It is called "Ilya Muromets", made in Russia and it is, without exaggeration, a masterpiece of Russian military technology.
It had everything for the convenience of the crew and passengers, even a shower. Except there wasn't a refrigerator yet. And what was the cost of a collective breakfast in a comfortable lounge, by the way, also for the first time in the world!
Sikorsky drank hot coffee, put on a warm coat and went out onto the upper bridge. A boundless sea of clouds spread around, a huge ship, brightly illuminated by the sun, sailed majestically among the heavenly icebergs. This fabulous picture was a reward for his hard and dedicated work. Neither before nor after this day did Sikorsky see a more beautiful panorama. Maybe because later, with the development of aviation, there was no longer such an opportunity to freely go up from the fuselage or onto the wing and admire the world around us. “Muromets” was a unique machine in this regard.
“Ilya Muromets” is the general name of several modifications of multi-engine aircraft mass-produced at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg from 1913 to 1917. During this period, more than eighty machines were manufactured; many records were set on them: in terms of flight altitude, carrying capacity, time in the air and the number of passengers transported. After the outbreak of World War I, the Ilya Muromets was retrained as a bomber. The technical solutions first used on it determined the development of bomber aviation for many decades to come. After the end of the Civil War, Sikorsky aircraft were used for some time as passenger planes. The designer himself did not accept the new government and emigrated to the USA.
The predecessor of the “Ilya Muromets” was the “Grand” aircraft, later called the “Russian Knight” - the world’s first four-engine aircraft. It was also designed at Russbalt under the leadership of Sikorsky. Its first flight took place in May 1913, and on September 11 of the same year, the only copy of the aircraft was severely damaged by an engine falling off the Meller-II aircraft. They did not restore it. The direct successor of the Russian Knight was Ilya Muromets, the first copy of which was built in October 1913. 
In the Muromets, in comparison with the Vityaz, only the general layout of the aircraft and its wing box with four Argus 100 hp engines installed in a row on the lower wing remained without significant changes. With. The fuselage was completely new. 
For the first time in world practice, it was carried out without a protruding cabin. Its front part was occupied by a spacious cabin for several people. Its length, including the passenger compartment, was 8.5 m, width - 1.6 m, height - up to 2 m. On the sides of the fuselage there were exits to the lower wing so that you could approach the engines during the flight. The total volume of the cabin was 30 m. The inside of the cabin was lined with plywood. The floor was made of 10 mm thick plywood. 
From the pilot's cabin a glass door led to the passenger compartment. At the end of the cabin, on the left side of the flight behind the lower wing, there was an entrance sliding door. At the very end of the salon there was a staircase leading to the upper bridge. Next was a single cabin with a bed and a small table, and behind it was a door to the washbasin and toilet. The plane had electric lighting - the current was supplied by a generator powered by a windmill. The heat was supplied through two long steel pipes (located in the corners of the cabin and salon), through which the exhaust gases passed. 
The Muromets design is a six-post biplane with wings of large span and aspect ratio. The four internal struts were brought together in pairs, and the engines were installed between them, standing completely open without fairings. All engines were accessible in flight - along the lower wing there was a plywood walkway with wire railings. Subsequently, this design feature more than once saved the plane from a forced landing. 
The length of the Ilya Muromets hull reached 19 meters, the wingspan was 30, and their area (on different modifications of the aircraft) was from 125 to 200 square meters. meters. The empty weight of the airplane was 3 tons; it could stay in the air for up to 10 hours. The plane reached a speed of 100-130 km/h, which was quite good for that time. 
The Muromtsev chassis was mounted under the middle engines and consisted of paired N-shaped struts with skids, in the spans of which wheels on short axles with rubber cord shock absorption were mounted on hinged blocks. All eight wheels were sheathed in pairs with leather, making it look like wheels with a wide rim. The landing gear was quite low, since at that time there was an idea that a high landing gear, unusual for pilots, could cause an accident due to the difficulty of determining the distance to the ground. 
Another significant difference between the new Vityaz and Muromets from the aircraft that existed at that time, which became a breakthrough in aircraft construction, is the closed cockpit. In open cockpits, the pilot felt the direction and pressure of the air flow with his face. The pressure spoke of speed, the direction of flow - of side slip. All this allowed the pilot to instantly react with the rudders. This is where the legends about “bird sense” came from, which was given by nature and supposedly not to everyone. The closed cockpit, although it carried convenience and comfort, deprived the pilot of such sensations. It was necessary to trust only instruments and rely on engineering knowledge, and not on “bird sense.” 
There were few instruments, but they provided the necessary information: a compass, four tachometers (from each engine) made it possible to judge the number of revolutions, two aneroid altimeters, two anemometers for determining airspeed (one of them in the form of a U-shaped glass tube with alcohol, one the end of which was closed and the other was connected to the air pressure receiver). The slide indicator is a curved glass tube with a ball inside. 
Pitch was determined using a similar tube - “a sighting device with measurements for slopes of ascent, level flight and descent.” These generally primitive instruments made it possible, if necessary, to pilot an aircraft in a calm atmosphere beyond the horizon. 
In the winter of 1913, tests began; for the first time in history, the Ilya Muromets was able to lift 16 people and the airfield dog Shkalik into the air. The weight of passengers was 1290 kg. This was an outstanding achievement, which was noted by the press: “Our talented pilot-designer I. I. Sikorsky set two new world records on February 12 on his Ilya Muromets - for the number of passengers and for carrying capacity. “Ilya Muromets” flew over the airfield and Pulkovo for 17 minutes and safely descended from a height of 200 m. The passengers - about ten military pilots, pilots and employees of the Russian-Baltic plant were delighted. Two commissioners of the flying club recorded this flight for dispatch to the bureau of the International Aeronautical Federation in Paris.” 
