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Russian version
Sergey V. ILYUSHIN (1894-1977), soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1968), colonel-general of air engineer service (1967), three times awarded with a title of the Hero of Socialist Labour (1941, 1957, 1974). Joined the Soviet Army in 1919, at first served as an aircraft mechanic, then as a military commissar, and in 1921 as an supervisor of aircraft repair train. In 1926 he graduated from the Air Force academy named after professor N.E. Zhukovsky (now the Air Force engineer academy, VVIA). When training in academy he constructed three gliders. The last of them, named "Moscow", won the first prize of the flight duration competition held in Germany. After academy he was assigned as a section head of the Air Force engineer research committee. Then he worked at the Air Force research airfield. Since 1931 he headed the TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic institute) Central design bureau. In 1933 he headed the Central design bureau at the Moscow plant named after V.R. Menzhinsky which lately turned into Ilyushin design bureau. This bureau had been developing attack, bombardment, passenger, and transport aviation. Since 1935 Ilyusin was a chief designer, and a general designer in 1956-1970. He created his own school in aircraft building industry. Under his leadership mass produced Il-2, Il-10 attack aircraft, Il-4, Il-28 bombers, Il-12, Il-14, Il-18, Il-62 passenger liners were designed, as well as a number of test and experimental planes.
During the Great Patriotic war Ilyushin planes made a basis of soviet attack aviation, a new branch of aviation assigned for close supporting of friendly ground troops. Il-2 become one of mass planes of the war period. Creating this aircraft Ilyushin managed to solve many scientific and technological problems, including the usage of the armour as a part of aircraft structure to withstand stresses, the development of technology to manufacture the armour plate with large curvature of contours, etc. Ilyushin paid great attention to economic problems of plane production. For example, in production Il-28 front-line jet bomber had almost the same labour input as a fighter. Its flight performance was in harmony with its handling characteristics, its attack and defence weapons well matched the total weight balance of the plane. When developing passenger planes Ilyusin used the same rational and progressive methods of designing. The first soviet passenger plane in wide demand of the world aircraft market was Il-18. A number of leading industrial countries of the world even now used principally new type of landing gear designed for Il-62. Ilyusin was awarded with the FAI Gold medal in aviation. From 1937 till 1970 he was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He won the Lenin premium (1960), the USSR State premiums (1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1970). He was awarded with 8 Lenin orders, the October Revolution order, 2 Red Banner orders, Suvorov orders of the 1st and 2nd degrees, Labour Red Banner order, 2 Red Star orders, and with many medals. Ilyushin bronze busts are erected in Moscow and Vologda. The Moscow machine-building plant is named after Ilyushin.
Aviation: Encyclopedia / Chief editor G.P. Svischev. - Moscow: Great Russian encyclopedia Publishing House, 1994]
