On May 26, 1913, the world's first multi-engine aircraft "Russian Knight" by engineer Igor Sikorsky made its first flight. The young engineer created this aircraft as a prototype aircraft for long-range reconnaissance. It could accommodate both two and four motors. The aircraft was originally called "Grand" or "Bolshoy Baltic", and after some modifications received the name - "Russian Knight". On August 2, 1913, the aircraft set a world record for flight duration - 1 hour 54 minutes. This aircraft, which surpassed in size and take-off weight all machines built up to this point, became the basis for a new direction in aviation - heavy aircraft construction. "Russian Knight" became the ancestor of all subsequent heavy bombers, transport workers, reconnaissance aircraft and passenger airliners in the world. The four-engine Ilya Muromets aircraft, the first instance of which was built in October 1913, became the direct successor of the Russian Knight.
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (1889 - 1972) was born into a family of doctors. Father - Ivan Alekseevich, was a famous psychiatrist, professor at Kiev University, a leading specialist in the treatment of stuttering. Mother - Maria Stefanovna (nee Temryuk-Cherkasova), worked as a general practitioner. The son did not follow the path of his parents. Young Sikorsky received his secondary education in one of the classical gymnasiums in Kiev, in 1903 - 1906. studied at the St. Petersburg Naval School (Naval Cadet Corps), which trained personnel for the fleet. After graduation, he entered the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. He also attended lectures in mathematics, chemistry and shipbuilding in Paris.
From childhood, Sikorsky was interested in mechanics. At the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, Igor became interested in the construction of aircraft, he created and headed the student aviation society. Back in 1908, Sikorsky first tried to build a helicopter. This experimental helicopter, equipped with a 25-horsepower engine, became the basis for the engineer's subsequent work with helicopters. By 1910, a second helicopter was built; it had two propellers that rotated in opposite directions. The carrying capacity of the apparatus reached 9 pounds, but none of the helicopters was able to take off with the pilot. The weak aircraft took off only without a pilot. The device was presented at a two-day aeronautical exhibition in Kiev in November 1909. Sikorsky will return to helicopter projects only in 1939.
In the same year, Sikorsky turned his attention to airplanes and created a prototype of his biplane, the C-1. It was driven by a 15-horsepower engine. In 1910, the engineer flew a modernized C-2, with a 25-horsepower engine. This plane climbed to 180 meters and set a new All-Russian record. Already at the end of 1910, Sikorsky built the C-3 with a 35-horsepower engine. In 1911, Igor Sikorsky received his pilot's diploma and built the C-4 and C-5 aircraft. These machines showed good results: during the tests, the pilot reached an altitude of 500 meters, and the flight duration was 1 hour.
At the end of 1911, the Russian aircraft designer built the C-6 and in the spring of 1912 upgraded it to the C-6A. On the C-6A, Igor Sikorsky took first place in the competition, which was organized by the military. Among the eleven aircraft that took part in the competition, several were represented by such famous aircraft manufacturers at that time as Farman, Nieuport and Fokker. It must be said that all Sikorsky's aircraft, which the designer created before C-6, were built by a young scientist in a barn on the territory of the Kiev estate, which belonged to his parents. Subsequent aircraft, starting with the C-7, were already built at the aircraft factory of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works (R-BVZ) in St. Petersburg. The Russian-Baltic Carriage Works built an aviation department with the aim of building Russian-designed aircraft. This allowed the Russian designer to more successfully do what he loved.
C-6A.
Sikorsky built his first cars at his own expense. In addition, the young inventor was supported by his sister, Olga Ivanovna. At the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works Igor Sikorsky was assisted by pilots G. V. Yankovsky and G. V. Alekhnovich, designer and builder A. A. Serebryannikov, he was a student at the Polytechnic Institute and engine mechanic V. Panasyuk. The first aircraft built by Sikorsky at R-BVZ was the S-7 monoplane (an aircraft with one bearing surface, one wing). It was later acquired by the pilot Lerche.
The Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg produced the S-7, S-9 and S-10 aircraft, they were equipped with Gnome rotary engines. The C-10 Hydro was equipped with floats and was intended for the Russian navy. The S-10 was the direct successor to the S-6 design. It was a single-engine two-seat biplane (an aircraft with two bearing surfaces-wings), mounted on two main and one auxiliary floats. The S-10 had a small hydro-steering wheel. By the fall of 1913, 5 aircraft with 100 hp Argus engines had been built. with. They were used as reconnaissance and training vehicles.
In early 1913, the inventor built the C-11 monoplane. The cockpit was two-seater, for the pilot and the passenger. Engine Gnom-Monosupap 100 HP. with. under the metal hood. The device was built for the competition and the pilot Yankovsky took second place in the competition in the Russian capital. In the spring of 1914, Igor Sikorsky designed and built the S-12 biplane. It was specially designed as a training aircraft and could perform aerobatics. This elegant monoplane was powered by an 80 HP Gnome engine, with a twin-wheel chassis characteristic of many of the inventor's designs. On March 12, 1914, the pilot Yankovsky tested it, the aircraft showed excellent flight qualities. Yankovsky, flying this machine, took first place in aerial aerobatics during the aviation week, it was held at the Kolymyazhsky hippodrome. On the same C-12, the test pilot set an all-Russian record, having risen to an altitude of 3900 meters. True, the first device did not last long - on June 6, 1914, Yankovsky crashed the car, but did not die. The military department liked the flight qualities of the S-12 so much that when a contract was signed for the production of 45 Sikorsky vehicles, a new model was included in it. During the First World War, these aircraft entered service with the Air Squadron and the 16th Corps Squadron.
