On 29 May 1914 (all dates are old style), the second prototype of the Ilya Muromets aircraft, piloted by its chief designer Igor Sikorsky, who recently turned 25 on 25 May, took off for the first time from the Korpusnyi Aerodrom of St. Petersburg. It was much lighter than its predecessor and had more powerful engines.
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Both aircraft were built at the expense of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works. However, in order to start mass production, it was necessary to obtain funding from the state customer, the military department of the Russian Empire. This was opposed by some members of the State Duma, who argued that the aircraft could not climb above 1,000 metres, which was not sufficient for its combat use. So Igor Sikorsky decided to demonstrate the aircraft's capabilities in real flights.
On 4 June 1914, he took Ilya Muromets into the air. There are 10 people on board, including 5 deputies of the State Duma. The aircraft easily gains 2000 metres and strives to go higher. This convinced the sceptics and they wanted to return to the ground. The decision to purchase the first batch of 10 aircraft was made.
But Sikorsky didn't stop there: he planned to demonstrate the aircraft's range and flight duration capabilities. Moreover, it was announced that the Tsar's prize would be awarded to the person who would cover the distance from St Petersburg to Odesa in 24 hours.
The very next day, on 5 June, with an additional supply of fuel, the aircraft set off on its first long-range test flight. The aircraft has a crew of 5 people on board: pilots - Igor Sikorsky, Gleb Alekhnovich, Georgy Yankovsky, Georgy Lavrov, and mechanic - Vladimir Panasyuk. The flight route passed around St Petersburg and its surroundings. Taking off from the Korpusnyi airfield at 2 a.m. in the dead of night, the aircraft reached an altitude of 1,500 metres and at a speed of 100 km/h covered a distance of almost 700 km in 6 hours and 33 minutes, returning to the airfield of departure. At the time, this was a world record for flight time. Preparations for the flight to Odesa began.
As the distance from St Petersburg to Odesa is approximately 1500 km, it was only possible to cover it with intermediate stops for refuelling. The route was laid out strictly in a southerly direction along the 31st meridian and divided into three parts: from St Petersburg to Orsha - 600 km; from Orsha to Kyiv - 460 km; from Kyiv to Odesa - 450 km. The flight time could be at least 15 hours, with up to 4 hours left for each of the two landings for refuelling and crew rest. Under favourable conditions, it was possible to meet the flight time to arrive in Odesa before nightfall.
The previous flight around St. Petersburg was carried out in the visual visibility of familiar local landmarks, where it was almost impossible to get lost. This flight was to take place over unfamiliar terrain and in possible adverse weather conditions that would limit visibility - fog, precipitation, clouds. The aircraft was equipped with a minimal set of navigation equipment for those times. The cockpit was equipped with a magnetic compass, an aneroid barometer with a scale in metres of altitude, an airspeed indicator, and a clock with a second hand. Behind the cockpit, there was a navigator's table with similar instruments and the ability to work with fairly detailed flight charts - four-kilometre charts. Terrain navigation was facilitated by the fact that the St Petersburg - Orsha railway ran along the first part of the route, the Dnipro riverbed along the second, and an almost direct postal route to Odesa. However, the wind direction and speed along the route had to be taken into account, as this significantly affected the flight time.
The flight was scheduled for 17 June 1914. After midnight, the crew was already at the airfield: Ihor Sikorsky as commander, Christopher Prussis as co-pilot, Heorhii Lavrov as navigator-pilot, and Volodymyr Panasiuk as mechanic. The aircraft was loaded to the maximum with everything necessary: 940 kg of petrol, 260 kg of lubricating oil, and 150 kg of spare parts. Together with the crew, the total load was 1610 kg. Despite the coolness of the morning, the aircraft was able to take off.
The engines were started and warmed up. The aircraft slowly started to take off. We took off at 1.30 am. The sky brightened. We were climbing very slowly - only 150 metres in the first 15 minutes. Gradually, the fuel was produced, the aircraft became lighter, and in an hour and a half of flight we were already at an altitude of 600 metres. The weather was excellent, the morning sun was illuminating the ground, and the railway along which they were flying was clearly visible. The pilots periodically replaced each other. Sikorsky repeatedly went out on the wing to admire the scenery and the aircraft. Two hours later, they reached an altitude of 1500 metres. At eight in the morning, they had to descend to 1200 metres under the clouds.
It was an interesting way to communicate with the ground, as there were no radios on planes at the time. Flying over Vitebsk, Sikorsky dropped a metal case with a red ribbon to the ground. Inside were texts of telegrams to Kyiv and the factory, money, and requests to send them to the addressees. And they were sent!
Sikorsky took the helm, began the descent, and soon everyone saw Orsha ahead. The local authorities were notified in advance of the arrival, and a landing site was prepared. An engineer from the plant was waiting there, and barrels of fuel were prepared. The plane landed there smoothly at 8:30 am. The flight lasted about 7 hours. The pilots went to the city, and the mechanics started pumping petrol from the barrels into the aircraft's fuel tanks.
