An-2 aircraft: specifications, engine, cockpit, speed, photo and price

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

This car had many opponents in the early post-war years. The An-2 aircraft seemed outdated even then, the high aviation authorities had their own idea of how modern technology should look like. A biplane with a “blunt” nose and braces seemed to be a relic of the pre-war past, it was reminiscent of the U-2 plywood, and the insulting nickname “corncob” immediately “stuck” to it (that’s how they teased a small training airplane that fought all the difficult four years on the fronts). Who knew this unsightly aircraft would outlive its critics for a long time…

Antonov's idea

Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov was engaged in the development of air vehicles. This topic was given to him by the principle of exclusion. During the war, designers who had rich experience in creating military equipment were concerned about attack aircraft, bombers and fighters, licensed PS-84s formed the basis of civil aviation (they are also Li-2, documentation and equipment for their production were purchased in the USA in the thirties). Antonov,a young man (a little over 30), took up landing gliders of various carrying capacities. A year before the war, they were offered a prototype of the An-2 aircraft. The technical characteristics did not arouse the interest of the management, the biplane seemed slow and small. Oleg Konstantinovich returned to the design of landing craft, but did not forget about his idea.

Implementation

In 1945, the government of the USSR realized the progressiveness of agricultural processing carried out by air. Pollination and chemical treatment with the help of aviation was commonplace in the United States, and all advanced technologies in the conditions of post-war devastation were urgently needed, the country felt a food crisis. In addition, a small airplane capable of carrying a dozen and a half passengers or a ton or two of cargo was needed by both the post office and practically all branches of the national economy, especially for serving remote areas. The main requirements for the new machine were formulated in the terms of reference: it must take off from unprepared sites, be able to operate in a wide climatic range. Its maintenance should not require special technologies. And, of course, there must be reliability and ease of management. All these requirements were fully met by the An-2 aircraft, the first copy of which took off from the Novosibirsk test field in 1947. A seven-year-old idea has been put to good use.

Made in USSR

For five years, the airplane was produced in relatively small (at leastleast for the USSR) quantities, only a few hundred pieces. After the death of the “father of the peoples”, N. S. Khrushchev, who led the party and the country, launched an increase in the production of this machine. The An-2 aircraft fit in well with the concept of universal chemicalization and the development of agriculture, which was faced with the ambitious task of "catching up and overtaking" the main world competitor of the USSR - the USA. The production base was originally the Kyiv Aircraft Plant No. 437. An agricultural specialized modification with the “M” index was also built in the city of Dolgoprudny. To the surprise of O. K. Antonov, passenger transportation became practically the main purpose of the An-2. The technical characteristics of the aircraft did not imply comfort in flight, and the “bumpiness” caused by the low “ceiling” was not a hindrance to the cargo. The salon was equipped in the simplest way, rather narrow benches were placed along the sides. The general designer commented on such popularity of his offspring rather caustically, calling it a "tin can with wings." Nevertheless, photos of the An-2 with Aeroflot "wings", either with skis near the Chukchi yurts, or against the backdrop of high mountain pastures, or even just on a rural field, were often found in the Soviet press of those years. The ticket price was modest, for a three-ruble note it was sometimes possible to fly to the neighboring regional center, the comfort was also undemanding, but people spoke very warmly about Annushka.

Maid in…

Until 1963, the An-2 was an exclusively Soviet aircraft. In 1958, the documentation for its production within the framework of socialist international cooperation was transferred to Poland, and the release by Soviet factoriesbegan to gradually decline. The Polish enterprise PZL-Mielec delivered almost 12 thousand biplanes, which were mainly purchased by the Soviet Union (more than 10 thousand). The terms of delivery to the "historical homeland" were agreed in advance, and the remaining devices were used in the socialist countries and other regions of the planet, where this unique aircraft was also appreciated.

Antonov Design Bureau machines have found recognition in China as well. There, the An-24 (received the Y-7 index) and An-2 (Y-5) are mass-produced under license. The total number of copies of "Annushka" made in the world exceeded eighteen thousand, in 2012, 2300 of them are in technically sound condition. The An-2 aircraft, according to the Guinness book, is a long-lived record holder; it has been produced for over six decades.

