It took nerves of steel to fly in this thing. Has anyone heard of this plane before?
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/k7bomber.htm
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/k7bomber.htm
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Is this for real
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Never heard of it but:
Quote:
The Soviet government under the command of Joseph Stalin terminated the project and in 1938 arrested and executed Kalinin for espionage and sabotage.
Is rather interesting.
Quote:
The Soviet government under the command of Joseph Stalin terminated the project and in 1938 arrested and executed Kalinin for espionage and sabotage.
Is rather interesting.
Originally Posted By: Tempest
Never heard of it but:
Quote:
The Soviet government under the command of Joseph Stalin terminated the project and in 1938 arrested and executed Kalinin for espionage and sabotage.
Is rather interesting.
Such was the fate of many scientists who got fed up of being exploited by the communist regime and wished to escape to the western world.
Granted, his design wasn't great, but one can only imagine the task he was given: build something huge to show the world how powerful we are, and build it fast! And by the way, don't spend too much money!
Never heard of it but:
Quote:
The Soviet government under the command of Joseph Stalin terminated the project and in 1938 arrested and executed Kalinin for espionage and sabotage.
Is rather interesting.
Such was the fate of many scientists who got fed up of being exploited by the communist regime and wished to escape to the western world.
Granted, his design wasn't great, but one can only imagine the task he was given: build something huge to show the world how powerful we are, and build it fast! And by the way, don't spend too much money!
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From KSAMC's (Kharkov State Aircraft Manufacturing Company) history page:
Quote:
And there is another quite unique project that is worth specific mentioning. It is the story of K-7, which chronologically fits into this same period and yet should be mentioned separately because of the significance of the events associated with it. Back in those years building of giant airplanes had become the aviation manufacturing priority, and Kharkov aircraft manufacturers did not stand aside. In 1929 Kalinin's design bureau completed the design project of the four-motored passenger aircraft K-7, powered by BMW engines of 1000 hp each. The K-7 was a gigantic elliptical wing of the thick profile with the impressive wingspan of 53 meters and wing area of 452 square meters. The passenger modification of K-7 was intended for carrying 128 passengers and claimed the flying range of 5,000 km. The design bureau had also planned to build a VIP configuration of K-7 that featured eight luxurious compartments for eight sleeping berths each, with a panorama windows on the floor, and a comfortable clubroom with couches, galley, bar and radio compartment in the center wing section. The estimated speed and carrying capacity of K-7 kindled the interest of high-ranked military command: as a strategic bomber, K-7 could carry up to 10,000 kg of bombs, its size allowed to install cannons, and the overall layout had made the airplane exceptionally comfortable and safe "flying fortress". The troop-carrying modification of K-7 provided for transporting 112 fully equipped paratroopers.
Problems of construction were many, and in process of building the prototype of the giant K-7 Kharkov design bureau and HAZ encountered them all the time. The design constantly required improvements, the production of materials that the aircraft was built of had just started, the size of the aircraft was way too big for existing manufacturing areas, and welding presented a great problem as well. And yet, these problems were successfully overcome, and having worked for thousands of exhausting hours, Kharkov aircraft manufacturers had created a giant that boggled the imagination. On August 8, 1933 the aircraft was taxied to the runway. On August 19 K-7 made its first flight at the altitude of 5 meters that lasted just a few seconds. Each time test pilots revealed serious problems, vibrations of aircraft parts, etc., and designers and manufacturers made more and more changes to the construction. Thus, the tail of the aircraft was redesigned in just a few days, stabilizers were moved closer to controls, aircraft parts were urgently strengthened.
At 6 a.m. on August 21, 1933 seven crew members took their positions inside K-7. Kalinin himself occupied the seat of the co-pilot. After a few taxis the aircraft smoothly took off. Soon after that the control cable of the servo-assisted steering gear had broken, but the pilot successfully made a circle over Kharkov and landed on the factory airfield.
Three weeks later, after a number of improvements had been made to the aircraft construction, test flights resumed. The second flight took place on September 22, 1933, and the official HAZ flight testing program began. Test flights rarely went without problems and each time revealed more defects that were to be fixed.
