IL-86 aircraft: photo, specifications

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

The Il-86 aircraft became the first and most massive Soviet passenger aircraft with a wide fuselage and the possibility of its conversion into a military facility, if necessary. This machine was designed at the Ilyushin design bureau, mass-produced at the plant in Voronezh, equipped with four powerful engines. Consider the features of this unit, which was removed from commercial operation after 1997, but some units are still in working order.

Short description

The first IL-86 took off ten years later than its American analogue of the Boeing-747 modification. Such a delay is caused not only by the weak development of the Soviet aircraft industry, but also by the economic prerequisites associated with the financial crisis.

At that time in the crumbling Soviet Union there were no passenger airliners capable of carrying more than 300 passengers. Citizens of the USSR flew abroad very rarely, the whole procedure was accompanied by numerous checks and polls. Nevertheless, work on the creation of an airbus of that time began to be carried out already in the seventies of the last century.

Background

To begin with, for air carriers from America toIn the early 70s, a wide-body aircraft was vital. The Boeing Company presented the first version of such a liner. In Aeroflot, the models TU-134, IL-62, IL-18, TU-154, Yak-40 were quite capable of meeting the needs of the country.

These aircraft were distinguished by reliability, maneuverability and other characteristics. IL-86 made its first flight during the Olympics held in Moscow. The main purpose of the unit is to ensure the transportation of passengers from Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports.

Development and testing

The IL-86 aircraft, the photo of which is presented above, became the first domestic passenger airliner with a wide fuselage. The requirements for the unit stipulated many nuances, among which the cabin capacity of at least 250 passengers, as well as the possibility of landing on the available runways, was of particular importance.

In October 1967, it was decided to create an aircraft with an extended fuselage by 6800 mm. Development of a 350-seat aircraft began at the Ilyushin design bureau.

To accommodate such a large number of personnel, it was necessary to increase the seats in each row, without neglecting the conditions of comfort. As a result, the Design Bureau worked out a two-deck version and a single-level analogue. The fuselage was equipped with a pair of separate cabins. This proposal did not find support from the customer.

Modernization

In February 1970, the specialists of the Ilyushin design bureau received an assignment to developaircraft capable of carrying at least 350 passengers. On February 2, 1970, the Design Bureau was given a specific assignment for the design of a wide-body passenger aircraft. Two years later, the active development of a model focused on the transportation of people on the principle of "luggage with you" began.

The designers faced a difficult task - to make a liner with the correct geometry and seating arrangement. This indicator was influenced not only by aerodynamic parameters, but also by safety, commercial component, crew comfort, as well as loading and unloading luggage. As a result, the developers of the IL-86 model settled on a version with a circular fuselage section and seating on the upper deck according to the 3/3/3 formula. This solution made it possible to place nine seats in one row, providing two aisles. Among the innovations of the technical plan, one can note the use of wing mechanization from wing liners with three slots.

Characteristics of IL-86

The lower deck of the aircraft was equipped with special racks that were intended for luggage and other cargo. Before entering this part of the ship, passengers had to go through three hatches, leaving the burden, after which they were directed to the passenger part on the second level (along several single-span stairs).

The peculiarity of the IL-86 aircraft is the speed of movement of passengers, who spent less time on boarding and baggage handling. This option is mainly due to the procedure for registering the transportation of goods, which does not requirelengthy sorting and loading things on board. This also includes the absence of downtime at the conveyor belt for several minutes.

Tests

In December 1976, the first flight of a prototype of the IL-86 aircraft took place, the photo of which is shown below. This action was carried out from the central airfield. Frunze. The flight director was E. Kuznetsov, who performed a technical flight from Moscow to Sochi in 1978. During the same period, flights were carried out in the direction of Leningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol and Mineralnye Vody.

As noted in the official data of the Ilyushin design bureau, the aircraft in question managed to visit Novosibirsk (February 1980 is considered the official landing date). In December of the same year, the aircraft received a certificate of airworthiness. After that, the first regular flight on the route Moscow - Tashkent was made.

Salon IL-86

After the start of the official use of the aircraft in question, this vessel set 17 world records, officially confirmed. Among them:

• Flying on a closed route for one and two thousand kilometers.
• Lifting various types of loads at speeds over 970 kilometers per hour.
• The highest reliability rating of any civil aircraft at the time.

The wide body aircraft was designed to operate in medium haul periods. At the time of the creation of the vessel, it was equipped with modern equipment that ensured the reliability and maneuverability of the machine,along with a high level of safety. For the creation of such a unit, the creators were awarded the Lenin Prize and a number of other state awards.

Features

With the length of the IL-86 aircraft almost 60 meters, it had a lot of advantages between domestic and foreign counterparts. In fact, the aircraft was a low-wing airbus with four turbine engines. It is equipped with a single-keel plumage and swept wings.

For this aircraft, the NK-86 power units were specially created, which are modernized engines used on the IL-62 and TU-154. Engine thrust - 13,000 kgf. It was these "engines" that became the main reason for the withdrawal of the aircraft from serial operation. The fact is that the NK-86 had a high rate of noise and fuel consumption. It got to the point that they began to joke about these power units, arguing that they launch the plane with a sluggish takeoff run, and only thanks to the curvature of the Planet this is possible. In addition, the dimensions of the specified engine, taking into account the airframe and landing gear, made it impossible to calculate the maintainability of the liner and its effective performance at high ambient temperatures. During takeoff, the temperature sensors often triggered, which led to the complete or partial deactivation of the engines.

Interesting facts

For the sake of justice, it is worth noting that the interior of the IL-86, the photo of which is presented below, had excellent sound insulation. In spite ofthe noise of power plants, passengers did not experience much discomfort during the flight. However, the sound level did not allow to fit into acceptable international standards for regular flights in the civil aviation line.

This created a problem for flights to countries abroad. By and large, the viability of one of the first Soviet airbuses was short-lived. The mass withdrawal of these aircraft began already in 2001. This was largely due to their impracticality and increased noise. The last flights for IL-86 were flights from Moscow to Sochi and Simferopol. Atlant-Soyuz worked in this direction until October 2010.

In the 80s of the last century, research was carried out in the USSR on aircraft of the IL-86 series. Subsequently, they planned to install Rolls-Royce (Rolls-Royce) RB211-22В turbofan engines (production - Great Britain, traction power - 19,000 kgf). As a result, the aircraft was supposed to receive an elongated fuselage and the ability to transport at least 450 passengers over a distance of up to four thousand kilometers.

It was on the basis of the IL-86 that a long-haul analogue was developed and created under the index 96. Unfortunately, both modifications did not become serial liners, due to practical considerations. This niche was occupied by models of the Airbus brand (Airbus A310) that served for about ten or fifteen years, as well as Boeings of the Boeing 747, Boeing 767 configurations.

Result

History of the Soviet Airbuswas not successful, like its closest successor, the IL-96. The total number of units built with stretched fuselages was only 27 copies. In active operation, which continues to this day, only 11 machines are involved. Some copies are part of a special flight squad of Russia, 3 more pieces are operated in Cuba. The developers note that the four-engine long-range aircraft under consideration have not found proper use, due to high fuel consumption and noise, as well as low comfort for passengers.