Antonov a, chief engineer. Father of transport aviation

The origins of the Antonov family are lost in the foggy thickness of time. It is only known for certain that the great-grandfather of the brilliant aircraft designer lived in the Urals and was a very noble person - the chief manager of local metallurgical plants. The grandfather of Oleg Konstantinovich, Konstantin Dmitrievich, received an engineering education and built bridges all his life. After leaving the Urals, he settled in Toropets, a small town in the Pskov province, where the Antonovs had a tiny estate. His wife was Anna Aleksandrovna Bolotnikova, the daughter of a retired general, according to the memoirs of her contemporaries, a woman with a monstrously difficult character, who tormented everyone who, one way or another, came into contact with her. She gave birth to her husband three children: Alexander, Dmitry and Konstantin. Konstantin Konstantinovich followed in his father's footsteps and became a famous civil engineer. Among his colleagues, he was known as an active person, fenced well, participated in equestrian competitions, and was engaged in mountaineering. He married Anna Efimovna Bikoryukina, a kind and charming woman who gave him two children: Irina and Oleg, who was born on February 7, 1906.

In 1912, Konstantin Konstantinovich moved to Saratov with his whole family. This happened for a number of reasons. Firstly, influential relatives lived there, promising help to the young family. The second reason for leaving was the unbearable nature of my grandmother, Anna Alexandrovna. By the way, despite the difficult temper, the grandmother adored Oleg and constantly spoiled him.

At the same time, student Vladislav Viktorovich, Oleg's cousin, returned from Moscow to Saratov. In the evenings, the young man liked to talk about the latest metropolitan news. In the first place, of course, there was talk about aviation - everyone was fond of flying machines at the beginning of the last century. Six-year-old Oleg caught every word. He was fascinated by the exploits of the first pilots. Much later, Oleg Konstantinovich wrote: “The stories made a huge impression on me. Sixty-four years have passed, and I still remember those evenings. That's when I decided that I would fly."

Parents, of course, did not pay attention to the boy's hobby. Anna Efimovna generally said that there was no need for people to rise into the sky, and her father believed that a man needed to find himself a more thorough occupation. Only my grandmother understood everything, she gave the future aircraft designer the first model of an airplane with a rubber engine in his life. After that, Oleg began to collect everything, one way or another related to aviation - drawings, photographs, literature, toy models. Compiled a kind of reference book subsequently rendered great help to Antonov - he knew perfectly well the entire aircraft industry of the world. The designer recalled: “This meeting taught me to look at aircraft from the point of view of their development. No one will convince me that Junkers was the first to create "cantilever wings" for the aircraft. This was done in France long before him - in 1911 by the designer Lavasser ... ".

The study of young Oleg at the Saratov real school, where he entered to study the exact sciences, did not bring him much success - he was far from the first student in the class. But Antonov perfectly learned the French language, which in the future repeatedly helped him out during meetings with foreign delegations. When the First World War began, Oleg's mother, following the customs of the Russian intelligentsia, got a job as a nurse. Work in the hospital ended tragically for Anna Efimovna. Bandaging the wounded, she received an infection through a scratch on her arm and, in the prime of her life, died in agony from blood poisoning. It happened in 1915, after which the Antonov family moved to Groshevaya Street, and Oleg was raised by his grandmother.

At the age of thirteen, Oleg, together with local children, founded the Aviation Fans Club. Soon the "Club" had its own magazine of the same name, published in a single copy. The editor, journalist, artist, calligrapher and publisher was Antonov. The magazine contained cut-out photographs of aircraft and their technical data, hand-drawn drawings, interesting stories, reports on meetings of the "Club", advice to novice model builders. There were even poems about pilots. In those years, there was no systematic literature in Saratov, a boyish magazine, unique in its seriousness, passed from hand to hand, even falling into the greasy fingers of red military pilots.

When Antonov was fourteen years old, the Saratov real school was closed. Children were admitted to a single school only from the age of sixteen, his elder sister Irina already studied there legally. The boy made a bold decision - he began to go to school with his sister. He quietly sat in the back rows and greedily absorbed everything that he could give educational institution. Gradually they got used to it and two years later they issued a certificate of completion. After that, Oleg tried to enroll in a flight school. However, only strong, experienced people from the working class were taken there. Antonov, on the other hand, was 12-13 years old, he suffered from typhus and hunger. Not despairing, the future aircraft designer applied to the Saratov University for the railway department. He was accepted, but after a while the faculty was liquidated during the reorganization. Oleg flatly refused to enter the construction industry.

In order not to waste time, he, together with his comrades from the "Club", began to design his own glider. And soon a branch of the Society of Friends of the Air Fleet appeared at the Saratov Provincial Executive Committee. Its leader, former actor Golubev, cordially greeted the guys, helped them get some materials and provided them with a room - a small hall of the Saratov Industrial College. It was here that the first brainchild of Antonov, the OKA-1 "Dove" glider, was created.

In 1924, the guys received an offer to take part in the second glider meeting held in the city of Koktebel. In the shortest possible time, "Dove" was completed. Without conducting any tests, Oleg Antonov and his friend Zhenya Bravarsky loaded their creation onto the train platform and set off for the cherished Crimea. Half a month later they arrived in Feodosia, with great difficulty on clumsy Crimean mazhars ferried the glider to Koktebel.

God alone knows how two young men from Saratov managed to restore their fairly battered aircraft on the road. As a result, the Dove received permission to take off, and a professional pilot Valentin Zernov was appointed to fly it. However, the glider never took off, making only a couple of short jumps, it glided over the grass of a gentle slope. Oleg Konstantinovich forever remembered the words of the test pilot said after this: “Guys, do not lose heart. This bird is not bad, but you will have better.” Zernov was not mistaken. For the unique design of the airframe, Antonov received a diploma, but the main thing was different. At the rally, he met many enthusiasts who rushed like him into the sky. Among them were Artseulov, Ilyushin, Pyshnov, Tikhonravov, Tolstykh and many other famous personalities.

In 1925, Oleg Konstantinovich was recommended for admission to the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. Having collected his things, Antonov left for the northern capital, where, to great joy, he was enrolled as a student of the ship faculty, hydroaviation department. In Leningrad, a huge number of duties and commitments literally fell upon the future designer. Energetic and already well versed in gliding, the young man was elected secretary of the technical committee of the ODVF, at the same time he got a job as an instructor in an aircraft modeling circle. However, this activity did not bring money, and in order to live, Oleg Konstantinovich wrote notes for newspapers, drew posters, and made models of aircraft. And the future designer also went to lectures, successfully passed tests, had an internship and, most importantly, did not stop designing and building gliders. A lot of time was taken away from him by the flights that he made at the airfield of the glider station. In addition, it is known that he liked to visit theaters and exhibitions. It is impossible to understand how Antonov managed to do all this. Obviously, the slogan proclaimed later in the form of an answer to the question of how to deal with affairs - "to do leisurely actions without intervals between them" - was born precisely at that time, in difficult years Leningrad studies.

