Thomas
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2004
- Messages
- 747
- Location
- Dade City, Florida
- Aircraft
- Bell 47.204.205.206.212, Hiller 12a, Hughes 300.500, Sikorsky S76, Cessna 150.210.310
- Total Flight Time
- 1830
Built in Russia during the 1930s, it flew 11 times before crashing and killing 15 people. The designer, Konstantin Kalinin, wanted to build two more planes but the project was scrapped. Later, Stalin had Kalinin executed. Evidently, it was not good to fail on an expensive project under Stalin .
It's got propellers on the back of the wings, too. You can count 12 engines facing front. The size would be equivalent to the Empire State Building on its side, with cannons. Think the 747 was big... not only a bunch of engines but check out the cannons the thing was carrying.
In the 1930s the Russian army was obsessed by the idea of creating huge planes. At that time they were proposed to have as many propellers as possible to help carry those huge flying fortresses into the air, jet propulsion had not been implemented yet. Not many photos were saved from those times because of the high secrecy levels of such projects.
It's got propellers on the back of the wings, too. You can count 12 engines facing front. The size would be equivalent to the Empire State Building on its side, with cannons. Think the 747 was big... not only a bunch of engines but check out the cannons the thing was carrying.
In the 1930s the Russian army was obsessed by the idea of creating huge planes. At that time they were proposed to have as many propellers as possible to help carry those huge flying fortresses into the air, jet propulsion had not been implemented yet. Not many photos were saved from those times because of the high secrecy levels of such projects.