Already during the war, Sikorsky invented and built: the C-16 project - a fighter with an 80-horsepower Ron engine and a 100-horsepower Dwarf-Mono-Supap, with a speed of 125 km per hour; S-17 - double reconnaissance aircraft; S-18 - a heavy fighter, which was supposed to cover long-range bombers and take on board bombs to support the attacks of "Muromtsev", without a bomb load, the aircraft could serve as a strike fighter; The S-19 is an attack aircraft, it had all the qualities of an attack aircraft - powerful armament (up to six machine guns), booking of the most vital parts, and a layout that ensures maximum survivability and invulnerability of the vehicle (spaced cockpits, which reduced the likelihood of simultaneous destruction of the pilots, one engine covered the other); The S-20 is a single-seat fighter with a 120-horsepower engine and a top speed of 190 km per hour. During the First World War, some of Sikorsky's aircraft were in service with the armed forces. However, despite the good flying qualities and breakthrough solutions, these aircraft were not widely used, which was due to the fascination of the Russian authorities with all foreigners.
S-20.
Russian knight
Even in the pre-war period, the inventor came to the conclusion that the future lies not with small single-engine airplanes, but with large aircraft with two or more engines. They had an advantage in flight range, transport capabilities and safety. An airship with several crew members and several engines was safer, if one engine broke, the rest continued to work.
Igor Sikorsky told about his plans to build a large airship to Mikhail Vladimirovich Shidlovsky, who was the head of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Company. Shidlovsky carefully listened to the young inventor, studied his drawings and gave permission to work in this direction. During this period, most experts did not believe in the possibility of creating a large aircraft. It was believed that a large plane would not be able to take off at all. Sikorsky built the world's first four-engine aircraft, the predecessor of all modern large aircraft. The work went on at a fast pace, the enthusiasts worked 14 hours a day. In February 1913, all parts of the plane, which the factory people, generous with all sorts of nicknames, called "Grand", which means "big", were basically ready.
It should be noted that Shidlovsky played an outstanding role in the development of Russian heavy aviation. A nobleman and naval officer, he graduated from the Aleksandrovsk Military Law Academy, after retirement, served in the Ministry of Finance and proved himself to be a talented entrepreneur. He became a high-ranking official, became a member of the State Council and was appointed commander of the Air Squadron (EVK). The squadron became a special formation, which during the war flew on the bombers of I. Sikorsky "Ilya Muromets". As chairman of R-BVZ, Shidlovsky quickly increased the company's productivity and profitability. In addition to starting the production of Sikorsky's aircraft, Shidlovsky was in charge of the production of the first and only cars of the Russian Empire, which went down in history as the Russo-Balt. These cars performed well during the First World War. Another contribution of Shidlovsky to the defense of the empire was the production in 1915 of the first and only Russian aircraft engine.
Thanks to Shidlovsky, the Grand project was launched and fully justified itself. By the beginning of March 1913, the general assembly of the aircraft was completed. It was a real giant: the span of the upper wing was 27 m, the lower wing was 20, and their total area was 125 sq. m. Takeoff weight of the aircraft - more than 3 tons (with a load of up to 4 tons), height - 4 m, length - 20 m. The plane was to be lifted into the air by four German Argus engines of 100 liters. with. They were located on the lower wings, two on each side of the fuselage. The car could carry a load of 737 kg and fly at a speed of 77 km per hour (maximum speed 90 km). In the carriage - 3 people, 4 passenger seats. For the first time in the world, the aircraft had a large enclosed cockpit and a passenger compartment with large windows for the crew and passengers. The pilots from the cockpit could go to the balcony, which was located in front of the machine. In addition, side exits were also provided that led to the lower fenders, which provided access to the engines. This created the possibility of in-flight repairs.
Igor Sikorsky on the bow balcony of the Russian Knight.
The bow of the "Grand".
After several trial tests, on May 13 (26), 1913, at about 9 o'clock in the morning, in a meadow adjoining the Corps airfield of St. Petersburg, the design aviator Igor Sikorsky, together with 4 passengers, made a brilliant, quite successful flight on the aircraft "Grand" ("Bolshoi") …The plane climbed to an altitude of about 100 m and for half an hour (not with full throttle power) developed a speed of up to 100 km / h, made several large turns very well and landed smoothly. The audience watching this was delighted. With this flight, Sikorsky clearly refuted the predictions of many "specialists" that the "Bolshoi" would not be able to fly … ". Many foreign aviation specialists abandoned the idea of building a large aircraft. However, the Russian inventor clearly destroyed all their theoretical constructions. It was a triumph of human ingenuity and a victory of the Russian designer over numerous critics and spiteful critics.
On May 27, the Bolshoi made another flight. On board were Sikorsky, Yankovsky and four mechanics. The flights provided a wealth of information and good food for thought. The tests of the "Grand" became the basis for the creation of a more advanced aircraft - "Ilya Muromets". The emperor played a certain role in the development of the project. While in Krasnoye Selo, Nicholas II expressed a desire to inspect the car. The plane was overtaken there. The king examined the plane from the outside, climbed aboard. Vityaz”made a great impression on the emperor. Sikorsky soon received a memorable gift from Nicholas II - a gold watch. The monarch's positive opinion protected the plane from attempts to tarnish the reputation of this amazing project.
Sikorsky started to create the second aircraft, which he named "Ilya Muromets". Construction of the second hero aircraft began in the fall of 1913 and was completed in January 1914.