In 1930, Oleg Konstantinovich graduated from the institute, and in 1933 the twenty-seven-year-old designer was appointed to the post of "chief" in the design bureau of the glider plant in Moscow. He was charged with developing light-winged vehicles, which the new plant in Tushino was supposed to produce in mass quantities. By that time, the young aircraft designer already had vast experience in building gliders. Having created his “Dove” OKA-1 in 1924, Antonov over the next six years made OKA-2 and OKA-3, “Standard-1” and “Standard-2”, as well as a powerful soaring glider “City of Lenin”, which won a bunch of rave reviews at the next Koktebel rally. Oleg's comrades were not at all surprised at his high appointment. However, in this life nothing comes easy and you have to pay for everything…. Leaving a tiny room on Tchaikovsky Street in Leningrad, Antonov said to his friends: “In my opinion, this is where I got my TBC.” In the future, Oleg Konstantinovich was repeatedly treated for tuberculosis, but the disease constantly returned to him.

Until the Tushino plant was completed, the glider design bureau was forced to use the workshop offered by Osoaviakhim and located on the Garden Ring in the basement of a multi-storey building. These cellars were formerly used to store wine, but have now been given over to two combined organizations - jet pilots and glider pilots. Glider builders were led by Oleg Antonov, and the group studying jet propulsion was headed by Sergei Korolev.

For several years, Antonov designed more than twenty various models gliders. Oleg Konstantinovich achieved his main goal - to create a mass aircraft for various segments of the country's population. For eight years, the plant produced two thousand gliders a year - an incredible figure for that time. Their cost was also incredible - in the old calculation, no more than one thousand rubles. What is curious, despite the hellish workload, Antonov managed to play sports. Tennis has been his passion throughout his life. The aircraft designer played almost like a professional tennis player. He had to go to Petrovka, where the capital's courts were located, early in the morning, before work. In the same years, Antonov married for the first time. His wife was Lidia Sergeevna Kochetkova, a friend of Ira's sister. Everything happened very quickly. Having met at the beginning of summer on a tennis court, the young people already in September went to Koktebel on a honeymoon trip.

Housing in those years was very difficult. The Antonovs lived together with the Sheremetyevs in one common apartment. Each family had a room, one more - a common one, in which there were drawing boards for designers. The room was used as an office for group work. On rare weekends, Antonov took up the brush. He painted pictures with inspiration, even participated in a number of exhibitions of amateur artists. His favorite subjects were landscapes, still lifes and, of course, gliders. And in 1936, Lidia Sergeevna gave birth to a son. They called him romantically - Rolland.
Oleg Konstantinovich, unlike dozens of other designers, was not under arrest, but the cruel fate of the second half of the thirties of the last century did not bypass him. In Osoaviakhim, the leadership has changed, the views of the new bosses on gliding, as mass view sports, began to be expressed in one phrase: “They fly less, they live longer!”. The decline of gliding began already in 1936, in subsequent years everything finally collapsed. Antonov was removed from his post, and the glider plant was closed. Talented designers dispersed in all directions. Oleg Konstantinovich first of all turned to his old comrade from the Koktebel rallies - the outstanding aircraft designer Alexander Yakovlev. He, knowing Antonov's talents perfectly, gave him the job of a leading engineer in his design bureau. It was 1938 outside.

The new work suited the designer quite well, he had long wanted to switch from the development of gliders to the creation of aircraft, seeing this as a logical continuation of his activities. In the spring of 1940, Antonov was appointed chief designer of a small design bureau at an aircraft factory in Leningrad, and in 1941 he was transferred to Kaunas (Lithuanian SSR). On one Sunday morning, June 22, 1941, the aircraft designer woke up from a strong roar. Soon one of the employees ran into his room with wide eyes: "War ...". Kaunas was near the border, an urgent order came from above: "Immediately prepare for evacuation." Loudspeakers anxiously talked about the bombing of Sevastopol, Kyiv, Vilnius, Riga, Zhitomir, Brest .... Antonov left the city in the evening. Together with the last workers of the design office, in a captured fire truck, he drove east along a road clogged with refugees. An hour later, the Germans entered Kaunas. For two days, under incessant shelling from the air, a car drove along broken primers. Often I had to move into a ditch and hide in forests and bushes. People spent the night in haystacks next to the road. Antonov reached Moscow only towards the end of the second day.

And again he had to start from scratch. The hastily assembled team was sent to the old glider factory. “We will again create gliders: transport and cargo,” Antonov announced to people a few days later. A couple of months later, Oleg Konstantinovich developed a unique A-7 airborne transport glider. The device was designed for seven passengers and was necessary to provide people, ammunition and food for partisan groups fighting deep behind enemy lines. "Antonov-7" could land on small forest clearings, on plowed fields, even on frozen, snow-covered rivers. As a rule, landings took place at night by the light of fires, in which, after unloading, an inexpensive glider was usually burned. It is hard to imagine what a huge help these aircraft provided to the partisan movement during the war years. It was not by chance that the medal "To the Partisan of the Great Patriotic War" adorned Oleg Konstantinovich's chest.

In mid-October, when the Germans broke out onto the Leningrad Highway and found themselves eighteen kilometers from the capital, Antonov's group boarded a train and set off for Western Siberia. For two weeks she traveled to Tyumen. Oleg Konstantinovich found himself in a city unfamiliar to him, where he had to live and work, run the most complex mechanisms of the plant and the design bureau, without having enough people and materials, heat and water. However, Antonov had no shortage of experience in such cases.

After the enemy was driven back from Moscow, Oleg Konstantinovich returned to the capital. He was appointed chief engineer of the Glider Committee of the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry, and in February 1943 Antonov moved to the Yakovlev Design Bureau, which was developing the famous Yaks. The talented aircraft designer took part in the modernization and refinement of the entire range of combat vehicles from Yak-3 to Yak-9. In the fall of 1945, Oleg Konstantinovich was offered to head a branch of the Yakovlev Design Bureau at the aircraft plant named after. Chkalov in Novosibirsk. He, without hesitation, agreed, because he was to begin work on the creation of a new type of aircraft, and not military, but agricultural. The country needed machines with a large carrying capacity, capable of taking off both from a good airfield and from any relatively flat field. His closest associates went to Novosibirsk with Antonov. In addition, Oleg Konstantinovich took with him a whole course of graduates of the Novosibirsk Aviation College. It was a big risk. Twenty-year-old young guys, without experience, hungry, half-dressed and unkempt, were supposed to become the basis of a team that was given the most important tasks. However, Antonov had an amazing ability to rally employees around an idea. He said: “Orders do not create a team, although they are needed. It is not created by rearranging or gathering people. It is not the building that unites the team. The main thing is unity of purpose. If people understand and accept it, they don't need to be spurred on. AND " Kindergarten"didn't disappoint. In August 1947, the first copy of the AN-2 was already standing at the gates of the assembly shop.

