of the first category. There were no more ASH-82T engines in warehouses. Due to engine failures in flight, several crews had to make emergency landings. The plane, which seemed to have no wear and tear, is also a thing of the past.

After the ban on the operation of the Il-14 in our country, despite the appearance of the An-26 and An-74 aircraft, a machine capable of replacing it was never created.

The first in the Air Force to receive the Il-14P in 1955 were aviators of the 2nd Red Banner Special Purpose Aviation Division (Akdon), one of the regiments of which served the government. On the same planes in the summer of 1955, a visit was made to the government delegation of the Soviet Union headed by N.S. Khrushchev to India, Burma and Afghanistan. During the visit, the planes covered a distance of about 22,500 km.

A few years later, a hidden design defect made itself known on one of the division’s vehicles. This happened during the flight of N.S. Khrushchev to Simferopol. The plane of the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee was piloted by division commander General N.I. Tsybin. While the plane was flying in the Ukrainian sky, one of the engines caught fire. The crew activated the fire extinguishing means in time and turned off the engine, the propeller of which automatically feathered. To play it safe, Tsybin landed at the nearest airfield in the Dzhankoy area. An investigation into the cause of the fire showed that during the flight, due to vibration, a copper fuel pipe cracked and the fuel that poured into the resulting gap fell on the hot engine and burst into flames. Subsequently, on all machines, copper tubes were replaced with gas-resistant durite tubes.

From 1958 to 1967, Il-14s were used at the Balashov Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots.

From 1958 to 1967, there were 259 Il-14T and Il-14D-30 in military transport aviation. But this did not mean that by the end of the 1960s the Il-14 was laid up. They were used for a long time in military units, transporting various loads and service passengers. Thus, the author last flew the Il-14T of the transport regiment of the Lipetsk Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Flight Personnel in 1973.

The author had the opportunity to fly on the Il-14 several times, but only one episode was remembered. Since the 1960s, planes regularly fly from the airfield in Chkalovskaya near Moscow to Akhtubinsk twice a week. The main “workhorse” on this route before its decommissioning was the Tu-104A. Sometimes it was replaced by the An-10, then the Tu-154M appeared, and today the Tu-134UB-L carries official passengers. In those early years, even if you applied on time, it was not always possible to get on a crowded plane, because first they loaded people with big stars on their shoulder straps, and only then others who had enough space. Therefore, it was often necessary to use the services of flying aircraft.

So it was on that winter day. While waiting for the plane, several people hung around the airfield in the morning, warming up in the heated vehicle along with the technicians. But then a familiar high-pitched sound was heard - an An-8 was rolling in our direction. Seeing this “truck”, I felt uneasy - it was too noisy.

My heart felt happier when an Il-14T cargo truck taxied into the parking lot. Let us fly longer, but in warmth and silence, and if we’re lucky, we’ll be able to “take a nap” on the engine covers. Finally, the crew, having had lunch in the flight canteen, looked into the heated vehicle and invited us on board.

When they climbed the swinging stepladder, a “mountain” of boxes of cakes from the Kyiv factory named after Karl Marx appeared in the doorway in front of the passengers. In those years it was the most prestigious gift from the capital of Ukraine. My enthusiasm vanished: after all, the cakes are carried in the refrigerator, and there were over 70 of them on board.

But there was nothing to do. The plane took off from the runway, circled over the airfield and headed south. To prevent the sweet cargo from spoiling, the crew “closed” the supply of warm air from the gasoline heater. Gradually it became colder on board. If we consider that the air temperature on the ground was below 20 degrees and every 1000 meters it dropped by another six degrees, then it is not difficult to calculate how cold it was at an altitude of over two kilometers. Almost like in Yakutia, but the flight had to be over four hours.

Meeting between M. Sholokhov and N. Khrushchev. Nikita Sergeevich flew to the writer’s homeland, the village of Veshenskaya, on an Il-14 plane

Somewhere in the middle of the path we heard “shots”. Confusion appeared on their faces. But it soon became clear that in the suitcase of one of the passengers there was a small “cellar” with dry wines, which were rare in Akhtubinsk at that time. The “solar” liquid could not withstand the “greenhouse” conditions and, expanding, pushed out the plugs with a roar, flooding the luggage...

