The revival of small aviation in Russia is still possible. The problem will not have to be tackled from scratch: documentation, production capacity, and specialists have been preserved since Soviet times, according to an article in Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Honored Pilot of Russia and Deputy Chairman of DOSAAF Vadim Bazykin responded to skeptics who doubt the feasibility of resuming production specifically of Soviet-designed aircraft.
I will give the example of the An-2. At one time, China was given a factory for the production of the An-2. They have continued producing it and flying it for several decades already, that is, they actively use it, although they have also modified it.
The authors of the article are confident that modernizing still-Soviet projects is a task for design bureaus, which can also be "updated" with not too much effort.
There is already successful experience in attracting aviation specialists in the Ulyanovsk Region. In Soviet times, production of Il-76 transport aircraft was concentrated there, and after the instruction of the President of Russia to revive domestic aircraft manufacturing, both individual employees and entire families began moving to Ulyanovsk from Tashkent. The state helped them obtain housing and citizenship.
Aviation expert Oleg Panteleev explained to First Technical that Russia does not need many biplanes of the An-2 type due to the development of road infrastructure.
Read more materials on the topic:
- "Little giant": Omsk engineers revived the legendary An-2
- Hundreds of Soviet An-2 aircraft were proposed to be returned to service: however, there is no aviation gasoline for them in Russia
- 3.38 billion rubles allocated for the development of a new engine for the An-2: the aircraft is not mass-produced