Good Morning

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 07/29/2020 at 09:04 • Filed to: wingspan, good morning oppo

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Just in time for Hump Day, it’s the Ilyushin Il-20.

A plane that will certainly not win any beauty contests, the Il-20 was a purpose-built ground attack/tank buster that was developed to replace the the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Nicknamed the Gorbach (Hunchback) by its pilots, the Il-20 was armed with four cannons in the wing that could be rigged to fire level or angled downward for strafing, while a planned turret behind the cockpit was not fitted to save weight. Bombs could be carried in an internal bomb bay, and grenades could be dropped to defend against fighters underneath. The cockpit, as well as critical engine components, were protected with armor plating.

The Il-20 was heavy and slow, slower than the Il-10 it was meant to replace, and engine swaps were a nightmare due to the cockpit placement. There was also concern that having the cockpit so close to the prop would make bailing out hazardous, or a bent propeller from a belly landing would put the pilot at risk. It is likely, though, that downward visibility was fairly good. The Il-20 took its first flight on December 5, 1948 and went no further than the single prototype. The project was canceled just five months after the maiden flight.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 09:13

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So a “Warthog With a Prop”?

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 09:14

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Part of my job when I worked at a chemical plant was driving a forklift. Sitting on top of the engine exposes the driver to a lot of heat. I wonder about their measures to insulate the pilot from the heat radiating from the engine in that plane. Perhaps the prop wash over the cockpit helped, but I would guess that it would get quite hot while taxiing.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 07/29/2020 at 09:22

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But without the looks.

Ash78, voting early and often > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/29/2020 at 09:25

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The Russian mantra was most likely that you were just taking one for the team, and if you didn’t like it there were 100 other pilots who would be happy to do it.

Their ratio of engineering ingenuity to actual resources was always 10x higher than anywhere else. Amazing efforts.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/29/2020 at 09:26

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Republic’s first idea for a jet fighter was to put a turbojet inside a P-47. I imagine this would have been pretty toasty.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/29/2020 at 09:44

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Asbestos! Takes years to kill you,  the nkvd seconds!

TheRealBicycleBuck > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 07/29/2020 at 09:56

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Asbestos is an excellent insulator. I worked in a lab for a time and there were a couple of asbestos tiles that we  used to protect sensitive counter tops from the ho t items taken from the kiln. We weren’t allowed to take the tiles out of the vent hood and any time we had to open the hood, it was supposed to be running. You know, for safety.

Future next gen S2000 owner > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 10:04

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There definitely a sense of purpose to the Warthog, but pretty it is not.

ttyymmnn > Future next gen S2000 owner 07/29/2020 at 10:11

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Oh, I don’t know. Bu i t’s no P-51, that’s  for sure.

way2blu does a rev update > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 10:13

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A cabover plane ? This is very Oppo.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/29/2020 at 10:28

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And here our parents played with the stuff in school...

ttyymmnn > way2blu does a rev update 07/29/2020 at 10:30

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ClassicDatsunDebate > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 10:46

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This looks like most of the airplanes I used to sketch when I was 10.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 11:36

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Man, and I thought the Fairey Gannet  was ugly...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > way2blu does a rev update 07/29/2020 at 11:42

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This is cooler. Way cooler.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 11:44

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Obligatory.

ttyymmnn > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 07/29/2020 at 11:56

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I love the Gannet. Perhaps more for the whole 50s Cold War we-need-this-now ethos. 

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 13:12

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I’ve been up to the New England Air Museum here in CT several times over the years , and for the longest time they had a Gannet sitting outside on display. They’re even uglier in person :)

Only Vespas... > ttyymmnn 07/29/2020 at 13:21

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It must have a crazy forward center of gravity as well as being hot as balls in the cockpit.  Imagine being the test pilot seeing this for the first time...

ttyymmnn > Only Vespas... 07/29/2020 at 14:31

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In my readings, I’ve come across a couple of instances, can’t remember exact a/c, where the test pilot climbed out and refused ever to get back in.