In April 1914, the construction of the second aircraft “Ilya Muromets” was completed, which was supposed to incorporate all the improvements taking into account the identified shortcomings, and the first, at the insistence of the Maritime Department, was converted into a seaplane. The second differed from the first in its smaller size and more powerful power plant - four Argus engines of 140 hp each. With. (internal) and 125 l. With. (external). On June 4, 1914, I. I. Sikorsky lifted the Muromets with 10 people on board. Among the passengers were five members of the State Duma, including a member of the Duma Committee on Military Supply. Gradually we gained 2000 m, and tall passengers admitted that this altitude was sufficient for a heavy bomber. The flight, which again became a worldwide achievement, convinced the most ardent skeptics of the large reserves of Ilya Muromets. 
But in order to finally convince everyone of the machine’s extraordinary capabilities, the designer decides to take a long flight. Rough calculations made it possible to choose the route St. Petersburg - Kyiv with one stop for refueling in Orsha.
June 16, 1914 Corps airfield. Crew: captain I. Sikorsky, co-pilot staff captain Christopher Prussis, navigator, co-pilot lieutenant Georgy Lavrov and constant mechanic Vladimir Panasyuk. We took on board 940 kg of gasoline, 260 kg of oil and 150 kg of spare parts and materials (spare propeller, additional cans of gasoline and oil, pumps and hoses for injection, some tools). The total load, including all crew members, was 1610 kg. 
The weather was great. The morning sun illuminated the still sleeping earth. There is no smoke over the villages. Forests, meadows, rivers and lakes. The plane floated calmly in the still air. The pilots took turns replacing each other after half an hour. Sikorsky twice climbed onto the wing to the outermost engine to observe the airship as if from the side, look at the ground and see for himself the possibilities of repairing the engine in a dense air flow. He felt behind the engine a space more or less protected from the cold wind and from there he watched with rapture as the huge body of a ship with outstretched yellow wings hung in the clear morning air against the backdrop of the waking earth. The spectacle was simply fantastic. 
Around seven in the morning, when Prussis remained at the helm, Sikorsky, Lavrov and Panasyuk sat down at a table covered with a white tablecloth. There is a light breakfast - fruits, sandwiches, hot coffee. Comfortable wicker chairs made it possible to relax and enjoy your vacation. This collective breakfast in a comfortable cabin on board an airship was also a world first. 
Then there was a landing in Orsha, bad weather, an engine fire, a grandiose meeting and reception in Kyiv, and an equally difficult return journey.
The Kiev magazine “Automotive Life and Aviation” assessed the flight of “Ilya Muromets” as follows: “These brilliant flights ended the severe test of the new system of the Russian airplane. The results were stunning"
The press celebrated the flight, but its importance was already overshadowed by events that affected everyone: a world war was approaching. 
On December 23, 1914, all the “Muromets” operating at the front were consolidated into the Squadron. Today in Russia it is Long-Range Aviation Day. 
Just the facts:
The first regular flights on domestic airlines in the RSFSR began in January 1920 with flights between Sarapul and Yekaterinburg of the decommissioned Ilya Muromets bomber.
On May 1, 1921, the Moscow-Kharkov postal and passenger airline was opened. The line was served by 6 Muromets, which were badly worn out, which is why it was closed on October 10, 1922. During this time, 60 passengers and about 2 tons of cargo were transported. One of the mail planes was given to the aviation school (Serpukhov). After this, the Muromets did not take off.
The Air Force Museum displays a model of the Ilya Muromets, equipped with Czech-made engines. It was made life-size by order of the Mosfilm film studio for the filming of the film “The Poem of Wings” (1979)
Sources: G. Katyshev, V. Mikheev. "Wings of Sikorsky", M. Khairulin "Ilya Muromets". The pride of Russian aviation"
He had several predecessors. In March 1913, the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian-Baltic Wagon Works (RBVZ) built the Grand heavy airship, later renamed the Russian Knight. Initially, the “Russian Knight” had two “Argus” engines with a power of 80 hp. s., the weight of the ship reached 33 m, the wingspan was 31 m, the length of the aircraft was 17 m. Later, two more engines were installed on the aircraft, first in tandem, and then, in July 1914, in a row along the leading edge of the lower wing.
A further development of the design of the “Russian Knight” was the “Ilya Muromets”. The previous design turned out to be almost completely redesigned; only the general layout of the aircraft and its wing box with four engines installed in a row on the lower wing were left without significant changes, while the fuselage was fundamentally new. As a result, with the same four engines produced by Argus with 100 hp. the new aircraft had twice the load weight and maximum flight altitude. When in 1915 an aircraft engine was designed at the Russo-Balt plant in Petrograd by engineer Kiresvy
R-BVZ, it also began to be installed on some modifications of the Muromtsev. For the first time in the history of aviation, “Ilya Muromets” was equipped with a comfortable cabin, sleeping rooms and even a bathroom with toilet, separate from the cabin. The Muromets had heating (using engine exhaust gases) and electric lighting. Along the sides there were exits to the lower wing consoles. The first car was built in October 1913. On December 12, 1913, a record carrying capacity of 1100 kg was set. On February 12, 1914, 16 people and a dog were lifted into the air, with a total weight of 1290 kg, and Sikorsky himself piloted the plane.