At the helm of "Annushka"

All pilots who have experience in piloting this biplane (by the way, the largest one) note its unique "volatility". The large relative area of the bearing surfaces almost eliminates such an unpleasant phenomenon as “stalling”. With a headwind of 50 km/h, the An-2 aircraft can practically “hover in place”, hovering over a fixed point on the ground. This determines the ability to plan in the mode with the engine turned off or out of order. Simple but very well thought out brakes, similar to those used in trucks, reduce the coast after landing, and the requirements for the runway are extremely arbitrary. The cabin of the An-2 does not differ in particular comfort, but nevertheless it is convenient, two pilots do not crowd, there is enough space. Glazinghas protrusions in order to improve visibility.

Additional options

Chassis do not retract, which, of course, from an aerodynamic point of view, is bad, but it is ideal in terms of reliability. You can pump up pneumatics without leaving the cab, there is a built-in compressor. In addition to regular wheels, skis are mounted on regular mounts for operation in winter or polar conditions, or special floats resembling kayak boats, thanks to which the aircraft turns into a hydroplane.

The device is refueled autonomously, without a tanker, a fuel pump is provided that can pump gasoline from barrels directly into tanks.

Application of An-2

Such structural and operational unpretentiousness has made this aircraft indispensable in many cases. It was used as a flying laboratory, air ambulance, winged fire engine. The popularity of the An-2 in flying clubs was huge, many skydivers made their first jump by stepping through the open door of a biplane. For meteorological reconnaissance, a version was created with an additional observation cabin in front of the horizontal tail unit. If necessary, this aircraft can be turned into an ultralight attack aircraft by hanging NURSs and bombs on it. Of course, it will be slow-moving, but it will ensure the accuracy of the hit.

Features

The flight and operational qualities of this machine are such that in some cases there is still no replacement for the An-2 aircraft. Specifications andin our time are quite good for a class of light vehicles. Take-off weight - 5.5 tons with a payload mass of 1.5 tons. The space allocated for cargo is limited to a height of 1.8 m, a width of 1.6 m, a length of 4.1 m. The normal passenger capacity is 12 people. For take-off, an unpaved area 235 meters long is enough, and for landing - 10 meters less. Ceiling - 4200, but usually the flight takes place at lower altitudes. The cruising speed of the An-2 is 180 km/h, the maximum speed is 235 km/h (with full load). At the same time, the car can fly almost a thousand kilometers non-stop.

Modern Issues

Any, even the most successful piece of technology, becomes obsolete over time. The An-2 aircraft is no exception. Its characteristics are good, but in our time the requirements for the power plant have changed. At a time when ordinary gas water was more expensive than gasoline, little attention was paid to its consumption. This trend continued for a long time, but the rise in the price of oil products forced it to be revised.

The An-2 engine is carbureted, thousand-horsepower, very reliable, but… Special aviation gasoline is required, it is expensive. Yes, and its consumption is also considerable. In some countries, in particular in Canada and the United States, the operation of aircraft of this type is prohibited. However, collectors willingly acquire An-2 there as well. The price of one and a half million rubles and more does not stop those who want to get real pleasure from piloting a "vintage airplane".

An-2's second youth

O. K. Antonov Design Bureau was one of the first to install turbine enginesfor propeller transport and passenger aircraft. There are many advantages: fuel - kerosene, high reliability, economy, noise reduction. In the fifties, the design bureau proposed to carry out the An-2 version, equipped with a TVD (turbo-propeller engine), but the aviation industry management preferred to direct efforts to priority projects of medium-haul comfortable liners intended to replace the Il-14 and Li-2, which were working at that time on all regional routes. In addition, there were no motors of suitable sizes at that time. But in the late 70s, engine engineers from Omsk designed the TVD-20, quite suitable for Annushka. In 1990, the An-3 was ready, with a glider, almost completely inherited from the An-2, but with a different power plant. He did not go into the series then, economic difficulties prevented him. The project was restarted in 1997 with the addition of modern avionics. The most promising direction for the modernization of the Annushki is considered to be the "remotoring" of aircraft with at least half of their engine life preserved.

Works in this direction are also being carried out in Ukraine, where the MS-14 Motor Sich engine is used. There is another option (Novosibirsk) for the modernization of the famous biplanes, which involves the installation of a modern American Honeywell engine. This modification was named AN-2MS.

In all these cases, the installation of a turbine solves the problem of noise, excessive fuel consumption and guarantees the rejection of expensive "100" gasoline. In all other respects, the An-2 aircraft is simply a wonderful machine. There is reason to believe that she will have a long life inskies over forests, fields and cities.