When the crew returned at noon, the refuelling had not yet been completed due to the low performance of the hand pumps. It took another two hours, and finally, at 14:00, the aircraft, piloted by Sikorsky, began a difficult take-off. The site was not chosen very well, and the take-off was with a tailwind. We barely got off the ground at the very edge of the steep bank of the Dnipro River... The troubles continued because of the very hot day - the temperature reached +28 and the engines did not produce the necessary power. Slowly turning towards Kyiv, we barely gained 70 metres of altitude and got into a frantic chop. The heat contributed to strong air turbulence at low altitudes. The pilot could barely manage to control the huge aircraft at a low airspeed. To prevent the irreparable from happening, Sikorsky decided to lighten the aircraft and ordered water canisters, some even with fuel, and spare parts to be thrown overboard. Due to the shaking, a petrol line on one of the engines broke, and the fuel began to flow onto its hot parts. Flames erupted! Sikorsky immediately switched off the emergency engine, and mechanic Panasiuk quickly reached it via the wing to extinguish the fire and block the petrol leak. However, the flames spread to him, and pilot Lavrov rushed to his aid. The two of them managed to extinguish the fire and protect the wooden elements of the wing structure. It was urgent to make an emergency landing! Sikorsky saw a large rye field directly ahead and successfully landed the plane. The terrible flight lasted about one hour...
After inspecting the aircraft, it was concluded that thanks to the skilful actions of the crew and the ability to access the engines in flight, serious structural damage was avoided. It took one hour to complete the repairs, but it was too late to take off - there would not have been enough daylight to reach Kyiv. It was out of the question to continue the flight to Odesa...
We spent the night in the field in the cockpit. It was raining at night, but at 4 am on 18 June, the engines were started and the Sikorsky took off safely.
The sky was completely covered by low clouds, and at an altitude of 450 metres, the aircraft was enveloped in a continuous grey haze. During the ‘blind’ flight, Sikorsky maintained the spatial position of the aircraft with the help of a glass tube in front of his eyes, in which a metal ball was rolling. The first hour of the flight was fairly calm, and then a heavy downpour and bumpy conditions began. At an altitude of 900 metres, the plane was shaken so badly that it went off course and began to lose altitude rapidly: in a few minutes, it dropped by 370 metres. After consulting with Lavrov, Sikorsky decided to descend carefully into the clouds, as he had lost his route orientation. At an altitude of 200 metres, the ground became visible, and soon they could see the Dnipro riverbed. It was raining hard, the engines were flooded with water, and they could stop at any moment. But they had already completed half of the route, the aircraft was lighter, so the crew decided to go up, beyond the clouds. Again, grey haze, but at an altitude of 1100 metres, it began to lighten and the sun suddenly splashed down! The haze instantly disappeared, and there was a clear blue sky above and a dazzling white blanket of clouds below, stretching in all directions to the horizon. It was a rare sight to see in those days! The plane seemed to be frozen in midair... Prussis replaced the tired Sikorsky in the pilot's seat, and he went up to the upper fuselage platform to admire the unearthly beauty.
Meanwhile, navigator Lavrov monitored the course and time of the flight, marking the aircraft's location on the map. They flew above the clouds for two hours. Finally, he reported that Kyiv was 8 kilometres ahead! Sikorsky took the controls again and began to descend. There was no more rain or chattering in the clouds, and after leaving them at an altitude of 400 metres, the plane was right above the northern outskirts of Kyiv. The golden domes of the Lavra and the chain bridge across the Dnipro were ahead. Sikorsky began a right turn, flew over his father's house and headed for Kurenivka airfield, where he landed at 9 o'clock.
From this airfield, in 1910, Igor Sikorsky made his first take-off, and then all his subsequent flights in Kyiv. The airfield was located in the Obolon tract between Novozabarska Street (where his older brother Serhii's estate was located and which still exists today) and the Pochayna River (now the system of six Opechyny lakes lies along its former course). On that gloomy morning, the crew was met by one of the designers of the Ilya Muromets, Kostiantyn Erhant, and several members of the Kyiv Aeronautics Society. In the evening, they were solemnly honoured at a meeting of the Society, where Sikorsky was awarded the Big Gold Medal with the inscription ‘To the Glorious Knight of the Air Ocean, Igor Sikorsky’.
The next day, Kyiv residents began a pilgrimage to Kurenivka. Everyone wanted to see the giant aircraft. Igor Sikorsky performed demonstration flights, taking on board officials, friends and family (10 such flights were performed). Everyone was delighted! In honour of the flight, the city authorities organised a gala reception to which many famous and respected guests were invited.
Igor Sikorsky and his plane stayed in Kyiv for ten days. It was time to make the return journey. On the morning of 29 June, we flew north on the route Kyiv - Novo Sokolniki - St Petersburg. This time the weather was favourable for the flight. Thanks to the technical solutions adopted, it took only 45 minutes to refuel, and in the evening of the same day the aircraft landed at the Korpuschnoye airfield in St Petersburg. The total distance travelled was about 2,500 km, and the aircraft was given its own honorary name, Ilya Muromets-Kyivsky.
On this day, May 25, 1889, Igor Sikorsky was born - a world-famous student of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, a brilliant aircraft designer, tireless inventor and desperate pilot who conquered Europe and the United States.
At the age of 20, while studying at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, he designed and built his first aircraft. It was at the university that he began building his first helicopter.
"My hat is off in respect to my alma mater, which trained me to conquer the sky," said Igor Ivanovych.