It is no secret that Soviet industry has always been famous for the presence of highly qualified personnel, which even the Western capitalist countries wanted to have in their ranks. Many engineers then worked not for the sake of money, but only because the activity to which they devoted themselves was the meaning of their life and great love. One of these historical characters, who at one time managed to make a colossal breakthrough in the aircraft industry, is Oleg Antonov. About this man with an amazing fate and will be discussed in this article.

Biography

The future "father" of many aircraft was born in 1906 in the Moscow province (Trinity village). His great-grandfather spent his life in the Urals and held a high position - he managed local metallurgical enterprises. The grandfather of the future aircraft designer was an engineer by education. He devoted his entire working life to the construction of various bridges. It was he who moved to the village of Trinity and married the daughter of a retired general Bolotnikov. The wife's name was Anna Alexandrovna. Three sons were born in their family: Sasha, Dima and Kostya. The latter eventually became the father of our hero. Konstantin Konstantinovich married Anna Efimovna Bikoryukina, who bore him a daughter, Irina, and a son, whose name the whole world knows today. Of course, this is Oleg Antonov.

I will fly!

These were the thoughts that were in the head of six-year-old Oleg when in the evenings he listened to the stories of his cousin Vladislav about aviation. At that time my cousin was studying in Moscow. According to Antonov himself, it was then that he decided that he would connect his life with airplanes.

But his parents did not share his hobbies. Mother believed that people should not fly at all, because it is unnatural. And the father argued that a man in life should be engaged in a more serious matter than dreaming about heaven. The only family member who supported the guy was his grandmother. It was she who gave him a model airplane equipped with a rubber motor. After such a presentation, Oleg Antonov began to collect everything that only had to do with aviation: photographs, various drawings, newspaper clippings, literature, small models. It was this approach to business that later helped him to study the history of aircraft construction well.

family tragedy

To study the exact sciences, Oleg Antonov entered the Saratov real school. However, he was far from the first student. But he managed to perfectly master the French language, which in a few years bore fruit, since the knowledge gained helped him to communicate with foreign colleagues without any problems. Soon the First World War broke out, and his mother, as befits representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, went to work as a nurse. Unfortunately, her career ended tragically. Performing dressings on the wounded in the hospital, she got an infection through a scratch on her arm and died from blood poisoning in the prime of her life. It happened in 1915. From that moment on, Oleg began to be raised by his grandmother.

First independent work

At the age of thirteen, Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, together with his friends, founded the "Club of Aviation Fans". After some time, the circle began to publish its own magazine, the editor-in-chief, artist, journalist and publisher of which was Antonov. This edition had all the necessary information for people interested in aircraft. Even poems about pilots were printed.

At the age of 14, the young man was outside the walls of the educational institution. His school closed. Since children were taken to a single school only from the age of 16, the road there was closed to him. But he found a way. His sister Irina already studied at this university. Therefore, he began to go to classes with her, sitting at the back of the desk and absorbing all the information given to the students. So he spent two years. And finally got a certificate. The young man tried to enroll in a flight school, but did not pass because of his health. However, this did not bother the guy. Then he submits documents to Saratov University, but after a while he is again left with nothing, since his faculty was disbanded. Antonov categorically refused to enter the construction department.

Work in the "Society of Friends of the Air Fleet"

Since 1923, Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich has devoted himself entirely to this club. The head of the society was Comrade Golubev, who received the young enthusiasts very cordially. He even helped them with supplies and premises, allocating a small hall in an industrial technical school for classes. It was within its walls that Antonov created his first brainchild - the OKA-1 "Dove" glider. Such an optimistic start, combined with an excellent memory and knowledge, helped Oleg (at that time a student at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute) to create the OKA-3, Standard-1, Standard-2, OKA-7, OKA-8 gliders.

First fall

Tests of the "Dove" in the Crimea did not bring Antonov the desired result - the car never took off. But the pilot, who was assigned to manage it, instilled optimism in the young designer. And he didn't let me get discouraged. Although Oleg did not solve the problem set for himself, he still got something that you cannot buy for any money: acquaintance with the guys present at the rally with the names Pyshnov, Ilyushin, Tikhonravov, who today are already historical personalities of modern aviation.

Appointment to the post

The biography of Oleg Antonov says that in 1930 he graduated from the institute. And three years later he became the chief designer of the design bureau of the glider plant located in the capital. The management set the task for him: to develop various light-winged vehicles and put them into mass production at the plant in Tushino. But while the enterprise was being built, the specialists settled in the basement together with a group of reactive workers led by Sergei Korolev.

