Ok, yes it's a plane. Which one? Where from? and When?
Below is an earlier prototype:-
The K-7 was the brain-child of Konstantin Kalinin, a World War one
pilot who served with the Soviets during the Russian civil war. In 1923 he took
out a patent on the elliptical wing plan form, ten years before it was utilized
in the Supermarine Spitfire. After using the wing design on several types,
Kalinin came up with the K-7 bomber in 1933. The first flight indicated
“flutter” in the tail booms but otherwise the aircraft flew and handled well.
However on its ninth flight one of the booms suddenly failed and the giant
aircraft crashed killing 15 of the twenty people on board. And that was the end
of one of aviation's largest and strangest bombers ever to fly.
Undaunted by this disaster, Kalinin’s team began construction of two further K-7s in a new factory, but the vicissitudes of Stalin’s Russia saw the project abandoned, and in 1938 the arrest and execution of Kalinin on trumped up espionage and sabotage charges.
Undaunted by this disaster, Kalinin’s team began construction of two further K-7s in a new factory, but the vicissitudes of Stalin’s Russia saw the project abandoned, and in 1938 the arrest and execution of Kalinin on trumped up espionage and sabotage charges.
The team took the development through several stages with the
K-7-2, K7-3 and finally the colossal K-7-4.
Ugly brute! There was something called a 'Flying Fortress', but I don't remember it being that size. I'll guess at it being built circa 1950, and possibly Russian?
ReplyDeleteP.s. Wonder if it ever flew?
ReplyDeleteYou're in the right area Mike with Russia but you're over a decade out in date.
ReplyDeleteI'll give the others a chance to try now you've provided the country of origin.
10 points for that. Points also available for designer, date of manufacture and the model number. Bonus points for any relevant info.
Yes it flew, The very brief first flight showed instability and serious vibration caused by the airframe resonating with the engine frequency. The solution to this was thought to be to shorten and strengthen the tail booms, little being known then about the natural frequencies of structures and their response to vibration. The aircraft completed seven test flights before a crash due to structural failure of one of the tail booms. 3 other variants followed; the pictures are of the final 12 engined model.
ReplyDelete