It is no secret that Soviet industry at all times was famous for the presence of highly qualified personnel who even the development of 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 Antonov Oleg. This person with an amazing fate 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 post - he managed the local metallurgical enterprises. The grandfather of the future aircraft designer by education was an engineer. He devoted his entire working age to the construction of various bridges. It was he who moved to the village of Trinity and married the daughter of a retired general Bolotnikov. The spouse'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 Bikoryukina Anna Efimovna, who bore him a daughter, Irina, and a son, whose name the whole world knows today. Of course, this is Antonov Oleg.
I will fly!
Such thoughts were in the head of six-year-old Oleg when in the evenings he listened to the stories of his cousin Vladislav about aviation. At that time, the cousin studied 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 hobbies. Mother believed that people should not fly at all, since this is unnatural. And his father claimed that a man in his life should be engaged in a more serious matter than to dream of heaven. The only member of the family who supported the guy was a grandmother. It was she who gave him the model of an airplane equipped with a rubber engine. After such a presentation, Antonov Oleg began to collect in the collection everything that was related to 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 manufacturing well.
Family tragedy
To study the exact sciences Antonov Oleg entered the Saratov real school. However, he was far from the first student. But he was able to perfectly master the French language, which in several years bore fruit, since the knowledge gained helped him 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 sister of mercy. Unfortunately, her activity ended tragically. Performing a wound dressing in a hospital, she received 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, grandmother began to raise Oleg.
First independent work
At the age of thirteen Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich and his friends founded the Aviation Fans Club. After some time, the circle began to publish its own magazine, whose chief editor, artist, journalist and publisher was exactly Antonov. This publication had all the necessary information for people interested in airplanes. Even poems about pilots were printed.
At age 14, the young man was outside the walls of the school. His school was 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 out. His sister Irina already studied at this university. Therefore, he began to go to classes with her, sitting down at the back desk and absorbing all the information given to the students. So he spent two years. And in the end I received a certificate. The young man tried to enter a flight school, but did not pass through health. However, this did not bother the guy. Then he submits documents to the University of Saratov, but after a while he again remains with nothing, since his faculty was disbanded. Antonov categorically refused to enter the construction department.
Work in the "Society of Friends of the Air Fleet"
Since 1923, Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich is fully committed to this club. The leader of the company was Comrade Golubev, who very warmly welcomed young enthusiasts. He even helped them with supplies and premises, having allocated a small hall for classes at an industrial technical school. It was within its walls that Antonov created his first brainchild - the OKA-1 glider “Pigeon”. Such an optimistic start, together with excellent memory and knowledge, helped Oleg (at that time a student at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute) create gliders OKA-3, Standard-1, Standard-2, OKA-7, OKA-8.
First fall
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, inspired optimism in the young designer. And he did not let me be discouraged. Although Oleg did not solve his task, he still got something that you can’t buy for any money: acquaintance with the guys present at the rally with the names of Pyshnov, Ilyushin, Tikhonravov, who today are historical figures of modern aviation.
Post appointment
Biography of Oleg Antonov says that in 1930 he graduated from the institute. And after three years he became the chief designer of the design bureau of a glider plant located in the capital. The leadership set a task for him: to develop various light-winged cars and put them into mass production at the plant in Tushino. But while the enterprise was being built, specialists were stationed in the basement together with a group of reactors, led by Sergey Korolev.
Work during the Great Patriotic War
Oleg Antonov, whose photo is given in this article, with the outbreak of hostilities received a task from the government - to produce the multi-seat airborne transport glider A-7, developed by him in 1940. After some time, the plant is evacuated to Siberia. There, the designer creates an exclusive glider model for transporting light tanks. But its practical application showed that the joint work with the TB-3 bomber was inappropriate 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 already for a 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 urgently needed machines capable of taking off both from the airfield and from the field. For joint work, Antonov took to himself the graduates of the local aviation technical school. And they did not fail their master. In the summer of 1947, the first An-2 was already in the assembly shop. The car has proven itself perfectly. Therefore, it was decided to build it in Ukraine.
Moving to Kiev
The city of chestnuts liked the aircraft designer immediately. Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose family at that time was also very tired of the endless travels around the country, even physically felt better in Kiev. But difficulties arose: it was necessary to re-form the collective and 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 Design Bureau in 1955, the creation of a new machine began. Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose photo was then printed by all newspapers, proposed to the Secretary General to create a four-engine aircraft. The vessel, according to his plan, could be in two versions: cargo and passenger. As a result, the An-10 was created, capable of flying quickly, 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. In the same period, he becomes a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
The Bee Creation
A good specialist was engineer Antonov Oleg. The photos of the designer presented in the article demonstrate his tremendous achievements in the field of air transportation. As a professional, he always realized that such a huge country as the Soviet Union urgently needed a small plane that could fly into the sky, provided there was no runway. Such an idea ultimately gave rise to the creation of a machine called the Little Bee. She subsequently had modifications: An-14 and An-28. The plane had only 11 seats.
A new step in aircraft manufacturing
Another brainchild of 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 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 global aircraft industry. The first flights of the novelty confirmed its exclusivity. The vessel has repeatedly proved its feature, easily delivering various equipment for the oil and gas industry to the Far North. The military were also pleased: they received a powerful aircraft that helps solve many of their problems and questions. Antonov’s last lifetime development was the An-124 Ruslan. This machine was set more than 30 world records. In total, the Design Bureau beat world achievements in the aircraft industry more than 500 times.
Personal life
Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose wife was hope and support, was always liked by women. The aircraft designer never allowed himself to look untidy, he was emphasized intelligent and courteous with representatives of the opposite sex, led a healthy lifestyle and was a young soul. Largely because of this, there were three marriages behind him. Of all of them children remained. Surprisingly, he was able to maintain friendly, warm relations with all his spouses without any problems, and his heirs never clarified relations between themselves. 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 spend the last journey of the legendary man. They betrayed Antonov’s land at the Bike cemetery.