IL-12 - the main post-war passenger aircraft from the USSR

In the Soviet Union, even before the start of the Great Patriotic War, civil aviation was quite developed. At the very least, people did not see anything miraculous in flights, and some of them even periodically used airplanes starting in 1929.


The most iconic model that introduced civilians to the sky was the ANT-9, also known as the "Wings of the Soviets". The legendary Li-2 became the main cargo-passenger aircraft. This flying machine remained the most popular during the war years. She has proven herself well on the fronts.

After the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union began to rebuild the country. Even then, the prestige of the Motherland was given high priority. Therefore, one of the main slogans of the USSR was the expression: "Catch up and overtake!".



Li-2 is not only technically outdated - it could still be forgiven, especially given the glorious military past. The problem was that it was a licensed copy of a US model developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company.

It was not good for a country that won the war to be content with an outdated American aircraft. Moreover, the military developments in the field of aviation by Soviet design engineers were the best in the world.

The history of the appearance of the IL-12

In the USSR, already in 1943, they began to resume work on civilian equipment, from cars to airplanes. At that time, it was clear that victory in the war was a settled matter. The Red Army is advancing and there are two or three years left to the end.

The Ilyushin Design Bureau began the development of a new promising civil aircraft in 1943. Some historians believe that this was an unauthorized attempt, which Stalin later approved. In fact, this is a purposeful policy of returning the whole country to the “peaceful track”.



Sergei Ilyushin was given the task of creating a new flying machine from scratch, without copying foreign and even his own military models. Although, the temptation to remake the Il-4 bomber was great.

The outdated Li-2 turned out to be such a versatile aircraft that Ilyushin chose it as a kind of guideline and role model, at least outwardly. But the new model was seriously different in terms of technical characteristics - it was planned to be equipped with four motors. The superchargers of the M-88V engines were supposed to ensure the sealing of the cabin.



The project was approved by the Party and work started. But due to the ongoing war, the passenger plane was not given enough attention.

At the beginning of 1944, the project received a number of changes:

✅ Instead of four engines, we decided to be content with two
✅ Motors chosen diesel
✅ Salon had to be made leaky

In the spring, the new project was approved, and six months later, under the leadership of Ilyushin, the first full-size layout of the Il-12 was assembled. The plane was approved by Stalin, after which its fate was decided.



A prototype ready for full-fledged testing could be prepared only in 1945 - when the Great Patriotic War ended. The Il-12 made its first flight in August - it was piloted by Vladimir and Konstantin Kokkinaki.

Tests showed that the choice of ACh-31 diesel engines was reckless. The power units were frankly "raw", threatened with disaster in their current state. Realizing that an airplane is not a tank and an engine failure could be fatal, Ilyushin made the only right decision. The engines were replaced with ASh-82FN - the most reliable Soviet power units of that time, repeatedly tested and tested on the fronts.

The Il-12 prototype was finalized and adapted to new engines. The next test took place in 1946. In the summer, the aircraft passed the state acceptance and was approved for mass production.

Design features

IL-12 is a universal all-metal low-wing aircraft. It could be used for both cargo and passenger flights. The model is designed to carry 27 people. The crew was located in the front four-seat cockpit and consisted of two pilots, a radio operator and a navigator.

If the passenger Il-12 had comfortable seats, then the transporters, designed for 38 paratroopers, were equipped with simple folding seats. Another military modification can be identified by the cargo double doors and loopholes in the windows.



Two Il-12 engines developed a power of 1/700 hp each. With. each, depending on the modification. The screws on the power units were installed with four blades. IL-1 could reach speeds of up to 850 km / h.

The pilots controlled the aircraft mechanically, but if necessary, the autopilot could be used. Landing was facilitated by the tail wheel, which they decided to leave despite the appearance of the nose landing gear.

Exploitation

In 1947, the new aircraft entered the passenger lines. In a short time, the model proved its advantages and almost completely replaced the Li-2. The plane seemed to turn out perfect, but the problem came to light after the models had flown over 150 hours.

Reliable ASh-82FN engines, which proved their effectiveness in the Red Army, did not have a sufficient resource for civil aviation. The overhaul of the engines turned out to be impossible on the ground - they had to remove the power units and send them to the factory.

Ilyushin's design bureau had to modify the long-suffering aircraft again. And the engineers succeeded - after the modernization, the engines became a model of reliability. The IL-12 finally got rid of all its "childhood diseases" around the middle of the 1950s.

At the same time, the aircraft was produced for a short time - from 1946 to 1949. During this time, 663 flying machines were produced - they were then modernized and finalized.



In 1954, a new aircraft model appeared. The IL-14 gradually replaced its predecessor, especially since modified ASh-82T engines, which had an even greater resource, were installed on it.

Modifications of IL-12

The aircraft was produced in several versions. The base is the passenger IL-12. The model, designed for the transport of goods, had fewer seats. The maximum number of IL-12 passengers is 32 people.

On the chassis of the base IL-12, an aircraft was produced for the party leadership. This modification was distinguished by an increased level of comfort, although nothing more than outstanding was done for officials under Stalin.



A year later, these two aircraft were finalized. The passenger one was named Il-12B, and the transport one became a dual-use model with the letter "D" in the index. The latest version could be converted into a bomber and had room for a machine gun turret. IL-12D in the army was also used to transport paratroopers.

Part of the aircraft worked in polar aviation - they had additional tanks in the wings to increase the flight range. This already hints at the reliability of the IL-12 after the upgrades, when the ASh-82FN military engines were finalized in terms of.



The aircraft were operated in the Soviet Union until 1968. IL-12 was supplied to a number of countries of the socialist camp, as well as China.

The next IL-14 is, in fact, a modified 12th model. Due to the large number of changes, it was decided to assign a new index to it.

The Il-12 aircraft became a revolutionary model that made passenger flights in the Soviet Union truly accessible to most citizens.