Ilyushin Il-2 Flies Again

October 13, 2011 – We learned this week that a restored Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 airplane flew again for the first time in decades after a six-year restoration effort by a Russian company, reportedly “for an American collector.” The airplane, which was restored from fragments found in the marshes near Pskov, flew in early October in Novisbirsk, Russia. Il-2s were among the most-produced military airplanes in history with more than 36,000 built between 1941 and 1945 (second only to the Polikarpov Po-2 - 40,000-plus), yet no known flying examples existed until the unveiling of this airplane. The following recently posted entry appears on the Wikipedia Ilyushin Il-2 page: “In early October 2011 an Il-2 flew again at Novisbirsk, Russia, after being restored to fly by specialist firm Aviarestoration for an American collector.

Screengrab of a Russian news broadcast reporting on the Il-2 first flight.

It is reportedly powered by an Allison V1710 engine rather than the scarce Mikulin AM-38 of the original. According to a Russian TV report the rebuild incorporated the remains of an aircraft recovered from marshes near Pskov, and it is painted to represent the aircraft of twice-awarded Hero of the Soviet Union Air Marshal Alexander Yefimov of the 298th Air Division.”

The following video from Russian television shows the Il-2 taking off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jphYnNJQAnw

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