In the spring of 1914, the first Ilya Muromets was converted into a seaplane with more powerful engines. In this modification, it was accepted by the naval department and remained the largest seaplane until 1917. The second aircraft (IM-B Kyiv), smaller in size and with more powerful engines, lifted 10 passengers to a record altitude of 2000 meters on June 4, set a flight duration record on June 5 (6 hours 33 minutes 10 sec), and flew on June 16-17. flight St. Petersburg-Kyiv with one landing. In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. A total of 7 aircraft of the same type as the 1st and 2nd Kyiv aircraft were built. They were called "Series B". By the beginning of the war (August 1, 1914), 4 Ilya Muromets had already been built. By September 1914 they were transferred to the Imperial Air Force. The 1st "Muromets" under the command of Staff Captain Rudnev flew to the front on August 31 (September 13), 1914, but due to the accident it reached Bialystok only on September 23 and took part in reconnaissance of the besieged Austrian Przemysl only in November. The obsolete artillery of Przemysl was not suitable for anti-aircraft fire, and the pilots on the Farmans dared to fly over the fortress at an altitude of 500-600 m, returning safely to base.
Rudnev did not risk approaching the fortress and made observations from a distance from a height of 1000 m. On September 24, Lieutenant Pankratiev’s second ship, while flying to the front, suffered an accident in Rezhitsa, and the chassis and engines needed to be replaced. On December 10 (23), 1914, the emperor approved a resolution of the military council on the creation of the Ilya Muromets bomber squadron (Airship Squadron, EVC), which became the world's first bomber formation.
However, it remained on paper for a long time, since there were not enough pilots who knew how to fly Muromtsy. On February 14, 1915, the Ilya Muromets Kyiv, under the command of Staff Captain Gorshkov, flew out to reconnaissance of crossings on the Vistula River near Plock, but due to heavy clouds returned without finding any targets. The next day, the ship bombed for the first time, and two pound bombs were dropped on the batteries, and three on the convoy. On February 21, 1915, he took off with 5 two-pound high-explosive bombs and one sighting bomb to the Willenberg station, but did not drop the bombs. On the morning of the next day, Gorshkov, embarrassed by the incomplete completion of the task, secretly flew out along an already familiar route, made a sighting on the first run, and dropped five bombs on the second. He then photographed the station and returned safely. On February 24 and 25, over 30 pounds (480 kg) of bombs were dropped on the same station. During three flights, according to a report from army headquarters, “the station building and warehouse, six freight cars and the commandant’s carriage were destroyed, and the commandant was killed, several houses were destroyed in the city, two officers and 17 lower ranks, and seven horses were killed. There is panic in the city. Residents hide in cellars in clear weather.” During the war, production of series B aircraft began, the most widespread and numbering 30 aircraft. They differed from the B series in being smaller in size and faster. In 1915, production of the G series began with a crew of 7 people. The Muromtsy's armament consisted of rifles, carbines and Madsen light machine guns, the latter often failed, and Maxims were also used.
At the beginning of 1915, the squadron received Lewis machine guns with 40-round clips, 3-4 machine guns per ship. The following year, Vickers and Colt machine guns were received. "Murom" used high-explosive, fragmentation and incendiary bombs with a caliber of 2.5 to 410 kg, as well as steel throwing arrows. The latter were not very effective, since the likelihood of hitting a person or horse with such an arrow was extremely low. At the same time, the effectiveness of the Muromets relative to their cost was relatively low. The price of the Muromtsev was 150,000 rubles per car, while the price of a single-engine Sikorsky airplane was 7-14,000 rubles. At the same time, the bomb load of the Muromets was only slightly greater than the bomb load of single-engine aircraft. Their advantage in flight range did not play a big role, since Russian aviation was used only to support ground forces. The first Muromets carried up to 10-20 pounds of bombs (160-320 kg) on a combat mission; on July 22, 1915, an experimental 25-pound (400 kg) bomb without explosives was dropped from the Muromets by Staff Captain Pankratiev. In February 1916, the Muromets dropped 25-30 pounds (400-480 kg) of bombs.
During the war years, 60 vehicles were received by the troops. The squadron flew 400 sorties, dropped 65 tons of bombs and destroyed 12 enemy fighters. In 1915 alone, the ships carried out up to one hundred sorties, dropping about 20 tons of bombs. The first Muromets was lost in battle on July 5, 1915, when Lieutenant Bashko’s car was successively attacked by three Albatross fighters. The plane made an emergency landing, the engines were removed from it and sent to a warehouse. On November 2, 1915, the Muromets of Staff Captain Ozersky was returning from the bombing of the Baranovichi station, during which it was subjected to heavy anti-aircraft fire. The plane's cables leading to the ailerons were broken, and it crashed into the ground near Priluki. Almost the entire crew died. On March 19, 1916, the Muromets with 450 kg of bombs was attacked by two Fokkers, received more than 40 hits, but was able to fight back. 2 crew members were injured, and 1 died in the hospital from loss of blood. On April 13, 1916, during the bombing of the Daudzevas station, the Muromets of Lieutenant Koistenchik was seriously damaged and written off, and the pilot himself was wounded. In April 1916, 7 German airplanes also bombed the airfield in Segewold, as a result of which 4 Muromets were damaged.
On September 12 (25), 1916, during a raid on the headquarters in the village of Antonovo and the Boruny station, fighters shot down the plane of Lieutenant D.D. Maksheeva. On this day, the departure of the 3rd detachment of Muromtsev (4 aircraft), 12 Voisins and two detachments of Moran-Parasol fighters was planned. But no interaction was organized. One “Muromets” was unable to take off due to an engine fire, and the other returned without flying over enemy positions due to the “lack of an experienced assistant to the commander.” Therefore, the Germans were able to shoot down the Muromets of Lieutenant Maksheev, who turned back due to a problem with the engine, and the Voisin. Lieutenant Wolf from the German field air squad claimed that it was he who shot down the Muromets. First, fire was opened from a distance of 150 m, one of the right engines was damaged.