However, the serial production of the aircraft was still far away. Antonov not only had to carry out numerous tests and checks of the AN-2, he also had to endure clashes with the bureaucracy of the governing apparatus, with obsolete traditions, with indifference to the fate of new inventions. Oleg Konstantinovich often repeated: “Our work is not as smooth and quiet as it seems .... In our work, the main thing is the struggle. The struggle is the most uncompromising, the sharpest.” And this struggle has made itself felt. From the experiences of Antonov, an exacerbation of tuberculosis began. For four months he was treated in sanatoriums and hospitals, and after that he took antibiotics for a long time.

It was decided to build the AN-2 aircraft in Kyiv. The Antonov Design Bureau moved from Novosibirsk to Ukraine. All efforts were not in vain, on September 6, 1949, the first serial AN-2 took off into the sky. Much later, summing up his activities, the designer said that this was his greatest success.

The general designer immediately liked the new city. The move also benefited the health of Oleg Konstantinovich. “This is where I dream of staying until the end of my life,” said Antonov. “Stop traveling around the country: Saratov, Leningrad, Moscow, Kaunas, Tyumen, again Moscow, Novosibirsk. Isn't it too much?" For the rest of his life, Oleg Konstatinovich lived in Kyiv. It was in the capital of Ukraine that all the famous aircraft of the ingenious aircraft designer were born, which brought glory to our Fatherland.

The huge workload of official and public affairs forced Antonov to strictly regulate the work. In his office, he always appeared at exactly 9 o'clock in the morning. He looked through the mail coming from all over the world, held a meeting to solve specific problems. Then the General Designer got acquainted with new developments, looked at the drawings, criticized, recommended, carried out test calculations, considered various options, linking together the results of the activities of workshops, departments and groups. The creative process in the mind of Oleg Konstantinovich did not stop for a minute. In his office and at home, he always had a drawing board handy. He began to draw, as a rule, suddenly, abandoning all other things, as if the born idea itself was looking for a way out. In the afternoon, Antonov held meetings with people and organizations, made the necessary trips. In the remaining time, he worked on magazines, got acquainted with new editions. In the evening, the General Designer got behind the wheel of his own "Volga" and drove home - to his small two-story cottage in a workers' settlement.

Designers A.S. Yakovlev and O.K. Antonov in the design bureau in 1943 http://proznanie.ru

The garden near the house became for Antonov a place of spiritual rest, as well as a source of new ideas. By his own admission, all his life before moving to Kyiv, the designer lived at a construction site, all his life he woke up not from the noise of foliage outside the window, but from the gnashing of an excavator. Antonov wrote: “A lot of design findings were made by me between chokeberry and apple trees, between sea buckthorn and hazel. Working in the garden increases my efficiency, as a result, the garden does not take away, but saves time.

Close friends and acquaintances often gathered in his house, among whom were: architect and academician Anatoly Dobrovolsky, writer and surgeon Nikolai Amosov, scientist Lubomir Pyrig. Antonov did not like to be at the table in the spotlight, but actively supported the conversation on any topic. He himself preferred to talk about literature, among the writers Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Nikolai Gogol were close to him. He knew their works practically by heart. In addition, Oleg Konstantinovich was very fond of listening to music. People's Artist Ukraine and good friend Antonov family Dina Petrinenko often sang in their house. Nikolai Amosov said: “To all his appearance Oleg protested against the image of a successful businessman of the “stagnation” era - Antonov was not interested in sauna, fishing and other hobbies of leaders of his rank. He preferred to work in the garden, read, visit exhibitions. At the same time, he was a determined and courageous person. He spoke freely on any topic, criticized the leadership, which he accused of inept management and the lack of "feedback" .... At the same time, Oleg seemed to keep everyone at a distance, even I could not completely overcome this over the long years of our friendship. Why is that, I thought? It was not a matter of intelligence, such a feeling arose from his extreme modesty and vulnerability.

Of course, sometimes there were tragedies. Near Kharkov, an AN-10 crashed with passengers, literally in front of Antonov, an AN-8 crashed. Oleg Konstantinovich was very upset by what happened. He told his friends: “I won’t build passenger planes anymore. I can't stand the simultaneous death of many people. After the accident with the "ten" I woke up more than once at night in a cold sweat ... ". The harsh life made its unforeseen adjustments in the fate of well-designed, thoroughly tested air machines, forcing the creator shocked by misfortune to suffer. Antonov cared about each of his cars, each accident with the aircraft he created laid a heavy burden on the heart of the designer. The same Amosov wrote: “Oleg Konstantinovich was too sensitive for the General. At the same time, it was happiness for the people. After all, the AN-10 at one time in our country carried the maximum number of air passengers. This is very responsible... And how scary it is to make even the smallest mistake.
Despite the terrible illness, Antonov was actively involved in sports throughout his life: he played tennis, ping-pong, went skiing, and went hiking. The aircraft designer said: “A cultured person must treat his body - the source of energy and the receptacle of the mind - with the same love with which a good mechanic treats his mechanism. The car loves care, lubrication and affection! What to say then about such a complex mechanism as the human body!

It is worth noting another feature very characteristic of Antonov - the continuous modernization of an already seemingly completed design. He began to follow this rule when he built gliders - always it was a series of aircraft, every detail of which was subjected to constant improvement. The designer argued that modernization processes are often more important and effective than the creation of a new aircraft with unexplained capabilities: “Sometimes an inexpensive and simple change in an aircraft, car, machine tool can increase the accuracy and productivity, and sometimes give machines new properties. Modification is always cheaper and faster than the creation of a new aircraft or diesel locomotive.

The birth of Ruslan (in 1981) became a kind of swan song for Oleg Konstantinovich. He embodied in the new car all the basic design principles developed by him throughout his life. In addition, the giant aircraft absorbed all the most modern ideas that have appeared in the aircraft industry of the world in recent years. The designer's work on the AN-124 coincided with his election to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

At work, Antonov has always been resolutely against administrative-command methods of management. In general, he practically never ordered - in the most intelligent form he advised or asked. He always referred to "you". There was only one episode left in history when he, unable to restrain himself in a dispute, threw an inkwell at his opponent. However, this was really the only case, and Oleg Konstantinovich, thank God, missed. Antonov, who has already become a world-famous aircraft designer, impressed his subordinates with his accessibility. At any moment he could appear in the department, stand behind the back of the employee, intervene in the work, continue the development of someone else's thought, which seemed interesting to him. He was especially attracted by the non-standard views and ideas of others. None of the major designers paid so much attention to amateur inventors, enthusiasts and craftsmen. Oleg Konstantinovich had an amazing ability to recognize talented people, he supported their undertakings with all his might, invited them to work with him. Many famous designers grew up under his wing. Antonov transferred this support of gifted people to the students of the Kharkiv Aviation Institute. NOT. Zhukovsky, where from 1977 he headed the aircraft design department.