Work during the Great Patriotic War

Oleg Antonov, whose photo is shown in this article, with the outbreak of hostilities, received an assignment from the government - to produce the A-7 multi-seat airborne transport glider, developed by him in 1940. After some time, the plant was evacuated to Siberia. There, the designer creates an exclusive model of a glider for transporting light tanks. But its practical application showed that joint work with the TB-3 bomber was inexpedient and unproductive. In 1943, Oleg returned to Yakovlev and became his deputy. But at the same time, Antonov continues to dream of creating an aircraft for a peaceful sky.

Life after the war

In the second half of 1945, engineer Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich became the head of the branch of the Yakovlev Design Bureau in Novosibirsk at the Chkalov plant. Here work began on the creation of agricultural aircraft. The state was in dire need of machines capable of taking off both from the airfield and from the field. For joint work, Antonov took in graduates of the local aviation technical school. And they didn't let their master down. In the summer of 1947, the first An-2 was already in the assembly shop. The car performed great. Therefore, it was decided to build it in Ukraine.

Moving to Kyiv

The aircraft designer liked the city of chestnut trees right away. Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose family by that time was also very tired from endless moving around the country, even physically felt better in Kyiv. But difficulties also arose: we had to re-form the team and the material base of the design bureau. A year later (in 1953), the bureau received an order to create a transport aircraft equipped with two. The task was completed in two years. And in 1958, it was put into mass production and received the name An-8.

New project

After a visit to Khrushchev's Design Bureau in 1955, the creation of a new machine began. Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, whose photo was then printed by all newspaper publications, suggested that the Secretary General create a four-engine aircraft. The ship, according to his idea, could be in two versions: cargo and passenger. As a result, the An-10 was created, capable of quickly flying, landing and taking off from a snowy strip. In 1962, Antonov defended his thesis at the Moscow Aviation Institute and received the title of Doctor of Technical Sciences. During the same period, he became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Creation of "Bee"

A good specialist was engineer Antonov Oleg. The photos of the designer presented in the article demonstrate his great achievements in the field of air transportation. As a professional, he was always aware that such a huge country as the Soviet Union was in dire need of a small aircraft that could take to the skies in the absence of a runway. This thought eventually led to the creation of a machine called the Bee. She subsequently had modifications: An-14 and An-28. The plane had only 11 seats.

A new step in aircraft construction

The next brainchild of the Antonov Design Bureau was the now well-known An-22 Antey. It was this aircraft that became at that time the world's first wide-body aircraft. In terms of its dimensions, it significantly exceeded everything that was created on the planet at that time. Therefore, its creation required the introduction of innovative technological and design solutions, as well as the implementation of a huge number of experiments.

The work of the Soviet team was appreciated at the international exhibition in Paris and called it a sensation in the world aircraft industry. The first flights of the novelty confirmed its exclusivity. The vessel has repeatedly proved its uniqueness, easily delivering various equipment for the oil and gas industry to the Far North. The military were also satisfied: they received a powerful aircraft that helps to solve many of their problems and questions. Antonov's last lifetime development was the An-124 Ruslan. More than 30 world records have been set on this machine. In total, the design bureau beat the world achievements in the aircraft industry more than 500 times.

Personal life

Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich, for whom his wife was a hope and support, women have always liked. The aircraft designer never allowed himself to look untidy, was emphatically intelligent and courteous to the opposite sex, led a healthy lifestyle and was young at heart. Largely because of this, he had three marriages behind him. All of them left children. Surprisingly, he was able to maintain friendly, warm relations with all his spouses without any problems, and his heirs never sorted out the relationship with each other. By the way, a remarkable fact: his third wife - Elvira Pavlovna - was 31 years younger than him.

The legendary engineer died on April 4, 1984. The funeral took place on the 6th. A huge number of ordinary people came to lead the legendary man on his last journey. They betrayed Antonov to the ground

Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich
Born: January 25 (February 7), 1906
Died: April 4, 1984 (age 78)

Biography

Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov - Soviet aircraft designer, doctor of technical sciences (1960), professor (1978), academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Hero of Socialist Labor (1966). Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1962) and the Stalin Prize of the second degree (1952). Husband of aircraft designer Elizaveta Shatakhuni.

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 1915-1922 he studied at the Saratov real school (he graduated from two classes) and at a secondary school (now - secondary school No. 23).

From a young age he was fond of aviation, was engaged in a school circle of aviation enthusiasts; in 1921, he applied to the Red Air Fleet with a request to be admitted to an aviation school, but was refused due to his age and the admission of only commanders of the Red Army.

In 1924, while studying at the railway faculty of Saratov University, where he entered, in order to be closer to aviation, he built his first glider, organizing a local aviation enthusiasts' circle. In the same year, the educational institution was closed, and Antonov had to look for a new place of study.