The return fire from the Muromets also hit the target, but the fighter, maneuvering, came up to 50 m, the observer Lieutenant Lohse fired at the cockpit. Soon the Muromets began to collapse, and it went into a steep spiral, then into a tailspin. One “Moran” died with him. But the most common cause of losses were technical problems and various accidents - about 20 cars were lost because of this. After the October Revolution, the combat use of Muromtsev ceased until the end of the war. The high accident rate of the Muromets was due, in particular, to the fact that the German Argus engines, for which the Muromets was designed, were unavailable at the beginning of the war, and the French Salmson and the British Sunbeam were characterized by high drag and unreliability , spare parts were missing, mechanics and motorists were not sufficiently trained. The planes themselves were wearing out, and losses due to operational reasons were increasing*™. Therefore, in January-February 1916, out of the entire squadron of 10 aircraft, only one was combat-ready; in October, only two sorties were made by one aircraft, and in November and December, only one flight followed, which took place on November 22. At the beginning of 1917, out of 30 Muromets, only 4 were at the front, two of which did not make combat flights at all during the winter due to outdated or poorly functioning engines. There were also not enough trained crews. In total, out of 51 aircraft that arrived at the front, only 40 aircraft fought. If in 1916 the aircraft made the maximum number of sorties - 156 and dropped up to 19 tons of bombs, then in 1917 there were only about 70 sorties, during which 10.7 tons of bombs were dropped. How did the Muromets compare with similar foreign bombers during the First World War? The German "Riesen" or "Riesenflugzeug" (Giant) were developed only in 1914 and entered battle later than the "Muromtsev" - on January 13, 1916. Already on August 24, the experimental model managed to drop almost 900 kg of bombs. Then the plane went into production. 18 R. VIs were built, of which 16 were used at the front, lifting up to two tons of bombs per mission, while the normal bomb load was 1300 kg. On June 29, 1917, the R. IV dropped 1.5 tons of bombs in a four-hour flight. From the end of September 1917 the Giants attacked England. Only one R.39 in 20 sorties dropped 26t bombs on England, including three 1000-kg bombs. The first ton bomb was dropped on Chelsea on the night of 16-17 February 1918. Even earlier, on January 28-29, a 300-kilogram bomb killed 38 people and injured 85. The Germans also built three aircraft of the R. XIV series, which, with a flight range of 1300 km, could lift a ton of bombs. The "Giants" bombed Paris, Dunkirk, Boulogne, Calais and other French cities. 1 R. VI and 1 R. XIV were shot down by fighters, and 1 R. VI was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Another I R. VI crashed after the battle for an unknown reason. 13 "Giants" crashed for non-combat reasons as a result of accidents. In Germany, twin-engine bombers of various companies became widespread - Goths, AEG, Friedrichshafen and a small number of Rumplers. The “Goth” modification G. IV produced 230 vehicles, and G. V - about 200 vehicles.
Having only two engines, in 1916 they caught up with the Muromtsev of the 1915 model in terms of practical range and bomb load. Not inferior to the best "Muromets" of 1916-1917 with Beardmore engines in speed - 135 km/h, the "Goths" surpassed them in carrying capacity - up to 500 kg of bombs, since with the increase in the number of machine guns on the "Muromets" their carrying capacity decreased. "Friedrichshafen" lifted up to 1-1.5 tons of bombs and had a maximum speed of 135 km/h. On 25 May 1917, 23 Gothas bombed London during the day, but two had to return due to mechanical problems. Weather conditions made it impossible to bomb London, so the bombers attacked alternate targets on the coast. Air defense fighter attacks ended in vain. Nine Sopwiths from the front-line squadrons intercepted returning bombers off the Belgian coast and shot down one of them.
It is curious that after the reduction of Zeppelin attacks in 1916, it was decided to reduce the air defense of London and allow only coast guard batteries to open fire. The second attack, on 5 June, hit Kent, but the third, on 13 June, reached London. 162 people were killed and another 432 were injured. Not a single plane out of 14 was shot down, despite 92 fighters in the air. The British decided to increase the number of squadrons from 108 to 200. During the bombing on July 7, 22 aircraft killed 54 people and injured 194 (according to later calculations - 65 and 245, respectively), many from fragments of anti-aircraft shells, only one was lost from air defense " Gotha." From May to August 1917, the Goths carried out eight raids on England, including three on London. Since September, the strengthening of air defense forced the Germans to switch to night operations, which increased aircraft losses upon landing. In 1913, the Muromets were an advanced example of aircraft technology; due to the rapid progress of aviation during the war, they became obsolete.
And their improvement, in particular, was hampered by the shortage in Russia of good aircraft engines, the import of which was difficult during the war. In 1917, the English single-engine DH-4 Haviland carried more than 200 kg of bombs at a speed of up to 170 km/h, and the Muromtsy with a full set of machine guns carried 150-200 kg at a lower speed and range. At the same time, approximately 1,500 OH-4s were built, not counting almost 2,000 that were produced in the USA and managed to arrive in France before the end of the war. The French Breguet 14, largely made of aluminum, carried 3 machine guns and up to 300 kg of bombs at speeds of up to 177 km/h. From March 1917 until the end of the war, approximately 5,500 of these vehicles were produced. The serial (more than 600 vehicles were produced) twin-engine Handley Page fought since March 1917.
A peculiar irony of fate is that the engines for these bombers are English, the Sunbeam with 320 hp. cm were called “Cossack”. Italy, not the strongest aviation power, was able to build more than 750 Caproni heavy bombers of various modifications (Caproni-4 carried up to 1.5 tons of bombs, Caproni-5 - half a ton), while Russia produced only about 80 " Muromtsev." The commission on the strength of the Ilya Muromets airplanes, created after the February Revolution, came to the following disappointing conclusions: “1) From the point of view of strength in flight, the devices are dangerous. 2) No further orders for devices of this type should be made. 3) If there is a need for large devices, it is better to develop a new type than to engage in improvements "I.M. *\ 4) These considerations in terms of strength also apply to devices with four motors of the Russian-Baltic plant, since the forces in it differ little from effort in a calculated apparatus."
