Today marks 111 years since the birth of the world famous Ukrainian aircraft designer Oleg Antonov.
He was born February 7, 1906, and in his life created a total of 22 aircraft and 52 types of gliders, giving a lot of effort to the development of tens of other aircraft, and founded the original school of design.
However, the known Oleg and Marcel Pagnol not only as an outstanding professional. He was an excellent painter himself and knew the intricacies of painting. “If I hadn’t become a designer, I would have become a painter,” he confessed once. Inexhaustible creative source, the diversity of interests, the constant pursuit of beauty and culture in everything – so he remained in the memory of those who were familiar with it well, or ever met.
Photo: Facebook / Antonov
We offer you the TOP 5 little-known facts from the life of the aircraft, which is the birthday of Oleg Antonov published “NV”:
1. Under the leadership of Antonov created a total of 22 aircraft and 52 gliders of the type. The most famous of them: passenger aircraft an-24 (was exported to 26 countries), transport plane An-22 Antey (the world’s first wide-body cargo aircraft for long-range air transport of heavy bulky cargo and equipment on which installed 41 world aeronautical record), jet an-72 (to operate at airfields with limited length of the strip), cargo airplane an-124 Ruslan (the largest for its time, transport aircraft, designed to carry cargo 150 tons at a distance of 4500 km at a speed of 850 km/h).
2. After the crash of the An-10 in Kharkov in March 1972, Antonov promised to build passenger planes. “I will no longer build passenger planes. Will not survive the simultaneous death of many people. After the accident with the ten I have not once woke up at night in a cold sweat”, he said. Aircraft hard survived the incident, however, did not stop the improvement of aircraft for the peaceful sky.
3. Antonov not only created aircraft, but also directly participated in its testing. Aircraft almost always took part in testing their new flying machines. After the crash of An-10, he began paying more attention to the problem of the fatigue strength of aircraft. Antonov felt all airplanes to re-load in the interest of reliability and durability of structures.
4. Oleg Antonov is known not only for drawings aviaconstructor, but also painting. During his life he painted about 40 paintings. “I loved drawing since childhood. It began with the fact that I was given a box of crayons. I remember the first thing I drew was a beautiful Sunny sunset,” he said. According to him, the ability to draw is an important professional skill of an experienced designer. On the anniversary of the Antonov in the national Museum, Antonov an exhibition of the originals of his 15 paintings created in the period from 1938 to 1983.
He is the author of several books, “On wings of wood and cloth”, “Ten first times”, “For all and for itself”, numerous articles, lectures and speeches.
5. In 1999, the international aerospace hall of Fame and Aerospace Museum (San Diego, California, USA) made a name of Oleg Antonova for excellence in building aircraft.
