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I wrote an entire other article on this aricraft because I did not know one exists. Below is the cited information I used, it can be used to add to or cite this article.

Bolshoi Baltiski

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While the name Igor Sikorsky is most often associated with the invention of the helicopter, his entry into the industry began with his work at the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory (RBVZ) which was located in St. Petersburg, Russia.[1] After Sikorsky began working at the factory in the spring of 1912 as the engineering manager, he began pushing the company to start building aircraft.[2] The results of his reccomendations yielded the Bolshoi Baltiski, also know as the Great Baltic. His plans for the aircraft were based on an idea that the aircraft should have multiple engines due to the number of pilot deaths resulting from engine failures.[2]

On 15 March 1913, the airplane had its first flight, initially as a twin engine aircraft. The originial model was powered by two 100-hp Argus tractor engines.[2] After the first flight, it was determined that the aircraft was underpowered and two more engines were added to increase the maximum power. Initially, the 2 new engines were mounted as pushers located directly behind the original two engines. Later, the engines were moved further out the wing and were reinstalled as tractors.[1] The quad engine aircraft was the worlds first multiple engine aircraft[2]

The enclosed cabin of the aircraft was the first of its kind with upholstered chairs, a washroom, and a large balcony on the front that allowed for passengers to get a breath of air.[2]

Il'ya Muromets

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The Il'ya Muromets in flight

The Bolshoi Baltiski was the original model design that the later Il'ya Baltiski was formed from. The Il'ya Muromets became a production aircraft and over 80 were eventually delivered.[1] While some of these aircraft were used to carry passengers, most of them were used by the military. Like the Bolshoi Baltiski, the Muromets was also a ground breaking aircraft for its time incorporating a heated cabin, places to sleep and eat and an open air deck on top of the fuselage.[2]

The Il'ya Muromets had a wingspan of 31 m and the orignial four 100-hp Argus engines did not provide enough power. The four engines were replaces with two 140-hp engines which were mounted closes to the fuselages and two 130-hp engines that were mounted further out on the wing.[2] With these enchancements, the aircraft set several world records at the time which included carrying the most passengers (1 dog and sixteen people) and the longest time spent in the air (5 hours).[2]

After an impressive 10 hour flight, requiring only 1 stop, between Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Kiev, the Imperial Russian Air Service placed an order for 10 aircraft. These 10 aircraft became the worlds first four-engine bombers and were subsequently used during the First World War.[2] Not only was the Il'ya Muromets the first four-engine bombers, they were used to form the worlds first dedicated strategic bomber unit.[1] The crew was made mostly of engineers and test pilots that had been recruited from the manufacturer, RBVZ.[2] The bombing unit was named the EVK (Squadron of Flying Ships), and was grouped together under the command of MV Shidlovsky who was a previous chariman of RBVZ, the company responsible for the aircrafts production.[1]

Production models

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Even though the first aircraft ordered by the Imperial Russian Air Service had an initially weak show of power, development and production continued with five basic models which were the IMB, IMV IMG1-G3, IMYe-1 and the IMYe-2.[2] While all based on the same design, the aircraft had many differences between them which included differences in wingspans, armaments and bomb load. One of the most siginifant differences between all of the aircraft that were built was the size and type of the engine. These differences in engines were due to a lack of aircraft engines and was often noticable in the differences between the inner and outer mounted engines.[2] While there was a total of five major models, the IMV and the IMG1 - G3 were the most popular models with over seventy being built between 1915 and 1916

Crew and armaments

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The aircraft was generaly operated by a crew of 5 to 7 members. The crew members managed various tasks including manning 1 of the up to 7 defensive machine guns that were mounted all around the plane, even on the tail.[2] The defensive machine guns were of various types with ones as large as the 37-mm Hotchkiss cannon. In the aircrafts role as a bomber, it was capable of carrying a bomb load of up to 2,205 lbs (1,000 kg), and often carried bombs as large as 500 lbs (226.8 kg).[1]

Operations

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The Il'ya Muromets aircraft that were used during World War I were involved in many battles and were operated mostly out of Russian cities of Linda, Gatchinea, Pskov and Vinnista. At the time, they were known for there long range, and the bombing missions that they could complete with such a range. During the entire history of the aircrafts usage in war time, only 2 of them were lost to action from the enemy. Of these two, one of them safely executed a force landing while the other was lost after after it shot down 3 german fighters.[1]

After the 1917 revolution ended in Russia, all remaining bombers were taken by the Bolsheviks. These aircraft remained in service well into the 1920's, serving as trainers for heavy aircraft pilots, transports and airliners.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lake, Jon (2002). The Great book of Bombers - The world's most important bombers from World War I to the present day. MBI Publishing Company. p. 31. ISBN 0-7603-1347-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fortier, Rénald (1996). "Igor Sikorsky: One Man, Three Careers" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-01-12.
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