The eleventh flight of K-7 turned out to its last one. On November 21, 1933 the aircraft was to be tested again before going to Moscow, and the test pilot got the assignment to measure the maximum speed of the aircraft for the second time (the speed had already been measured the day before but the ground team made a mistake that had cast doubt upon the measurement results). According to the flight plan, K-7 was supposed to take off, fly to the south west of Kharkov (Rogan' district), approach the "measuring kilometer" at 1,000 m altitude, then lower to 100 m and pass the speed base of 1,250 m three times at the maximum speed. At the third run the aircraft approached the "ruler", descended and suddenly dived and hit the ground killing fifteen people of twenty that it had taken on board. The fire started instantly finishing off the aircraft wreck.
Later on the government commission of the most prominent aviation experts summoned for investigating the cause of this catastrophe had come to the conclusion that K-7 crashed because of the deformation of aircraft empennage caused by flatter. At that time there was no solution to that problem, and aviators could not fight the flatter, but considering the success of the previous test flights, the government decided to build two more aircraft of this type. However, considerable changes in the life of Kalinin's design bureau and Kharkov aircraft manufacturing company had already begun to take place, and after the design bureau had been transferred to Voronezh, the construction of the new K-7 was moved there as well. Kharkov aircraft manufacturing company was renamed into "Factory 135" which obviously meant switching to the production of military equipment. The crash of K-7 was neither forgotten nor forgiven, and in 1938 Konstantin Kalinin was arrested, accused of espionage and sabotage, and executed by NKVD.
Quote:
And there is another quite unique project that is worth specific mentioning. It is the story of K-7, which chronologically fits into this same period and yet should be mentioned separately because of the significance of the events associated with it. Back in those years building of giant airplanes had become the aviation manufacturing priority, and Kharkov aircraft manufacturers did not stand aside. In 1929 Kalinin's design bureau completed the design project of the four-motored passenger aircraft K-7, powered by BMW engines of 1000 hp each. The K-7 was a gigantic elliptical wing of the thick profile with the impressive wingspan of 53 meters and wing area of 452 square meters. The passenger modification of K-7 was intended for carrying 128 passengers and claimed the flying range of 5,000 km. The design bureau had also planned to build a VIP configuration of K-7 that featured eight luxurious compartments for eight sleeping berths each, with a panorama windows on the floor, and a comfortable clubroom with couches, galley, bar and radio compartment in the center wing section. The estimated speed and carrying capacity of K-7 kindled the interest of high-ranked military command: as a strategic bomber, K-7 could carry up to 10,000 kg of bombs, its size allowed to install cannons, and the overall layout had made the airplane exceptionally comfortable and safe "flying fortress". The troop-carrying modification of K-7 provided for transporting 112 fully equipped paratroopers.
Problems of construction were many, and in process of building the prototype of the giant K-7 Kharkov design bureau and HAZ encountered them all the time. The design constantly required improvements, the production of materials that the aircraft was built of had just started, the size of the aircraft was way too big for existing manufacturing areas, and welding presented a great problem as well. And yet, these problems were successfully overcome, and having worked for thousands of exhausting hours, Kharkov aircraft manufacturers had created a giant that boggled the imagination. On August 8, 1933 the aircraft was taxied to the runway. On August 19 K-7 made its first flight at the altitude of 5 meters that lasted just a few seconds. Each time test pilots revealed serious problems, vibrations of aircraft parts, etc., and designers and manufacturers made more and more changes to the construction. Thus, the tail of the aircraft was redesigned in just a few days, stabilizers were moved closer to controls, aircraft parts were urgently strengthened.
At 6 a.m. on August 21, 1933 seven crew members took their positions inside K-7. Kalinin himself occupied the seat of the co-pilot. After a few taxis the aircraft smoothly took off. Soon after that the control cable of the servo-assisted steering gear had broken, but the pilot successfully made a circle over Kharkov and landed on the factory airfield.
Three weeks later, after a number of improvements had been made to the aircraft construction, test flights resumed. The second flight took place on September 22, 1933, and the official HAZ flight testing program began. Test flights rarely went without problems and each time revealed more defects that were to be fixed.
