Tupolev ANT-20
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tupolev ANT-20 (also known as the Maxim Gorky) (Туполев АНТ-20 "Максим Горький" in Russian) was a Soviet 8-engine aircraft, the largest in the 1930s.
The ANT-20 was designed by Andrei Tupolev and constructed between July 4, 1933 and April 3, 1934. It was the only aircraft of its kind ever built by the Soviets. The aircraft was named after Maxim Gorky and dedicated to the 40th anniversary of his literary and public activities. It was intended for Stalinist propaganda purposes and, therefore, equipped with a powerful radio set called "Voice from the sky" ("Голос с неба", golos s neba), printing machinery, radiostations, photographic laboratory, film projector with sound for showing movies in flight, library etc. For the first time in aviation history, this aircraft was equipped with a ladder, which would fold itself and become a part of the floor. Also, for the first time in aviation history, the aircraft used not only direct current, but alternating current of 120 volts, as well. The aircraft could be disassembled and transported by railroad if needed. The giant aircraft set a number of carrying capacity world records.
On May 18, 1935 the Maxim Gorky (pilots - I.V.Mikheyev and I.S.Zhurov) and three more planes (Tupolev ANT-14, R-5 and I-5) took off for a demonstration flight over Moscow. As a result of a loop maneuver around its wing performed by an accompanying I-5 fighter (pilot - Nikolai Blagin) which crashed into the wing, the Maxim Gorky crashed into a residential neighborhood. 45 people were killed in the crash, including crew members and 33 family members of some of those who had built the aircraft. Authorities announced that the maneuver was an unplanned loop by a reckless pilot, however it has been recently suggested that it might have been a planned part of the show. Blagin was made a scapegoat afterwards. Blagin died as well, though his name lived on in the term Blaginism, roughly meaning "cocky disregard of authority."
A replacement aircraft, designated ANT-20bis was constructed the following year, similar in configuration but with only six engines.
[edit] Trivia
The day before the crash, French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was the only foreign pilot authorized to board the plane, during a trip in USSR he later described in a series of articles published by French newspaper "Paris-Soir".
The plane had bunk beds in the wings, which were large enough to accommodate them. Presumably, this would allow for long flights with multiple crews alternately sleeping and flying.
[edit] Specifications ()
General characteristics
- Crew: eleven
- Length: 33.00 m (108 ft 3 in) ()
- Wingspan: 63.00 m (206 ft 8 in) ()
- Height: 12.80 m (42 ft 0 in) ()
- Wing area: 486 m² (5,228 ft²) ()
- Empty weight: 28,500 kg (62,700 lb) ()
- Loaded weight: kg ( lb) ()
- Max takeoff weight: 42,000 kg (92,400 lb) ()
- Powerplant: × 8x Mikulin AM-34FRN, 739 kW (990 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 220 km/h (138 mph)
- Range: 1,200 km (750 miles) ()
- Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,760 ft) ()
[edit] Related content
Related development: Tupolev TB-4
[edit] External links
Comparable aircraft: Junkers G.38
Designation sequence: ANT-16 - ANT-17 - ANT-18 - ANT-20 - ANT-21 - ANT-22 - ANT-23
Bombers: TB-1 · Tu-2 · Tu-4 · Tu-14 · Tu-16 · Tu-20/Tu-95 · Tu-22 · Tu-22M · Tu-26 · Tu-126 · Tu-160 · Tu-170
Fighters/Interceptors: R-6 · Tu-28 · Tu-128 · Tu-161 - Reconnaissance: Tu-95 · Tu-142
Airliners/Transports: Tu-104 · Tu-114 · Tu-124 · Tu-134 · Tu-144 · Tu-154 · Tu-204 · Tu-214 · Tu-244 · Tu-334 · Tu-444
Experimental: ANT-4 · ANT-7 · ANT-58 · ANT-103 · ANT-20 Maxim Gorky · Tu-72 · Tu-70 · Tu-75 · Tu-80 · Tu-85 · Tu-91 · Tu-96 · Tu-98 · Tu-102 · Tu-105 · Tu-107 · Tu-110 · Tu-116 · Tu-119 · Tu-125 · Tu-155 · Tu-156 · Tu-206 · Tu-216
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