One hundred great secrets of the First World War / B.V. Sokolov. - M.: Veche, 2014.-416 e. - (100 great).
The Air Force Museum displays a model of “Ilya Muromets”, equipped with Czech-made engines. It was made life-size by order of the Mosfilm film studio for the filming of the film “Poem of Wings”. The model is capable of taxiing and jogging around the airfield. It entered the Air Force Museum in 1979 and has been on display since 1985 after restoration.
As always, I use information from sites
http://www.airwar.ru
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki
and other sources I found on the Internet and literature.
Ilya Muromets (S-22 “Ilya Muromets”) is the general name of several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in Russia at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant during 1913-1918. The plane set a number of records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude.
The aircraft was developed by the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. I. Sikorsky. The technical staff of the department included such designers as K. K. Ergant, M. F. Klimikseev, A. A. Serebrov, Prince A. S. Kudashev, G. P. Adler and others. “Ilya Muromets” appeared as a result of further development of the design “Russian Knight”, during which it was almost completely redesigned; only the general layout of the aircraft and its wing box with four engines installed in a row on the lower wing were left without significant changes, while the fuselage was fundamentally new. As a result, with the same four Argus engines of 100 hp. the new aircraft had twice the load weight and maximum flight altitude.
"Ilya Muromets" became the world's first passenger aircraft. For the first time in the history of aviation, it was equipped with a comfortable cabin, sleeping rooms and even a bathroom with toilet, separate from the cabin. The Muromets had heating (using engine exhaust gases) and electric lighting. On the sides there were exits to the wings. The outbreak of the First World War and the Civil War in Russia prevented the further development of domestic civil aviation.
Construction of the first aircraft was completed in October 1913. After testing, demonstration flights were carried out on it and several records were set, in particular a load capacity record: December 12, 1913, 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer’s plane was 653 kg), February 12, 1914, 16 people were lifted into the air and a dog, weighing a total of 1290 kg. The plane was piloted by I. I. Sikorsky himself.
In the spring of 1914, the first “Ilya Muromets” was converted into a seaplane with more powerful engines. In this modification, it was accepted by the naval department and remained the largest seaplane until 1917.
The second aircraft (IM-B Kyiv), smaller in size and with more powerful engines, lifted 10 passengers to a record altitude of 2000 meters on June 4, set a flight duration record on June 5 (6 hours 33 minutes 10 seconds), June 16-17 made a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing. In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. In 1915-1917, 3 more aircraft with the name “Kyiv” were produced (one series G-1, the other G-2, see below).
Aircraft of the first and Kyiv types were called series B. A total of 7 copies were produced.
By the beginning of the war (August 1, 1914), 4 Ilya Muromets had already been built. By September 1914 they were transferred to the Imperial Air Force.
During the war, the production of aircraft of the B series, the most widespread (30 units produced), began. They differed from the B series in being smaller in size and faster. The crew consisted of 4 people, some modifications had two engines. Bombs weighing about 80 kg were used, less often up to 240 kg. In the fall of 1915, an experiment was carried out to bomb a 410-kilogram bomb.
In 1915, production of the G series began with a crew of 7 people, G-1, in 1916 - G-2 with a shooting cabin, G-3, in 1917 - G-4. In 1915-1916, three D-series vehicles (DIM) were produced. Aircraft production continued until 1918. G-2 aircraft, one of which (the third named “Kyiv”) reached an altitude of 5200 m, was used during the Civil War.
In 1918, not a single combat mission was carried out by the Muromtsev. Only in August-September 1919 was the Soviet Republic able to use two vehicles in the Orel area. In 1920, several sorties were made during the Soviet-Polish War and military operations against Wrangel. On November 21, 1920, the last combat flight of the Ilya Muromets took place.
On May 1, 1921, the first postal and passenger airline Moscow-Kharkov in the RSFSR was opened. The line was served by 6 Muromtsevs, badly worn out and with exhausted engines, which is why it was liquidated on October 10, 1922. During this time, 60 passengers and about 2 tons of cargo were transported.
In 1922, Socrates Monastyrev made a flight along the Moscow-Baku route on an Ilya Muromets plane.
One of the mail planes was transferred to the School of Aerial Shooting and Bombing (Serpukhov), where it made about 80 training flights during 1922-1923. After this, the Muromets did not take off.
Ilya Muromets IM-B IM-V IM-G-1 IM-D-1 IM-E-1 Aircraft type bomber Developer Aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works Who used it Air fleet of the Russian Empire Production time 1913-1914 1914-1915 1915-1917 1915-1917 since 1916 Length, m 19 17.5 17.1 15.5 18.2 Upper wing span, m 30.9 29.8 30.9 24.9 31.1 Lower wing span, m 21.0 Wing area , m² 150 125 148 132 200 Empty weight, kg 3100 3500 3800 3150 4800 Loaded weight, kg 4600 5000 5400 4400 7000 Flight duration, hour 5 4.5 4 4 4.4 Ceiling, m 3000 35 00 3000 ? 2000 Rate of climb 2000/30" 2000/20" 2000/18" ? 2000/25" Maximum speed, km/h 105 120 135 120 130 Engines 4 pcs. (in-line) "Argus" "Russobalt" "Sunbeam" "Sunbeam" " Renault" 140 hp 150 hp 160 hp 150 hp 220 hp How many 7 30 were produced? 3? Crew, people 5 5-6 5-7 5-7 6-8 Armament 2 machine guns 4 machine guns 6 machine guns 4 machine guns 5-8 machine guns 350 kg bombs 417 kg bombs 500 kg bombs 400 kg bombs 300-500 kg Lewis and Madsen machine guns .
