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Polikarpov I-1

1923 GOLDEN AGE X-PLANE

Polikarpov I-1 History

The Polikarpov family of Soviet flag aircraft began with the "I-1", the first self-designed and developed Soviet monoplane. The design was done by Nikolai Polikarpov himself with the assistance of I.M.

Kostkin, and the two created a modern single-seat aircraft using the low-lying monoplane wing shape. The prototype IL-400 flew for the first time on August 15, 1923, but the I-1 family as a whole was forgotten in Soviet aviation history.

The wooden plane is powered by a 400 hp water-cooled American "Liberty" L-12 engine driving a twin-blade propeller in the nose. The pilot sits in an open-air cockpit in the forward part of the ship, with a tapered fuselage with board edges. The general design of the wing main aircraft is straight and has truncated tips. The tail is conventional, with a vertical tail and fuselage mounted horizontal aircraft.

The landing gear was wheeled (below the center mass), and a stern plate was installed in the stern.

During its maiden flight, the IL-400 exhibited longitudinal instability, resulting in a crash. This forced a major overhaul of the interior and exterior design. Wooden structures still predominate, but thinner wings are implemented, as well as the corrugated dura peeling technique.

This modified form became the IL400b (IL-2) and achieved its first flight on July 18, 1924. The finished military product is envisaged to carry a pair of 7.62 machine guns designed to fire through the nose and through the propeller blades through the breaker gear.

The Soviet authorities liked what they saw in Polikarpov products, and the government ordered eight planes after the tests were completed. A further 25 were subsequently ordered, although they were finished to the all-timber standard. The completed combat model I-1M-5 (IL-3) made its maiden flight on March 16, 1926.

It is powered by a local license-built copy of the Liberty engine, named "M-5".

Including two prototypes, only 35 I-1 series aircraft were completed in total. Still the design was found to be inherently unstable in certain envelopes and generally underpowered for the combat genre. In addition, quality control at the Polikarpov factory further restored the series, limiting its official use to Soviet aviation units.

The first Soviet "parachuting" from an airplane was done by Mikhail Gromov when his I-1 couldn't recover from a spin (June 1927).

When completed, the I-1 will have a length of 8.3 meters, a wingspan of 10.8 meters, and a total weight of 3,330 pounds. Range reaches 404 miles. The aircraft has a service ceiling of 22,150 feet.