In 1924, he took part in the second All-Union Glider Tests in Koktebel, on Mount Uzyn-Syrt.
In 1925 he entered the mechanical engineering faculty of the LPI named after M. I. Kalinin, from which he graduated in 1930.

In 1931, he headed the technical department of the Higher Glider Flight School and the Central Bureau of Glider Designs of Osoaviakhim, building gliders (OKA series, US / Training Serial series, Upar training soarer). Since 1933 - the chief designer of the glider plant in Tushino. Since 1938 he was a leading engineer at the Yakovlev Design Bureau. In 1940-1941 he was the chief designer of a plant in Leningrad.

In 1941, he received the task of organizing the production of gliders in Kaunas on the basis of a former tram plant, but soon the outbreak of war destroyed the undertakings; Antonov was appointed chief engineer of the glider department of the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry.

Since 1943 - First Deputy Chief Designer Yakovlev.
From 1946, he headed the OKB branch in Novosibirsk, later - his OKB-153.

Since 1952, he led the Kiev GSOKB-473 (since 1952 - the Kiev GSOKB-473, since 1966 - the Kyiv Mechanical Plant, since 1984 - OKB named after O. K. Antonov, since 1989 - the Antonov Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex ).

In 1962 he was awarded the title of General Designer of the Design Bureau.

Member of the CPSU (b) since 1945. Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR. Deputy of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 5-11 convocations (1958-1984) from the Kiev region. He was elected to the Supreme Council of the 9th convocation from the Kiev-Svyatoshinsky constituency No. 494 of the Kiev region, a member of the Transport and Communications Commission of the Council of the Union.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Oleg Antonov provided assistance to the family of the convicted Ukrainian poet, dissident and political prisoner Vasily Stus (he helped with the employment of his wife), wrote letters in defense of the poetess Lina Kostenko. In November 1965, Oleg Antonov signed an open letter to the Central Committee of the CPSU (the so-called letter 78) protesting against political repressions against representatives of the creative intelligentsia of the Ukrainian SSR and discrimination against Ukrainian literature.

Oleg Antonov was fond of painting, wrote poetry.
He died on April 4, 1984 in Kyiv. He was buried at Baikovo Cemetery.

Developments

Under the leadership of Antonov were created:
gliders - Golub, Rot Front-1, Rot Front-2, Rot Front-3, Rot Front-4, A-11, A-13, A-15;
transport aircraft - An-8, An-12, An-26, An-22 "Antey", An-32, An-72, An-124 "Ruslan", An-74
multi-purpose aircraft - An-2, An-14 "Bee", An-30, An-28, An-3;
passenger planes - An-10 and An-24.

Awards and titles

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

Three Orders of Lenin (12.7.1957, 5.2.1966, 3.4.1975)
Order of the October Revolution (April 26, 1971), Patriotic War 1st degree (July 2, 1945), Red Banner of Labor (November 2, 1944).

He was awarded various medals: "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 2nd degree (1944), "For valiant work in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." (1945), "20 years of victory over Nazi Germany" (1965), "For valiant work in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin" (1970).

Stalin Prize of the second degree (1952) - for the An-2 aircraft
Lenin Prize (1962) - for the An-12 aircraft).
Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (1968).
Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1981).
Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Ukrainian SSR.
A. N. Tupolev Gold Medal of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1979).
Diploma of the Central Executive Committee for the creation of training and record gliders (1933).
Honorary citizen of Saratov (1981).

Memory

In Kyiv, a street was named after O.K. Antonov. There is a memorial plaque on the house where he lived. Also named after O.K. Antonov is a cargo airport.

On the flag-colored airfield of the Irkutsk aviation club, regional parachuting competitions are taking place. 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 ruin such a 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 remained a characteristic feature of Antonov. He designed about 30 gliders of 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 for our country there are many world and all-Union records for distance, speed and flight altitude. 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 a documentary film dedicated to the Dvina military maneuvers. 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: "A new characteristic feature of today's technology is its maximum optimization, that is, achieving maximum results at a minimum of costs." 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 advanced in mass 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!”.

Oleg Antonov was born on February 7, 1906 in the village of Troitse, Moscow Region. From a young age 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 Kiev Mechanical Plant.

		tombstone
		Annotation board in Kyiv
		Memorial plaque in Kyiv
		Memorial plaque in Kharkov
		Annotation board in Kyiv (2)
		A sign at a school in Kyiv
		Monument in Kyiv

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 he was the head of the Central Bureau of Glider Designs 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). The A-7 glider during the Great Patriotic War 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 - Experimental 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.