The eleventh flight of K-7 turned out to its last one. On November 21, 1933 the aircraft was to be tested again before going to Moscow, and the test pilot got the assignment to measure the maximum speed of the aircraft for the second time (the speed had already been measured the day before but the ground team made a mistake that had cast doubt upon the measurement results). According to the flight plan, K-7 was supposed to take off, fly to the south west of Kharkov (Rogan' district), approach the "measuring kilometer" at 1,000 m altitude, then lower to 100 m and pass the speed base of 1,250 m three times at the maximum speed. At the third run the aircraft approached the "ruler", descended and suddenly dived and hit the ground killing fifteen people of twenty that it had taken on board. The fire started instantly finishing off the aircraft wreck.
Later on the government commission of the most prominent aviation experts summoned for investigating the cause of this catastrophe had come to the conclusion that K-7 crashed because of the deformation of aircraft empennage caused by flatter. At that time there was no solution to that problem, and aviators could not fight the flatter, but considering the success of the previous test flights, the government decided to build two more aircraft of this type. However, considerable changes in the life of Kalinin's design bureau and Kharkov aircraft manufacturing company had already begun to take place, and after the design bureau had been transferred to Voronezh, the construction of the new K-7 was moved there as well. Kharkov aircraft manufacturing company was renamed into "Factory 135" which obviously meant switching to the production of military equipment. The crash of K-7 was neither forgotten nor forgiven, and in 1938 Konstantin Kalinin was arrested, accused of espionage and sabotage, and executed by NKVD.
They also had a TB-3 that acted as a mothership for up to 5 fighters. Some TB-3s carried two fighters armed with bombs during the opening stages of what they call the Great Patriotic War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zveno_project
But then again, Russia also developed the corkscrew tank....
But then again, Russia also developed the corkscrew tank....
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The only two photos there that are real are the top two. The lower pictures are someone's imagination running wild. Either Photoshop, model or both. They look like the nocturnal emissions of some out of work Star Wars set designer.
The Kalinin is no secret and has a wing span shorter than a B-52, not longer. Kalinin 175 feet, B-52 185 feet, B-36 230 feet.
The Kalinin is no secret and has a wing span shorter than a B-52, not longer. Kalinin 175 feet, B-52 185 feet, B-36 230 feet.
Originally Posted By: XS650
The only two photos there that are real are the top two. The lower pictures are someone's imagination running wild. Either Photoshop, model or both. They look like the nocturnal emissions of some out of work Star Wars set designer.
The Kalinin is no secret and has a wing span shorter than a B-52, not longer. Kalinin 175 feet, B-52 185 feet, B-36 230 feet.
After looking at the photoes the top ones show 7 engines and the bottom ones have 12. You are right. Fakes.
The only two photos there that are real are the top two. The lower pictures are someone's imagination running wild. Either Photoshop, model or both. They look like the nocturnal emissions of some out of work Star Wars set designer.
The Kalinin is no secret and has a wing span shorter than a B-52, not longer. Kalinin 175 feet, B-52 185 feet, B-36 230 feet.
After looking at the photoes the top ones show 7 engines and the bottom ones have 12. You are right. Fakes.
There's one stable flying mode for a long wing-shaped piece of material that I would not like to experience. Take one of those long strips of wooden flooring, hold it in the middle, and throw it in a perpendicular direction, with a downward flicking action so that it starts rotating along it's longitudinal axis with the trailing side moving downward. Magnus effect.
If that was real I think firing those guns would stall the plane, epecially in a climb.
Originally Posted By: Julian
I think it actually says that in the text. Good catch though.
When I saw that the bulk of the article was carton pictures I didn't bother reading the remainder of the text.
I saw a picture of one 15 or so years ago where the nose gunner was standing up in his location on the nose of the plane, exposed to the wind from mid-stomach up. Fortunately is didn't fly very fast (when it actually flew).
I think it actually says that in the text. Good catch though.
I saw a picture of one 15 or so years ago where the nose gunner was standing up in his location on the nose of the plane, exposed to the wind from mid-stomach up. Fortunately is didn't fly very fast (when it actually flew).
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