Oleg Antonov (aircraft designer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oleg Antonov
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| Олег Антонов | |
Antonov in the 1970s
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| Born | 7 February 1906 Troitsa, Podolsky Uyezd, Moscow Governorate, Russian Empire
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| Died | 4 April 1984 (aged 78) |
| Citizenship | Russian Empire → Russian SFSR → Soviet Union |
| Alma mater | Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (1930) |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1924–1984 |
| Known for | Antonov aircraft |
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| Spouse(s) | Elizaveta Shahkhatuni |
| Children | 4 |
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Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov (Russian: Олег Константинович Антонов; born February 7, 1906 – died April 4, 1984) was a famous Soviet aeroplane designer. He started the Antonov Design Bureau in Kyiv, Ukraine, which is named after him. Antonov designed many Soviet planes, like the Antonov An-2 and Antonov An-12. He also created many gliders for both everyday use and military purposes.
Contents
Early Life and Aviation Dreams
Oleg Antonov was born on February 7, 1906, in a place called Troitsy in the Russian Empire. His family was Russian. In 1912, his family moved to Saratov. Oleg went to school there. From a very young age, he loved aviation. He spent a lot of his free time at the local airfield, watching planes.
Building Gliders and Early Career
When Oleg was 17, he started an "Amateur Aviation Club." He later joined a group called the "Organization of Friends of the Air Force." He designed his first glider, the OKA-1 "Pigeon." This glider won first prize in a competition in Moscow! His prize was a flight on a Junkers 12 aircraft.
In 1930, Antonov finished his studies at the Kalinin Polytechnical Institute in Leningrad. He kept designing gliders. In 1931, he became the main designer at the Moscow Glider Factory. Over the next eight years, he designed 30 different gliders. These included the Standard-1, Standard-2, OKA-6, and the huge "City of Lenin" glider. Back then, all pilots in the Soviet Union had to start their training in gliders. Because of this, Antonov's factory could make up to 8,000 gliders each year!
However, in 1938, a glider instructor left the country using a glider. After this, the Soviet government changed its mind about glider training. They stopped the sport of gliding and closed the Moscow Glider Factory.
Designing Planes During World War II
After the glider factory closed in 1938, Antonov tried to join the Zhukovsky Air Academy, but he wasn't accepted that year. In 1940, he joined Yakovlev's Sportsplane Factory. He was given the job of preparing a German plane, the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, for production. He also designed an ambulance version of this aircraft.
Antonov became the chief designer for the Yakovlev Design Bureau. In 1940, a new aircraft design office was started under his own leadership in Leningrad. But when Germany invaded (this was called Operation Barbarossa), the factory closed. Antonov was then moved to work on the Antonov A-7 glider. This factory was later set up to produce A-7s.
During World War II, the A-7 glider was used to deliver supplies by air to Soviet fighters behind enemy lines. Antonov also worked on the Antonov A-40 biplane glider. This glider was designed to carry tanks, but this project didn't work out. In total, about 450 A-7 gliders were made during the war. In 1943, Antonov went back to the Yakovlev design bureau. He became Yakovlev's main assistant designer. He was in charge of the Yakovlev Yak-3 and its production in Novosibirsk. He spent a lot of his time making the Yak series better. These were some of the most produced fighter aircraft during World War II.
Antonov Design Bureau and Famous Aircraft
After the war, Antonov asked to work on his own. He wanted to lead Yakovlev's smaller design office at the aircraft factory in Novosibirsk. On May 31, 1946, Antonov became the head of this new facility. It was later named the Antonov Research and Design Bureau. This bureau later moved to Kiev, Ukrainian SSR. In September 1946, Antonov also became the director of a research institute for aeronautics.
The first aircraft designed by the Antonov Bureau was the SKh-1. This was an agricultural plane, later called the An-2. It was designed to replace an older plane used for farming and other tasks. Antonov designed a large biplane made of metal. It had an enclosed cockpit and a cabin that could hold 12 passengers.
Many important transport planes followed under Oleg Antonov's leadership. Antonov aircraft (which have "An-" in their names) include the tough An-2, the An-28 reconnaissance aircraft, and the massive An-124 Ruslan cargo plane. The An-12, with its four propellers, became the main Soviet military transport plane from 1959 onwards.
Other well-known Antonov planes are the An-24, An-26, An-30, and An-32 family. These planes have two propellers and high wings. They are used for passengers, cargo, and troops on shorter flights in the former Soviet Union and other parts of the world. Antonov also guided the creation of the mid-range An-72/An-74 jet airplanes.
The world's largest production aircraft, the An-124 Ruslan, flew for the first time in 1982. Its special version, the An-225 Mriya, was designed to carry the space shuttle or very heavy cargo. Antonov started its development, but it didn't fly until 1989, after he had passed away. In 2004, the An-225 was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for setting 240 records! Some of Antonov's designs are also built in other countries, like the Shaanxi Y-8.
Family and Later Life
Oleg Antonov was married three times and had four children: Rolan, Anna, Elena, and Andrei.
Oleg Antonov passed away on April 4, 1984, in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR. He was buried in Baikove Cemetery.
Awards and Legacy
During his life, Oleg Antonov received many honors. He was recognized as a Doctor of Science and a member of the Academy of Science of the Ukrainian SSR (starting in 1968). He was named a Hero of Socialist Labor in 1966. He was also elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR several times.
Among his many awards, Antonov received the State Award of the USSR in 1952 and the Lenin Award in 1962.
He was also given three Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, and the Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st class.
A street in Kyiv is named after Oleg Antonov. In 1999, Antonov was added to the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
In 2006, both the National Bank of Ukraine and the Bank of Russia released special coins to celebrate 100 years since Antonov's birth.
Images for kids
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Oleg Antonov's signature.
See also
In Spanish: Oleg Antónov para niños