Judging by the exterior, we have a copy of type B.
(IM-V, lightweight combat, narrow-wing): an aircraft of somewhat reduced size and weight, better suited for combat use. The gas tanks were moved to the fuselage roof. The glass area of the cabin has been increased. Armament: 1-2 machine guns of various types on pin mounts in the dorsal cutout of the upper wing between the gas tanks. Sometimes a light machine gun was taken into flight to fire through the windows in the fuselage. Crew: 4 people. In 1914-1915, over 30 copies of the IM-V were built, most of which were equipped with four 150 hp Sunbeam engines. every. Other options are also known: 4 "Argus" 140 hp each, 4 RBVZ-6 150 hp each, 2 "Salmson" 200 hp each, 2 "Sunbeam" 225 hp each. The two-engine Muromets were inferior in performance to the four-engine ones and were considered training. The bomb load of the IM-V reached 500 kg.
One ship was equal to a field detachment and was assigned to the headquarters of armies and fronts.
They claim that this model could even take off from the ground, flying several tens of meters in length.
rear chassis
chassis
engine
Now let's get inside
helm
ore
pedals
devices
What is this?
thrust from ores
fuel system: since the tanks are above the roof, the fuel enters the engines by gravity
air under pressure?
general view
view from the cockpit towards the tail section
what's behind the door in the tail compartment
navigator's workplace
The bombs were placed both inside the aircraft (vertically along the sides) and on an external sling. By 1916, the aircraft's bomb load had increased to 800 kg, and an electric release device was designed to release bombs. The aircraft was also equipped with defensive small arms: Maxim, Lewis, Madsen, Colt, 12.7 mm, 15.3 mm, 25 mm, 37 mm and even 76 machine guns were installed on it in various quantities and in different combinations. ,2-mm guns, among them are experimental recoilless models by Leonid Kurchevsky.
bomb mounting
bombsight
plus a machine gun
RSFSR
Ilya Muromets(S-22 “Ilya Muromets”) - the general name of several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in Russia at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant over the years. The plane set a number of records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude.
Development and first copies
Airplane "Russian Knight".
The aircraft was developed by the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. I. Sikorsky. The technical staff of the department included such designers as K.K. Ergant, M.F. Klimikseev, A.A. Serebryannikov V.S. Panasyuk, Prince A.S. Kudashev, G.P. Adler and others. “Ilya Muromets” appeared as a result of further development of the “Russian Knight” design, during which it was almost completely redesigned, only the general layout of the aircraft was left without significant changes and its wing box with four engines installed in a row on the lower wing, while the fuselage was fundamentally new. As a result, with the same four German-made Argus engines of 100 hp. the new aircraft had twice the load weight and maximum flight altitude.
In 1915, at the aviation production of the Russo-Balt plant in Petrograd, engineer Kireev designed the R-BVZ aircraft engine, which became one of the first Russian-developed aircraft engines. The engine was a six-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled. Automotive-type radiators were located on its sides. R-BVZ was installed on some modifications of the Ilya Muromets.
"Ilya Muromets" became the world's first passenger aircraft. For the first time in the history of aviation, it was equipped with a comfortable cabin, sleeping rooms and even a bathroom with toilet, separate from the cabin. The Muromets had heating (using engine exhaust gases) and electric lighting. Along the sides there were exits to the lower wing consoles. The outbreak of the First World War and the Civil War in Russia prevented the further development of domestic civil aviation.
Construction of the first vehicle was completed in October. After testing, demonstration flights were carried out on it and several records were set, in particular a load capacity record: on December 12, 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer’s plane was 653 kg), on February 12, 16 people and a dog were lifted into the air, with a total weight of 1290 kg. The plane was piloted by I. I. Sikorsky himself.
Second plane ( IM-B Kyiv) smaller in size and with more powerful engines, on June 4, lifted 10 passengers to a record altitude of 2000 meters, on June 5, set a flight duration record (6 hours 33 minutes 10 seconds), -on June 17, made a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing . In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. B - 3 more aircraft with the name “Kyiv” were produced (one series G-1, the other G-2, see below).
Aircraft of the first and Kyiv types were named series B. A total of 7 copies were produced.
Use during World War I
I.M. series B with 400 kg bomb
Aircraft production began during the war series B, the most widespread (30 units produced). They differed from the B series in being smaller in size and faster. The crew consisted of 4 people, some modifications had two engines. Bombs weighing about 80 kg were used, less often up to 240 kg. In the fall, an experiment was carried out with the bombing of the largest bomb in the world at that time, a 410-kilogram bomb.
From the combat report:
Also, various modifications of the Ilya Muromets aircraft were equipped with defensive small arms: Maxim, Vickers, Lewis, Madsen, and Colt machine guns were installed on them in various quantities and in different combinations.
Used
See also
- Alekhnovich, Gleb Vasilievich - worked as a test pilot at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg, tested the Ilya Muromets aircraft.
- Spirin Ivan Timofeevich - pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union. He worked as an aerologist for the 2nd combat detachment of the heavy ship squadron “Ilya Muromets”, then as the head of the technical unit of the aviation detachment.
- Russian hero Ilya Muromets
Notes
Literature
- Shavrov V. B. History of aircraft designs in the USSR until 1938. 3rd ed., corrected. M.: Mechanical Engineering, 1985: ,
- Finne K.N. Russian air heroes of I. I. Sikorsky. - Belgrade, 1930.