All questions and problems that arose in the team of Antonov Design Bureau, as a rule, were discussed publicly. Oleg Konstantinovich could, with unexpected ease for everyone, admit his mistake, accept someone else's point of view. In this case, he said: "I made a mistake and this needs to be experienced." In addition, he showed interest in the fate of his employees - he helped with topics for scientific dissertations, independently compiled lists of awardees, knocked out awards. All this created a unique creative atmosphere around Antonov, full of goodwill and trust. “I always wanted to do the maximum possible with him,” said colleagues. Once a French newspaper journalist asked Antonov: “Tell me, how many aircraft have you created?”. “On my own, that is, alone, I could not have developed anything other than an airplane, even a washing machine,” the designer replied smiling. Warm words about colleagues speak of a complete lack of vanity in this person.

It seemed that the years had no power over the age of Oleg Konstantinovich. Outwardly, the General Designer looked much younger than his years, he remained young in spirit. Elegant, emphatically intelligent, courteous, always well-dressed, Antonov was liked by women. During his life he was married three times. From each wife he had children. The second wife, Elizaveta Avetovna Shakhatuni, gave birth to his daughter Anna, and the third wife, Elvira Pavlovna, gave birth to a son, Andrei, and a daughter, Lena. By the way, Elvira Pavlovna was thirty-one years younger than her husband. FROM former spouses Oleg Konstantinovich did not break off friendly and business ties. All his children were friends with each other, and his wives periodically talked. How Antonov managed to maintain such a complex balance of relationships is still a mystery.

However, it would be naive to believe that the formation of Oleg Konstantinovich's aircraft, the solution of the problems of the design bureau took place without contradictions and conflicts. A characteristic feature of that era was bureaucracy, and often the incompetence of leadership in the areas where this leadership was carried out. Plus, the desire to show power over talented people, obsessed with innovative ideas. The only way out of the situation was the struggle, which took away an infinite amount of strength and health from the aircraft designer. The whole history of the formation of the most popular aircraft AN-2 is a living example of this. And when Antonov nevertheless broke through his "Annushka", he had difficulties of a different kind - along the official line. The most sophisticated method of "ditching" the initiative. After the first tests of Ruslan, an anonymous letter came to the very top that the air giant would certainly fall apart at the turn. There was a trial... Oleg Konstantinovich was accused of abusing the allocation of money to purchase books for the KB library. There was a trial... After the third marriage, the academician was scolded for the old man's "pranks". Proceedings were not held, but the study was. One can only imagine how much nerves this took from Antonov, how much the victories cost and how much he had to pay for them each time.

Oleg Konstantinovich died in Kyiv as a result of a stroke on April 4, 1984. On the 6th, his funeral took place with full honors. A funeral rally dedicated to the brilliant aircraft designer was held in Great Hall Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Next to the coffin of the deceased on the pillows were the awards received by Antonov during his lifetime - the medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor, three Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Banner of Labor, medals of the laureate of the State and Lenin Prizes and many others. A huge number of ordinary people accompanied Oleg Konstantinovich on his last journey to the Baikovskoye cemetery.

Installed on the building of the Kharkov Aviation Institute (now the National Aerospace University
them. N. E. Zhukovsky). Photo by Dmitry Khramov/center]

In addition to designing aircraft, Antonov managed to do many different things: he organized art exhibitions “Scientists draw” in Kyiv and Moscow, which presented works by the largest scientists and technicians of our country, fought for the ecological salvation of Lake Baikal, supported the all-Union significance of the town of Koktebel as a center of ultralight aviation and gliding, tried to rehabilitate the good name of the aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky, participated in the Moscow runs of home-made cars, held by the magazine "Technology - Youth".
Antonov tried to live by the standards of an ideal bright future, and in most cases he succeeded. This was expressed in the versatility of his interests, in restlessness, in bright altruism, in the desire to express himself creatively to the end, to the last breath, and, finally, in his honesty, decency and modesty.

Based on the book by Vasily Zakharchenko "Oleg Antonov"

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On the flag-colored airfield of the Irkutsk aviation club, regional competitions in parachuting. Together with another group of athletes, I am heading to land on the An-2 aircraft, which seems to be known to the whole world. A short run, a quick climb, and now the paratroopers, one by one, are immersed in elastic air waves. And the hard worker "Anton", bending around the multi-colored domes, returns for another dozen paratroopers.

This plane-worker is truly tireless. Wherever you see its somewhat old-fashioned silhouette: over the taiga and the desert, over the ice of the Arctic and the waves of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, over the fields of the Kuban, orchards and vineyards of Moldova.

A few days later, flying from Irkutsk to Bratsk, I climb the ladder to another Anton - An-10. There are almost 100 passengers in its three comfortable cabins. Four powerful turboprop engines easily lift a huge aircraft. We didn’t have time to look around, but under the wing, the Bratsk Sea, already closed by a wall of a grandiose dam. After all, the speed of the liner is over 600 km / h.

And again on the fuselage of the aircraft I see the familiar brand "An". This time it was the An-24, a fifty-seat turboprop aircraft for medium-haul lines. So within one week I happened to take to the air on three different aircraft designed by O.K. Antonov.

Aircraft with the well-known letters "An" on the fuselage occupy a very respectable place in our transport aviation, in aviation for special applications and in aviation sports. They fly on our main and local lines. They are known far beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. And all the machines - from the small "Bee" An-14 to the giant An-22 "Antey" - have common features that reflect the creative style of their designer Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov. All aircraft created under his leadership by the Design Bureau team are distinguished by high efficiency and good takeoff and landing characteristics. Everything can be operated on unpaved airfields, which is of great national economic importance. All of them are high-winged, which is not often found in modern aircraft construction.

O. K. Antonov began his design activity with gliders. As a young man, in 1923, he built the first Dove glider. Two years later, as a student, he designed the OKA-2. In 1930, the young engineer was sent to the Central Design Bureau for Gliders, created in Moscow, and he soon became one of the leading employees of this organization, and then the technical director of the glider plant.

In the same years, Antonov could often be seen at the airfield. He watched the athletes fly on gliders of his design, and he himself mastered soaring flights. If there were breakdowns, the designer, rolling up his sleeves, took an active part in the repair. He perfectly owned a planer, a chisel. And now in his apartment there is a workbench with a full set of tools, the appearance of which indicates that the owner uses them quite often.