Quite a few Il-14s were used by border troops aviation. In March 1964, the crew of the Il-14 captain A.A. Beregovoi, performing a reconnaissance flight, was discovered on the ice Gulf of Finland an unknown person walking towards Finland, and immediately reported by radio to the headquarters of the border detachment. Having taken off on alert, the helicopter crew led by Captain V.A. Sysuev found traces, and then the offender himself. The pilot chose a site and disembarked the border patrol. The intruder, seeing the helicopter, rushed to run towards the border. It was difficult for the border guards to catch up with him, since the offender was running on smooth ice in special shoes. Then Sysuev flew close to him, hovered over him and with a stream of air from the main rotor knocked the intruder off his feet. The helicopter landed, took on board the intruder and the search group, delivering everyone to the border outpost...

Later, the Il-14s that belonged to this department were equipped with the Groza-40 radar, borrowed from the Yak-40 aircraft, and autopilots from the Tu-134.

Sales of Il-14P abroad began in 1955. In the same year, the Polish airline LOT received the first four Il-14Ps from the Soviet Union. Two years later, six more cars were added to them, manufactured in Germany and at the Avia plant. These aircraft were in operation until 1972 and were decommissioned after the An-24V and Il-18 aircraft entered service with the airline.

The Polish Air Force operated both the cabin Il-14S and the airborne transport Av-14T. Transport aircraft were used not only for their intended purpose, but also for training navigators. In the latter case, up to six bombs were placed on the external sling under the wing center section on beam holders.

In the same year, China acquired the first six Il-14Ps, Czechoslovakia - four and Hungary - one aircraft.

In the GDR, at the Lufthansa airline, the first Il-14P (DDR-AVA, serial number 5340709) arrived on July 30, 1955. On September 16, the Soviet crew, led by pilot Uvarov, performed an official flight on it, delivering the Prime Minister of the GDR, Otto Grotewohl, to Moscow.

In November, three more aircraft arrived from the Soviet Union to the GDR, and in February of the following year, 1956, the international airline Berlin - Warsaw opened, then Berlin - Budapest - Sofia, Berlin - Budapest - Bucharest, and on October 7 - Berlin - Vilnius - Moscow. In 1957, Soviet crews at Lufthansa Airlines were replaced by German ones who had undergone appropriate training.

In September 1962, a squadron of Il-14T transport aircraft became part of the Soviet aviation group in Cuba. These cars, after the Cuban missile crisis had passed, remained on Liberty Island. In 1963, nine Il-14s flew in Cuba. The increased humidity of this island state left its mark during the operation of the machine, which consisted of more thorough care.

Quite a few Il-14s were operated in Bulgaria, India and China.

In addition to passenger and cargo "silts", there were also numerous flying laboratories. In 1959, two laboratories were equipped on the Il-14T base: an analogue aircraft and a target aircraft for testing the guidance systems of Uragan-5 fighters and anti-aircraft missiles that were part of the Dal system being developed.

The Puma flying laboratory is known for fine-tuning the sighting and navigation system intended for installation on the Su-24 aircraft. In May 1964, the flying laboratory was transferred to the customer - NII-131 (NPO Leninets) GKRE.

A special place is occupied by the flying laboratory, created on the basis of the Il-14 for the Main Geophysical Observatory named after. A.I. Voeikova and intended for research in the field of cloud physics and active influence on them. The main advantage of the Il-14 over other aircraft was its low flight speed - 180–300 km/h, relatively low operating cost and unpressurized cabin. Against this background, the low carrying capacity and insignificant energy resource of the machine, which placed strict requirements on the weight of experimental equipment and the number of on-board operators, did not exceed seven people, faded. Nevertheless, the plane managed to accommodate quite wide range equipment, including the Groza-40 meteorological radar, which made it possible to determine the range and azimuths of cumulonimbus clouds dangerous for flight. There was also a laser locator on board - a lidar, which made it possible to determine the height of clouds above the aircraft, and three infrared radiometers designed to study the thermal structure of clouds.

Chapter 18 The Last Battle In a pine forest near the village of Zhary. Efremovites leave for the Ugra in small groups. Again at gunpoint from machine gunners. Who led the last battle? The last right of a Russian officer After an unsuccessful attempt to cross the Ugra River near the village of Kostyukovo, the group

Chapter 18 The Final Throw In September 1944, Russia had already broken through the fragile back door into the Reich, but Hitler was contemplating a new offensive in the West, and in mid-September the leadership of the fighter aviation received orders to transfer all its reserves to the West for

Chapter 15 Intercontinental airliner Civil aviation of the USSR was just mastering the ultra-long-range Tu-114 airliner, and the first sketches of a new generation aircraft appeared on the drawing boards of the Ilyushin OKB-240. While still working on the Il-18 turboprop aircraft, S.V. Ilyushin said: