Aircraft designer Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov: biography

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

It's no secret that the Soviet industry at all times was famous for the presence of highly qualified personnel, which even Western capitalist countries wanted to have in their ranks. Many engineers then worked not for the sake of money, but only because the activity to which they devoted themselves was the meaning of their life and great love. One of these historical characters, who at one time managed to make a colossal breakthrough in the aircraft industry, is Oleg Antonov. About this man with an amazing fate and will be discussed in this article.

Biography

The future "father" of many aircraft was born on February 7, 1906 in the Moscow province (Trinity village). His great-grandfather spent his life in the Urals and held a high position - he managed local metallurgical enterprises. The grandfather of the future aircraft designer was an engineer by education. He devoted his entire working life to the constructionvarious bridges. It was he who moved to the village of Trinity and married the daughter of a retired general Bolotnikov. The wife's name was Anna Alexandrovna. Three sons were born in their family: Sasha, Dima and Kostya. The latter eventually became the father of our hero. Konstantin Konstantinovich married Anna Efimovna Bikoryukina, who bore him a daughter, Irina, and a son, whose name the whole world knows today. Of course, this is Oleg Antonov.

I will fly

These were the thoughts in the head of six-year-old Oleg, when in the evenings he listened to his cousin Vladislav's stories about aviation. At that time my cousin was studying in Moscow. According to Antonov himself, it was then that he decided that he would connect his life with airplanes.

But his parents did not share his passion. Mother believed that people should not fly at all, because it is unnatural. And the father argued that a man in life should be engaged in a more serious matter than dreaming about heaven. The only family member who supported the guy was his grandmother. It was she who gave him a model airplane equipped with a rubber motor. After such a presentation, Oleg Antonov began to collect everything that only had to do with aviation: photographs, various drawings, newspaper clippings, literature, small models. It was this approach to business that later helped him to study the history of aircraft construction well.

Family tragedy

To study the exact sciences, Oleg Antonov entered the Saratov real school. However, he was far from the first student. But he managed to perfectly master the French language,which in a few years bore fruit, because the knowledge gained helped him to communicate with foreign colleagues without any problems. Soon the First World War broke out, and his mother, as befits representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, went to work as a nurse. Unfortunately, her career ended tragically. Performing dressings on the wounded in the hospital, she got an infection through a scratch on her arm and died of blood poisoning in the prime of her life. It happened in 1915. From that moment on, Oleg began to be raised by his grandmother.

First independent work

At the age of thirteen, Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, together with his friends, founded the “Club of Aviation Fans”. After some time, the circle began to publish its own magazine, the editor-in-chief, artist, journalist and publisher of which was Antonov. This edition had all the necessary information for people interested in aircraft. Even poems about pilots were printed.

At the age of 14, the young man was outside the walls of the educational institution. His school closed. Since children were taken to a single school only from the age of 16, the road there was closed to him. But he found a way. His sister Irina already studied at this university. Therefore, he began to go to classes with her, sitting at the back of the desk and absorbing all the information given to the students. So he spent two years. And finally got a certificate. The young man tried to enroll in a flight school, but did not pass because of his he alth. However, this did not bother the guy. Then he submits documents to Saratov University, but after a while againremains with nothing, as his faculty was disbanded. Antonov categorically refused to enter the construction department.

Work in the "Society of Friends of the Air Fleet"

Starting from 1923, Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich fully devotes himself to this club. The head of the society was Comrade Golubev, who received the young enthusiasts very cordially. He even helped them with supplies and premises, allocating a small hall in an industrial technical school for classes. It was within its walls that Antonov created his first brainchild - the OKA-1 "Dove" glider. Such an optimistic start, combined with an excellent memory and knowledge, helped Oleg (at that time a student at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute) create the OKA-3, Standard-1, Standard-2, OKA-7, OKA-8 gliders.

First drop

Tests of the "Dove" in the Crimea did not bring Antonov the desired result - the car never took off. But the pilot, who was assigned to manage it, instilled optimism in the young designer. And he didn't let me get discouraged. Although Oleg did not solve the task set for himself, he still got something that cannot be bought for any money: acquaintance with the guys present at the rally with the names Pyshnov, Ilyushin, Tikhonravov, who today are already historical personalities of modern aviation.

Appointment to post

Biography of Oleg Antonov says that in 1930 he graduated from the institute. And three years later he became the chief designer of the design bureau of the glider plant located in the capital. The management set the task for him:to develop various light-winged vehicles and put them into mass production at the plant in Tushino. But while the enterprise was under construction, the specialists settled in the basement together with a group of reactive workers led by Sergei Korolev.

Work during the Great Patriotic War

Oleg Antonov, whose photo is shown in this article, with the outbreak of hostilities, received an order from the government to produce the A-7 multi-seat airborne transport glider, developed by him in 1940. After some time, the plant was evacuated to Siberia. There, the designer creates an exclusive model of a glider for transporting light tanks. But its practical application showed that joint work with the TB-3 bomber was inexpedient and unproductive. In 1943, Oleg returned to Yakovlev and became his deputy. But at the same time, Antonov continues to dream of creating an aircraft for the peaceful sky.

Life after the war

In the second half of 1945, engineer Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich became the head of the branch of the Yakovlev Design Bureau in Novosibirsk at the Chkalov plant. Here work began on the creation of agricultural aircraft. The state was in dire need of machines capable of taking off both from the airfield and from the field. For joint work, Antonov took in graduates of the local aviation technical school. And they didn't let their master down. In the summer of 1947, the first An-2 was already in the assembly shop. The car performed great. Therefore, it was accepteddecision to build it in Ukraine.

Moving to Kyiv

The aircraft designer liked the city of chestnut trees right away. Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose family by that time was also very tired from endless moving around the country, even physically felt better in Kyiv. But difficulties also arose: we had to re-form the team and the material base of the design bureau. A year later (in 1953), the bureau received an order to create a transport aircraft equipped with two turboprop engines. The task was completed in two years. And in 1958, it was put into mass production and received the name An-8.

New project

After a visit to Khrushchev's Design Bureau in 1955, the creation of a new machine began. Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose photo was then printed by all newspaper publications, suggested that the Secretary General create a four-engine aircraft. The ship, according to his idea, could be in two versions: cargo and passenger. As a result, the An-10 was created, capable of quickly flying, landing and taking off from a snowy strip. In 1962, Antonov defended his thesis at the Moscow Aviation Institute and received the title of Doctor of Technical Sciences. During the same period, he became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Creating a "Bee"

An engineer Oleg Antonov was a good specialist. Photos of the designer presented in the article demonstrate his great achievements in the field of air transportation. As a professional, he was always aware that such a huge country as the Soviet Union was in dire need of a smallan aircraft that can take to the skies provided there is no runway. This thought eventually led to the creation of a machine called the Bee. She subsequently had modifications: An-14 and An-28. The plane had only 11 seats.

A new step in aircraft construction

The next brainchild of the Antonov Design Bureau was the now well-known An-22 Antey. It was this aircraft that became at that time the world's first wide-body aircraft. In terms of its dimensions, it significantly exceeded everything that was created on the planet at that time. Therefore, its creation required the introduction of innovative technological and design solutions, as well as the implementation of a huge number of experiments.

The work of the Soviet team was appreciated at the international exhibition in Paris and called it a sensation in the world aircraft industry. The first flights of the novelty confirmed its exclusivity. The vessel has repeatedly proved its uniqueness, easily delivering various equipment for the oil and gas industry to the Far North. The military were also satisfied: they received a powerful aircraft that helps to solve many of their problems and questions. Antonov's last lifetime development was the An-124 Ruslan. More than 30 world records have been set on this machine. In total, the design bureau beat the world achievements in the aircraft industry more than 500 times.

Private life

Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, for whom his wife was a hope and support, women have always liked. The aircraft designer never allowed himself to look untidy, wasemphatically intelligent and courteous to members of the opposite sex, led a he althy lifestyle and was young at heart. Largely because of this, he had three marriages behind him. All of them left children. Surprisingly, he was able to maintain friendly, warm relations with all his spouses without any problems, and his heirs never sorted out the relationship with each other. By the way, a remarkable fact: his third wife, Elvira Pavlovna, was 31 years younger than him.

The legendary engineer died on April 4, 1984. The funeral took place on the 6th. A huge number of ordinary people came to lead the legendary man on his last journey. They interred Antonov at the Baikove cemetery.