Oleg Antonov did not look for easy roads in life, was not afraid of difficulties, failures. He spared no effort, boldly took risks if he saw that it was necessary to move forward. Recalling the first years of Antonov's work in glider construction, the honored test pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Nikolaevich Anokhin wrote:

“Even at the beginning of his design activity, Oleg Antonov carried out bold experiments. I remember such a case. In 1934 we flew in the Crimea on Mount Klementyev. Antonov brought his new experimental glider there. At that time, the designers were not clear what speed the glider could withstand when it had a "flutter" and the aircraft began to collapse in the air.

Oleg Konstantinovich decided to donate his experimental machine for this important experiment. The flight was assigned to me. When I was about to get into the cockpit, pilot Viktor Rastorguev, who had made several soaring flights on this machine, began to dissuade Antonov.

Oleg Konstantinovich! Let's not break this glider. Why destroy such good car? - But the designer did not have a shadow of doubt or regret. It must be said frankly that not every designer would have dared to take such a step. Oleg Konstantinovich knew that the glider would be destroyed, he also knew that some ill-wishers might say: “The glider is rather weak,” but, in spite of everything, he boldly went for this experiment.

Fly, Sergey, - he said.

The glider was really good.

I dived for a long time before the car collapsed.

The experiment brought undoubted benefits to aviation designers and scientists.

Creative courage remains feature Antonova. He designed about 30 gliders various types- from the simplest training machines to the all-metal A-15 glider with an aerodynamic quality of 40. Tens of thousands of Soviet boys and girls first learned the charm of non-motorized flight on them, and many began their journey into big aviation, became outstanding pilots who won many world and all-Union flights for our country distance, speed and altitude records. During the Great Patriotic War, a team led by Oleg Konstantinovich designed special gliders for the army - cargo, transport, landing.

In January 1943, O. K. Antonov was appointed First Deputy Chief Designer A. S. Yakovlev. With his inherent energy, Oleg Konstantinovich devotes himself to improving the combat vehicles necessary for the front, investing in the famous Yaks versatile knowledge, design experience, and accurate engineering calculation.

The qualities of an engineer and scientist, subtle observation and keen flair, energy and organizational skills of Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov were especially fully revealed when he headed the experimental design bureau. He managed to gather a lot of young enthusiasts in it, rally and direct the efforts of the team to solve complex creative problems in creating the latest aviation technology. The new creative team worked hard and purposefully. Soon, one after another, aircraft with the An-2, An-8, An-10, An-12, An-14, An-24 brand appeared on the airfields.

At the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958, the An-10 aircraft was awarded a diploma and a Big Gold Medal. His "brother" - a special cargo An-12 - became one of the main transport aircraft. In 1970, on the An-12, Soviet pilots completed a noble mission - they transferred medical equipment and other cargo across the ocean to the distant South American mainland, transferred by the Soviet people to the population of Peru, who suffered from a catastrophic earthquake.

The main sensation of the XXTV International Salon of Aeronautics and Space in Paris in 1965 was the four-engine giant An-22. The British newspaper The Financial Times wrote in those days: “The dominance of the Russians at the Paris International Aviation Exhibition, which has never been in doubt since the very moment when Russia first showed the West its new jet transport aircraft and helicopters last week, has become even more tangible when the giant An-22 airbus arrived at the Bourges airfield. The French newspaper Le Monde summed up the enthusiastic reviews of the foreign press: "The Soviet aircraft An-22 is the star of the first magnitude of the XXIV International Aeronautics and Space Salon."

The creation of the An-22, at that time the largest aircraft in the world, in the fuselage of which buses, excavators, even a railway car could be placed, was a serious creative victory for the design bureau led by O.K. Antonov. An-22 actively serves the national economy. Once, an An-22 delivered two mobile gas turbine power plants to a remote area of ​​​​a powerful oil field in the Tyumen region in one flight. The flight lasted a little over an hour. And if these stations were transported by conventional means, then they would travel for a whole year - in the summer along the rivers, in the winter along the frozen taiga swamps. This typical example shows how great is the economic effect of the delivery of bulky national economic cargoes by air in the conditions of Siberia or the Far East.

"Ana" was also widely used in military transport aviation. Millions of people have seen documentary dedicated to military maneuvers "Dvina". The shots showing the landing of an airborne assault make a huge impression. Within 22 minutes, about 8 thousand paratroopers with full weapons, heavy and light, were dropped from An-12 aircraft. Or when the mighty An-22s land and rocket launchers emerge from their cargo compartments! You look at the screen and can’t believe that such multi-ton colossus could be airlifted! Truly, there is no limit to the possibilities of modern aviation technology, created by talented Soviet designers, engineers, and aircraft builders.

If we talk about the creative formula of O. K. Antonov, then, perhaps, the designer himself expressed it best of all: “New salient feature technology today- its maximum optimization, that is, the achievement of maximum results at a minimum cost. And the design team, working on the creation of new aircraft or modification of existing ones, is persistently looking for the optimal solution to the problem. He takes special care to ensure that the machines are easy to operate, technologically serial production so that the manufacture of components, assemblies, and then the assembly of aircraft as a whole does not cause serious difficulties for aircraft builders.

The design bureau, headed by O.K. Antonov, was one of the first in our country to use new materials, glue-welded structures of individual panels and assemblies of aircraft, chemical milling of parts, large-panel pressed belts, etc. These innovations help aircraft builders to increase labor productivity , reduce the cost of aircraft in their mass production.

The aircraft designer, laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes, academician of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor communist Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov is well known in scientific circles, in student audiences, and among DOSAAF aviation athletes. He gives lectures and reports, is the author of many works on aircraft construction. His books "On Wings of Wood and Linen", "For Everyone and for Myself", articles in magazines and newspapers have earned popularity among a wide range of readers. He actively supports the technical creativity of young people, encourages their search and daring. His words are addressed to her:

“Seek, build, make mistakes, correct mistakes, hone your ability to handle material, tools, ruler and brush. Learn to be organizers not only at meetings, but also at work, in practice.”

Oleg Konstantinovich is a passionate propagandist of aviation sports. And not just a propagandist. For many years, a public aviation and sports club has been operating at the design bureau, which enjoys the comprehensive support of the General Designer. I happened to be in this club and hear with what respect and gratitude the athletes speak of their boss. The aircraft modelers of the club achieved especially great success. Two of them became world champions.

The design team, led by a prominent scientist, innovator, prominent public figure Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, strives to put into practice the motto of its General Designer: “Search, build, not be afraid of difficulties!”.

Aircraft designer Oleg Antonov was the creator of many models of aircraft for various purposes. After the Great Patriotic War, he began to lead a design bureau in Kyiv, where most of his projects were implemented.

A family

On February 7, 1904, Oleg Antonov was born in the family of civil engineer Konstantin Antonov. The aircraft designer was born in the small village of Trinity, Podolsky district, Moscow province. When the boy was 8 years old, his parents moved to Saratov.