- Katyshev G. I., Mikheev V. R. Wings of Sikorsky ISBN - Moscow, Voenizdat, 1992, ISBN 5-203-01468-8
- Khairulin M.A."Ilya Muromets". The pride of Russian aviation. - M.: Collection; Yauza; EKSMO, 2010. - 144 p. - (War and us. Aviation collection). - ISBN 9785699424245
Ilya Muromets(S-22 “Ilya Muromets”) is the general name of several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in the Russian Empire at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant during 1914-1919. The plane set a number of records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude. It is the first serial multi-engine bomber in history.
Encyclopedic YouTube
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The aircraft was developed by the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. I. Sikorsky. The technical staff of the department included such designers as K.K. Ergant, M.F. Klimikseev, A.A. Serebryannikov, V.S. Panasyuk, Prince A.S. Kudashev, G.P. Adler and others. “Ilya Muromets” appeared as a result of further development of the “Russian Knight” design, during which it was almost completely redesigned, only the general layout of the aircraft was left without significant changes and its wing box with four engines installed in a row on the lower wing, while the fuselage was fundamentally new. As a result, with the same four 100 hp Argus engines. With. the new aircraft had twice the load weight and maximum flight altitude.
In 1915, at the Russo-Balt plant in Riga, engineer Kireev designed the R-BVZ aircraft engine. The engine was a six-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled. Automotive-type radiators were located on its sides. R-BVZ was installed on some modifications of the Ilya Muromets.
"Ilya Muromets" became the world's first passenger aircraft. For the first time in the history of aviation, it was equipped with a comfortable cabin, sleeping rooms and even a bathroom with toilet, separate from the cabin. The Muromets had heating (using engine exhaust gases) and electric lighting. Along the sides there were exits to the lower wing consoles. The outbreak of the First World War and the Civil War in Russia prevented the further development of domestic civil aviation.
Construction of the first car was completed in October 1913. After testing, demonstration flights were carried out on it and several records were set, in particular a load capacity record: on December 12, 1913, 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer’s plane was 653 kg), on February 12, 1914, 16 people and a dog were lifted into the air, with a total weight of 1290 kg. The plane was piloted by I. I. Sikorsky himself.
Second plane ( IM-B Kyiv) smaller in size and with more powerful engines lifted 10 passengers to a record altitude of 2000 meters on June 4, set a flight duration record on June 5 (6 hours 33 minutes 10 sec), - June 17 made a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing . In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. B - 3 more aircraft with the name “Kyiv” were produced (one series G-1, the other G-2, see below).
Aircraft of the first and Kyiv types were named series B. A total of 7 copies were produced.
Use during World War I
Aircraft production began during the war series B, the most widespread (30 units produced). They differed from the B series in being smaller in size and faster. The crew consisted of 4 people, some modifications had two engines. Bombs weighing about 80 kg were used, less often up to 240 kg. In the fall, an experiment was carried out with the bombing of the largest bomb in the world at that time, a 410-kilogram bomb.
Production began in 1915 G series with a crew of 7 people, G-1, in 1916 - G-2 with a shooting cabin, G-3, in 1917 - G-4. Three cars were produced in 1915-1916 series D (DIM). Aircraft production continued until 1918. Aircraft G-2, on one of which (the third named “Kyiv”) a height of 5200 m was reached (a world record at that time), were used in the Civil War.
From the combat report:
...In flight (July 5, 1915) at an altitude of about 3200-3500 m, the plane under the command of Lieutenant Bashko was attacked by three German planes. The first of them was seen through the lower hatch, and it was about 50 meters below our car. At the same time, our plane was over Shebrin, 40 versts from the forward positions under the control of Lieutenant Smirnov. Lieutenant Smirnov was immediately replaced by Lieutenant Bashko. The German car, having greater speed and a greater power reserve, quickly overtook our plane and found itself 50 meters higher on the right side in front, opening machine-gun fire on our plane. In the cockpit of our vehicle at this time, the work of the crew members was distributed as follows: Lieutenant Smirnov was near the commander, staff captain Naumov opened fire from a machine gun, and co-pilot Lavrov from a carbine. During the first attack by the enemy, machine gun fire from an enemy vehicle broke both upper gasoline tanks, the filter of the right engine group, the radiator of the 2nd engine, both gasoline pipes of the left engine group were broken, the glass of the right front windows was broken, and the aircraft commander, lieutenant, was wounded in the head and leg Bashko. Since the gasoline lines to the left engines were interrupted, the left taps from the gasoline tanks were immediately closed and the fuel pump of the left tank was turned off. Then our car flew on two right engines. The German plane, after crossing our path for the first time, tried to attack us again from the left side, but when met by machine-gun and rifle fire from our plane, it turned sharply to the right and, with a huge roll, began to descend towards Zamosc. After repelling the attack, Lieutenant Smirnov replaced Lieutenant Bashko, who was bandaged by co-pilot Lavrov. After the dressing, Lieutenant Bashko again began to control the plane, Lieutenant Smirnov and co-pilot Lavrov took turns closing the holes in the right group filter with their hands and taking all possible measures to preserve the remaining gasoline in the tanks to continue the flight. When repelling the attack of the first enemy aircraft, a full cassette of 25 pieces was fired from the machine gun, only 15 pieces were fired from the second cassette, then the cartridge jammed inside the magazine and further firing from it was completely impossible.
Following the first plane, the next German plane immediately appeared, which flew only once above us on the left and fired at our plane with a machine gun, and the oil tank of the second engine was pierced. Lieutenant Smirnov opened fire on this plane from a carbine, co-pilot Lavrov was in the front compartment of the cabin near the filter, and staff captain Naumov was repairing the machine gun. Since the machine gun was completely out of order, Lieutenant Smirnov handed over the carbine to Naumov, and he replaced co-pilot Lavrov, taking measures to conserve gasoline, since Lavrov’s both hands were numb from great stress. The second German plane did not attack us again.