Father's brother Vladislav often visited the Antonovs. Uncle told his nephew amazing stories about aviation. It had only just been born, and that is why it particularly struck the imagination of contemporaries. Among this enthusiastic audience was Oleg Antonov. The aircraft designer later recalled how his uncle's stories greatly influenced his childhood dreams of the future. It was then that the boy realized that he was destined to fly, and any other career would be a waste of time for him.

Passion of a lifetime

Oleg's hobby in the family was shared only by his grandmother. One day she gave her grandson a toy airplane model. At the same time, the father and mother did not pay attention to the son's passion, believing that in the future he should do something more thorough and familiar for that time. But, despite this, photographs and books about airplanes that young Oleg Antonov collected began to appear in the house. The aircraft designer kept these materials until the end of his days. From improvised literature and newspaper clippings, the boy compiled his own reference book, which greatly helped him in the near future. Oleg, at a very young age, knew the history of aircraft construction very well and was ready to discuss the biographies of his favorite pilots for hours.

In Saratov, the boy went to study at the local real school. He made this choice for the sake of the exact sciences. But, in addition to them, the student was fond of other subjects. For example, Oleg perfectly mastered the French language. Later, this skill became his indispensable assistant when meeting with foreign delegations of Western specialists.

The childhood of the future aircraft designer was overshadowed by a terrible loss. In 1914 the First World War began. Oleg's mother signed up as a sister of mercy and began to help the wounded at the local hospital. During one of the dressings, Anna Efimovna was hit by a deadly infection that entered her body through a small scratch. In the summer of 1915, she died of blood poisoning. Her only son was raised by her grandmother.

"Aviation Club"

After completing his primary education, Oleg decided to enter a flight school. However, it was not accepted due to inconsistency with the physical requirements. The young man's health was affected by typhus experienced in childhood and the famine of the war years. That defining moment came when the biography of the aircraft designer Antonov could have turned out completely differently.

Finding himself at a crossroads, the young man decided to enter the railway department of Saratov University. In this city, it was as close as possible to the aviation theme. However, a year later the university was reorganized, and the Antonov faculty was abolished. He was offered to go to the construction department, but he refused.

The guy was saved by his “Aviation Fan Club”. He created this circle together with childhood friends who shared a passion for airplanes. The comrades were engaged in amateur activities - in the conditions of information hunger they collected thematic materials and saved up money to assemble their own glider. Meanwhile, the Society of Friends of the Air Fleet appeared in Saratov. The organization gave the "Club" a small room within the walls of an industrial technical school. Thanks to this help, in 1924, the biography of the aircraft designer Antonov was marked by important event. He created his first aircraft - the glider "Dove".

From Koktebel to Leningrad

Soon Oleg and his comrades were invited to Koktebel. In this Crimean town, the second all-Union meeting of glider pilots took place. Antonov, together with his friend Zhenya Bravarsky, miraculously managed to deliver their Dove to the other end of the country. To do this, they had to load the car onto the train platform.

In Koktebel, a general review of devices assembled by the same enthusiasts as Antonov was held. The aircraft designer later recalled his mixed feelings when his Dove, piloted by a professional pilot, never took off, but only made a few timid jumps. Of course, it was a failure, but it was the trip to Koktebel that was able to breathe new strength into the young man. In the Crimea, he met numerous associates who, like him, dreamed only of conquering the sky.

Antonov's participation in the glider rally was not in vain. His candidacy was recommended for admission to the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. The young man was indeed enrolled in the ship faculty, in the department of hydroaviation. This place was perhaps the best in the country, what can we say about the comparison with the former Saratov University, in which Oleg Antonov initially ended up. The aircraft designer received there the necessary experience and skills that made him a first-class expert in his field. There were no problems with specialized literature in Leningrad. The habit of cutting out photos from yellowed newspaper chronicles is a thing of the past. The student quickly got used to the new city. He became an active participant in various circles and sections.

Glider constructor

University studies ended in 1930. In 1933, the 27-year-old designer was appointed head of the design bureau of one of the glider factories in Moscow. For such an age, it was an unprecedented success. How did Oleg Antonov deserve it? The aircraft designer was not only a pro, he was different leadership qualities and was not afraid to be proactive where his colleagues could take a back seat. Antonov showed all his outstanding skills and character traits already at the first “real” job.

These were the years of the "great leap" when new types of industry were just being created. The Antonov Design Bureau was assigned to the plant in Tushino. The only catch was that this enterprise had not yet been built. The designers had to work in a workshop provided by Osaviakhim. She was not just anywhere, but in the basement on the Garden Ring. Previously, it was used as a wine cellar. Now two teams worked there - glider pilots and jet pilots. The leader of the first group was Oleg Antonov, the leader of the second group was the no less legendary Sergei Korolev. Then the famous designer lived in the same cramped conditions in which he created the future of domestic aviation.

The team working on the creation of new aircraft models was given a clear goal - to give the country a ship that could become accessible to the most diverse segments of the Soviet population. In fact, the leadership of the industry wanted to deprive aviation of its elitism. Antonov achieved his goal. His enterprise began to produce two thousand new ships a year, which was unheard of for the young Soviet economy.

The Great Patriotic War

On June 22, 1941, the Soviet aircraft designer O.K. Antonov met in Lithuanian Kaunas. This city was located very close to the state border of the USSR. Therefore, it was he who was among the first attacked by the Germans. Antonov managed to evacuate the city just a few hours before the arrival of the Wehrmacht forces. Despite the bombing, he nevertheless returned to Moscow.

In the capital, everything started from scratch. A new team was selected, headed by Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov. The biography of a talented designer was already well known to the state leadership. Therefore, he received several strategically important tasks. Antonov was instructed to develop a ship that would be an excellent tool for transporting troops. After just a few months of painstaking work, the A-7 appeared. The ship was designed for seven passengers. It began to be used to provide food and ammunition for partisan groups that had settled behind enemy lines.

In 1943, the Yakovlev design bureau received a new important employee. They became Oleg Antonov. The aircraft designer, whose biography was already full of various completed projects, took part in the creation and modification of such models as the Yak-3 and Yak-9. These were fighters that became a formidable weapon in the hands of the Soviet army. Antonov and Yakovlev had known each other since youthful years. For the first time they met at the already mentioned gathering in Koktebel, where then, by the will of fate, there were many future luminaries of the aircraft industry.

Moving to Kyiv

At the end of the war, when the country was already waiting for the news of the long-awaited victory, Antonov received an offer to prepare a project for a new multi-purpose aircraft. The designer has not yet taken on such machines. The future An-2 was also intended for agricultural purposes. He had to be versatile and be able to land both at the airfield and on an unprepared field.

For the project, a special department of the Yakovlev Design Bureau in Novosibirsk was created. Antonov moved to the east of the country. There he assembled a new team, which consisted mainly of yesterday's students - fresh graduates of the local aviation technical school. It was a big risk, but the authority of the specialist and his unprecedented vigor did their job. An-2 began to be produced already in 1947. True, for the further release of this model, the team moved to Kyiv.

Antonov settled in this city until the end of his life. Aircraft designer, whose biography was full of relocations and business trips to the most different ends country finally found its place. The Kiev bureau became his well-deserved fiefdom. However, Antonov's professional authority often meant nothing to the Soviet bureaucracy, which "cut down" projects and initiatives, knowing for sure what would be "better" for the industry. Therefore, the designer had to literally fight off his planes. The fight against the nomenklatura bureaucracy could not but affect how Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov felt. The personal life of this man could hardly be imagined without sports. But even he did not save the designer from stress and complications. While still studying in Leningrad, Antonov developed tuberculosis. This disease periodically reminded of itself and most often precisely at the moments of the most intense struggle with party functionaries.

An Series

In the 50s, many new models appeared, the creator of which was Antonov. The aircraft designer, whose photo began to appear in all Soviet newspapers, worked every day according to a strict schedule. He gave more than 100%, thanks to which his design bureau became a platform for testing more and more new aircraft. In the late 50s, passenger ships An (An-10 and An-24) appeared. True, Oleg Konstantinovich stopped such projects when one of his models with passengers on board crashed.

Each new aircraft, created in the bowels of the Antonov design bureau, went through several more modifications. In this characteristic attitude towards the car, Oleg Konstantinovich's professional style was manifested. For him, any project of the An series was a significant part of his own life. In addition, Antonov was well aware of his own responsibility to the Soviet people and the cost of even the slightest mistake.

Much more transport "Anov" appeared. The apogee of this line was the An-124, which is also known as "Ruslan". This aircraft, which appeared in 1982, was the world's largest serial cargo aircraft. As it turned out, this project became the swan song of the great designer. In this car, he managed to realize all the ideas that accompanied his professional path. At the same time, the head of the Kyiv Design Bureau was elected an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences. This was another confirmation of his merits and a milestone through which all outstanding aircraft designers passed. Oleg Antonov, in addition to his main activity, was also engaged in teaching. At the Kharkiv Aviation Institute named after Zhukovsky, he was the head of the aircraft design department.

The nature and tastes of the aircraft designer

Oleg Antonov stood out from his colleagues not only because of his unique professionalism. This man managed to spend his time as efficiently as possible. The designer was a comprehensively developed person, whose life consisted not only of aircraft and numerous details of these complex machines. Oleg Konstantinovich loved art and even organized art exhibitions in Kyiv and Moscow.

Antonov (an aircraft designer whose family consisted of numerous relatives) loved friendly feasts, although he himself always tried to stay out of the spotlight. All relatives in the memoirs emphasized his sincere modesty. If the conversation did not turn on the case, then Antonov liked to start a conversation about literature or music. His favorite writers were Gogol and Saint-Exupery. However, the always active and enterprising aircraft designer paid attention not only to art. In the 1980s, Oleg Konstantinovich led a campaign to protect Lake Baikal, which was threatened by industrial pollution. Having lived in the workshop all his youth, Antonov appreciated nature more and more over the years. At home, he started a garden, which he carefully looked after.

The ideal of a professional

In the professional environment, there were many rumors about the unique features that Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich possessed. The aircraft designer was remarkable for his democratic character, surprising for his rank. All disputes and questions concerning the future of aircraft were discussed in his design bureau by the whole team in a public mode. There are cases when Antonov (an aircraft designer whose “children” flew over the entire Soviet Union) admitted his own mistakes and made changes to the project proposed by his subordinates.

Oleg Konstantinovich remained active and active until his last days. He continued to work as if nothing had happened, despite the steadily aging age. However, even in the eighth ten, the colossus of the aviation industry remained cheerful and fresh. He looked younger than his years and behaved in the same youthful way.

The great aircraft designer died on April 4, 1984 in Kyiv, the city to which he devoted almost 40 years of his life. It is with this place that most of the professional biography of the deceased is connected. After his death, the design bureau of Kyiv was naturally renamed the Antonov Design Bureau. The merits of the specialist were emphasized during his lifetime by numerous awards. Oleg Antonov was a laureate of the Lenin Prize, he received three Orders of Lenin at once, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, etc.

Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich - General Designer of Experimental Plant No. 473 of the Ministry of Aviation Industry of the USSR.

Born on January 25 (February 7), 1906 in the village of Troitsa, Voronovskaya volost, Podolsky district, Moscow province (now part of the Troitsky administrative district of Moscow). Russian. Since 1912 he lived in the city of Saratov. In 1922 he graduated from school.

Since 1923, he worked as the executive secretary of the glider section at the Saratov provincial department of the Society of Friends of the Air Fleet. Designed and built training gliders OKA-1 "Dove" and OKA-2.

In 1925, he entered the hydroaviation department of the naval faculty of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, where he became secretary of the technical committee of the glider section of the Leningrad flying club. Designed and built training gliders OKA-3 and "Standard". In 1930 he graduated from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute.

From January 1931 - chief Central Bureau glider structures of Osoaviakhim. Designed training gliders "Standard-2" (OKA-5), OKA-7, US-1 (OKA-8) and US-2 (OKA-9), soaring glider "City of Lenin".

In 1932-1938 he was the chief designer of the Tushino Glider Plant. In this position, he designed soaring gliders RF-5, RF-6, RF-7, training gliders US-3, US-4, US-5, US-6, PS-1, PS-2, BS-3, BS -4, BS-5, M-1, M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5, M-6, experimental gliders RE-1, RE-2, RE-3, RE-4, RE -5, RE-6, RF-1, RF-2, RF-3, RF-4, IP-1, IP-2, BA-1, "6 conditions" and DIP, experimental motor glider LEM-2.

In 1938-1940 he worked as a leading engineer in the design bureau of A.S. Yakovlev. Under his direct supervision, the Ya-19 passenger aircraft was developed.

In 1940-1941 he was the chief designer of the aircraft factory No. 23 (Leningrad, now St. Petersburg). He built the OKA-38 communications aircraft (a copy of the German Fieseler Fi-156 Storch aircraft). In the spring of 1941, he was appointed chief designer of an aviation plant in the city of Kaunas (Lithuania), where he was supposed to start serial production of the OKA-38 aircraft. Work on the introduction of the aircraft into the series was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.

In June-July 1941 - chief engineer of the Glider Directorate of the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry of the USSR. From July 1941 - chief designer of a glider aircraft plant (Moscow, from the autumn of 1941 in the evacuation in the city of Tyumen). He designed and built the A-7 landing glider, the A-2 two-seat training glider, the A-40 "Winged Tank" glider (designed to transport a tank by air). During the Great Patriotic War, the A-7 glider was widely used to supply partisans, for which O.K. Antonov was awarded the medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st degree.

In January 1943 - May 1946 - Deputy Chief Designer of the OKB A.S. Yakovleva. At the same time, in 1945-1946, he was the director of the OKB Branch at aircraft plant No. 153 (Novosibirsk). Participated in the modernization of the Yak-7, Yak-9 and Yak-3 fighters.

Since May 1946 - Chief Designer of the Experimental Design Bureau for Civil and Transport Aircraft in Novosibirsk. During these years, he designed the An-2, An-6 aircraft, the A-9 soaring glider, and the A-10 two-seat soaring glider. The An-2 multi-purpose aircraft, which made its first flight in 1947, became the best biplane in the world and is still flying.

In the summer of 1952, OKB Antonov was transferred to Kyiv and received the name OKB-473 (in 1965-1966 - Pilot Plant No. 473, from April 1966 - Kyiv Mechanical Plant, currently - ASTC named after O.K. Antonov). In 1962, O.K.Antonov was appointed General Designer of the Design Bureau. During the years of his leadership in the design bureau, the following were designed and built: transport aircraft An-8, An-12, An-22 "Antey", An-26 and An-32; passenger aircraft An-10, An-14 "Bee" and An-24; jet transport aircraft An-72 and An-124 "Ruslan"; multi-purpose aircraft An-3 and An-28; gliders A-11, A-13 and A-15.

The An-22 "Antey" aircraft is still the world's most load-lifting turboprop aircraft (lifts up to 100 tons of cargo), and the An-124 "Ruslan" aircraft was for its time the most load-lifting jet aircraft (lifts up to 170 tons of cargo). On aircraft developed under the direct supervision of O.K.Antonov, 244 world aviation records were set. Among the advantages of OKB Antonov's aircraft, professionals recognize the possibility of taking off from small airfields, the ability to transport large-sized heavy equipment, high maneuverability, relative cheapness and efficiency.

For great success in the design of new aviation technology and in connection with the 60th anniversary of the birth of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 5, 1966 Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the gold medal "Hammer and Sickle" and the Order of Lenin.

Simultaneously with design work, since 1977 he was the head of the Department of Aircraft Design at the Kharkov Aviation Institute.

Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine since 1960. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 5th-11th convocations (since 1958).

Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR since 1981, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR since 1967 (corresponding member since 1960), Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Ukrainian SSR (1976), Doctor of Technical Sciences (1960), professor (1978).

He was awarded 3 orders of Lenin (07/12/1957; 02/05/1966; 04/03/1975), orders of the October Revolution (04/26/1971), Patriotic War 1st degree (07/2/1945), Red Banner of Labor (11/2/1944), medal " Partisan of the Patriotic War, 1st class (08/31/1944), other medals, Polish Orders of the Rebirth of Poland, 3rd class (197..) and Merit for Poland, 3rd class (03/04/1981).

Winner of the Lenin Prize (1962, for the creation of the An-12 aircraft), the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree (1952, for the creation of the An-2 aircraft), the State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR (1976, for the creation of the An-24 aircraft). He was awarded the A.N. Tupolev Gold Medal of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1983).

In Kyiv, a memorial plaque was erected on the house where O.K.Antonov lived, and a monument was erected on the territory of the aviation scientific and technical complex that bears his name. Streets in Kyiv and Saratov, as well as the Central Aeroclub of Ukraine and schools in Kyiv and Saratov are named after him.

Compositions:
The simplest models of paper gliders. Saratov, 1924;
Why do we need gliders? Saratov, 1924;
The simplest model of a paper glider. M., 1925;
Why do we need gliders? 2nd edition. Saratov, 1925;
The theory of glider flight. M., 1933;
Technical description of airframes US-3 and PS-1. M., 1933;
Gliding - to the masses. M., 1933;
Technical description of airframes US-3 and PS-1. 2nd edition. M., 1934;
Technical description and operation of airframes US-4 and PS-2. M., 1936 (with A.Shashabrin);
Brief technical description and instructions for assembling and disassembling the US-6 airframe. M., 1938;
On wings made of wood and linen. M., 1962;
For everyone and for yourself. M., 1965;
Ten times first. M., 1969;
Ten times first (in Ukrainian). Kyiv, 1973;
Ten times first. 2nd edition. Kyiv, 1978;
Ten times first. 3rd edition. Kyiv, 1981;
Gliders and airplanes. Kyiv, 1990.

Oleg Antonov was born on February 7, 1906 in the village of Troitse, Moscow Region. FROM young years he was fond of aviation, together with his peers he created the “Aviation Fans Club”, published a handwritten aviation magazine. After school, he actively worked in the "Society of Friends of the Air Fleet", creating gliders of his own design.

In 1930, after graduating from the Kalinin St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, Oleg was sent to Moscow to organize a glider design bureau. When the construction of the glider plant in Tushino was completed, Antonov was appointed chief designer. Here he created more than 30 types of gliders for the most diverse purposes, some of them were mass-produced, some were world records.

During the Great Patriotic War, he developed and launched the production of landing gliders for supplying partisans, and devoted a lot of time to improving the Yak fighter, one of the most massive aircraft of the war. At the same time, he did not lose his dream of creating his own aircraft for peaceful skies, and in October 1945 he left for the city of Novosibirsk to lead the design bureau created at an aircraft factory.

Antonov's firstborn An-2 aircraft took to the skies in August 1947, and three years later it was put into production, and in several modifications. The aircraft became the only one in the world that has been in serial production for more than 50 years, having won the fame of an exceptionally reliable aircraft and having visited almost all corners of the earth.

In 1952, Oleg Konstantinovich and the leading specialists of the bureau moved to the Ukrainian city of Kyiv, where they created a new production base. In subsequent years, under his leadership, a number of aircraft for various purposes were designed. These are special transport aircraft: An-8, An-12, An-22, An-26, An-32, An-72, An-124, both for military and civil aviation; multipurpose: An-14, An-28; passenger An-10, An-24; gliders An-11, An-13, An-15 and hang gliders.

He became the general designer in 1962, and his design bureau firmly took its place among the leading aircraft manufacturing companies in the country. He created more than a hundred types of aircraft and founded the original design school. Under his leadership, a computer-aided design system for aircraft was developed, the latest materials were introduced, and methods of aircraft construction economics were developed.

Since 1977, Antonov headed the department of the Kharkov Aviation Institute, raising worthy successors of his work. He defended his thesis for the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences. Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and Ukraine. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. I have been involved in sports all my life, especially tennis. Author of several books, hundreds of scientific papers and articles, he owns 72 copyright certificates for inventions. He also became an excellent artist and knew painting in subtleties.

Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov died on April 4, 1984 in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine. He was buried at Baikovo Cemetery.

For services to the Fatherland, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. He was a laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes. Three times holder of the Order of Lenin. He was awarded many orders and medals. A diploma of the International Aviation Federation was established in his honor. Antonov's name was given to the Kyiv Mechanical Plant.