On the line of forward positions, our vehicle was machine-gunned by a third German aircraft flying at a great distance to the left and above us. At the same time, artillery was also firing at us. The altitude at that time was about 1400-1500 m. When approaching the city of Kholm at an altitude of 700 m, the right engines also stopped, because the entire supply of gasoline had run out, so it was necessary to make a forced descent. The last one was made 4-5 versts from the town of Kholm near the village of Gorodishche, near the airfield of the 24th aviation regiment on a swampy meadow. At the same time, the landing gear wheels got stuck right up to the struts and were broken: the left half of the chassis, 2 struts, the propeller of the second engine, several transmission levers, and the right rear lower spar of the middle compartment was slightly cracked. When inspecting the aircraft after landing, in addition to the above, the following damage from machine gun fire was found: the propeller of the 3rd engine was broken in two places, the iron strut of the same engine was broken, the tire was broken, the rotor of the second engine was damaged, the cargo frame of the same engine was broken, the rear strut was broken the first engine, the front strut of the second engine and several holes in the surface of the aircraft. The descent was carried out personally by the aircraft commander, Lieutenant Bashko, despite his injuries.
During the war years, 60 vehicles were received by the troops. The squadron flew 400 sorties, dropped 65 tons of bombs and destroyed 12 enemy fighters. Moreover, during the entire war, only 1 aircraft was shot down directly by enemy fighters (which was attacked by 20 aircraft at once), and 3 were shot down. [ ]
- On September 12 (25), during a raid on the headquarters of the 89th Army in the village of Antonovo and the Boruny station, the plane (ship XVI) of Lieutenant D. D. Maksheev was shot down.
Two more Muromets were shot down by anti-aircraft battery fire:
- On November 2, 1915, the plane of Staff Captain Ozersky was shot down, the ship crashed
- On 04/13/1916, Lieutenant Konstenchik’s plane came under fire; the ship managed to reach the airfield, but due to the damage received it could not be restored.
In April 1916, 7 German airplanes bombed the airfield in Segewold, as a result of which 4 Muromets were damaged.
But the most common cause of losses were technical problems and various accidents - about two dozen cars were lost because of this. The IM-B Kyiv flew about 30 combat missions and was later used as a training aircraft.
Use after the October Revolution
In 1920, several sorties were flown during the Soviet-Polish War and military operations against Wrangel. On November 21, 1920, the last combat flight of the Ilya Muromets took place.
On May 1, 1921, the postal and passenger airline Moscow - Kharkov was opened. The line was served by 6 Muromtsevs, badly worn out and with exhausted engines, which is why it was closed on October 10, 1922. During this time, 60 passengers and about 2 tons of cargo were transported.
In 1922, Socrates Monastyrev made a flight from Moscow to Baku on an Ilya Muromets plane.
One of the mail planes was transferred to an aviation school (Serpukhov), where it made about 80 training flights during 1922-1923. After this, the Muromets did not take off. The Air Force Museum displays a model of the Ilya Muromets, equipped with Czech-made engines. It was made life-size by order of the Mosfilm film studio for the filming of the film “The Poem of Wings.” The model is capable of taxiing and jogging around the airfield. It entered the Air Force Museum in 1979 and has been on display since 1985 after restoration.
Technical data
Ilya Muromets IM-B IM-V IM-G-1 IM-D-1 IM-E-1 Aircraft type bomber Developer Aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works Used by Air fleet of the Russian empire Production time 1913-1914 1914-1915 1915-1917 1915-1917 1916-1918 Length, m 19 17,5 17,1 15,5 18,2 Upper wing span, m 30,9 29,8 30,9 24,9 31,1 Lower wing span, m 21,0 Wing area, m² 150 125 148 132 200 Empty weight, kg 3100 3500 3800 3150 4800 Loaded weight, kg 4600 5000 5400 4400 7500 Flight duration, hour 5 4,5 4 4 4,4 Ceiling, m 3000 3500 3000 ? 2000 Rate of climb 2000/30" 2000/20" 2000/18" ? 2000/25" Maximum speed, km/h 105 120 135 120 130 Engines 4 pcs.
"Argus"
140 hp
(inline)4 pcs.
"Russobalt"
150 hp
(inline)4 pcs.
"Sunbeam"
160 hp
(inline)4 pcs.
"Sunbeam"
150 hp
(inline)4 pcs.
"Renault"
220 hp
(inline)How much produced 7 30 ? 3 ? Crew, people 5 5-6 5-7 5-7 6-8 Armament 2 machine guns
350 kg bombs4 machine guns
417 kg bombs6 machine guns
500 kg bombs4 machine guns
400 kg bombs5-8 machine guns
up to 1500 kg bombsArmament
The bombs were placed both inside the aircraft (vertically along the sides) and on an external sling. By 1916, the aircraft's bomb load had increased to 500 kg, and an electric release device was designed to release bombs.
The first armament of the Ilya Muromets aircraft was the ship's rapid-fire Hotchkiss gun of 37 mm caliber. It was installed on the front artillery platform and was intended to combat Zeppelins. The gun crew included a gunner and loader. Sites for installing the gun were available on modifications “IM-A” (No. 107) and “IM-B” (No. 128, 135, 136, 138 and 143), but the guns were installed only on two vehicles - No. 128 and No. 135. They were tested, but were not used in combat conditions.
Also, various modifications of the Ilya Muromets aircraft were equipped with defensive small arms: in different quantities and in different combinations they were equipped with
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