H.Nowarra, G.Duval Russian Civil and Military Aircraft 1884-1969

During all this activity. Sikorski was literally moving on to greater things, for in the workshops ol Russo-Baltic construction was well advanced on the first of a series of giant aircraft destined to ensure his fame as a designer. The machine, a huge biplane with a wingspan of just over 90 ft., was powered by two 100 h.p. Argus engines mounted as tractors between the wings, while the forward part of the long slender fuselage featured an innovation for its time in the form of an enclosed cabin for the seven crew members. Named 'Bolshoi Baltiski' ('Grand Baltic One'), the machine was underpowered for its size and weight, and after the maiden flight of March 1913, Sikorski added two more Argus engines behind the existing pair to drive pusher propellers, thus making 'The Grand' (the workers called it ‘The Tramcar with Wings’) the world's first four-engined aeroplane. In this modified form, the machine resumed testing on May 13th, 1913, as the ‘Bolshoi Baltiski’ Type B. A second prototype emerged from the R.B.V.Z. works at about this lime, slightly larger and substantially heavier than its predecessor, with four 100 h.p. Argus engines arranged as tractors and mounted along the leading edge of the lower wing. Named 'Russki Vityaz' ('Russian Knight'), this second version had been designed from the outset as a bomber, and made its maiden flight on July 23rd, 1913, followed by a programme of test flying which proved that it had a slightly better performance than 'The Grand' and that it could carry a useful load of 1,540 lb. in addition to its crew of seven. As already mentioned, the ‘Russki Vityaz’ was lost by mid-air collision in the 1913 military trials.

A.Durkota, T.Darcey, V.Kulikov The Imperial Russian Air Service (Flying Machines)

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky

The Sikorsky Grand (S-21)

  During construction of the S-5A single-float plane, Sikorsky expressed his ideas about a large multi-engined flying ship to Mikhail Vladimirovich Shidlovsky, the chairman of the R-BVZ. Shidlovsky accepted the proposed project with enthusiasm and gave Sikorsky approval to start work on the design. On 30 August 1912, actual construction began on what became known as the Bol'shoi Bal'tisky (The Great Baltic), more commonly known as "The Grand." It was the first successful four-engined airplane in the world and marked a milestone in aeronautical design and history.
  For its day, the Grand was gigantic, with a wing span of 88 feet and a fuselage length of 65 feet. The design of the Grand was very innovative. The airplane had a large landing gear consisting of two skids and four sets of four wheels - 16 in all! The fuselage was plywood covered to increase rigidity. The wing incorporated a high aspect ratio, long and narrow with minimum drag. An observation balcony at the nose of the Grand was positioned forward of an enclosed cabin with large windows. A narrow folding door provided access to the open balcony during flight. Two control wheels and seats in the cockpit gave the pilot and copilot an excellent field of vision. Behind the cockpit was a passenger cabin equipped with a folding table, wicker chairs, lights powered by wind-driven generators, and a glass floor bulkhead for viewing the ground below. Behind the passenger cabin was a miniature coat closet and even a toilet. In many ways the Grand embodied a fanciful imagination worthy of Jules Verne. Sikorsky wrote, "Imagination had obviously entered into this fuselage design. It was like something out of Jules Verne, though not so impractical."
  As work progressed on the plane, according to Sikorsky, "The opinion outside the factory was mostly skeptical. During my night work, besides current problems, I often spent a certain amount of time studying criticisms. Some could be disposed of easily; others sometimes necessitated serious thought. As a rule," Sikorsky continued, "I avoided arguments on this subject. I usually replied in a vague and general way, explaining my confidence in the final success of the large plane."
  In February 1913 the Grand was taken to the Komandantsky aerodrome to prepare for testing. Originally equipped with two 100hp Argus engines, it made its first successful flights on March 2. The Grand's low power provided only marginal performance. However, Sikorsky was satisfied, considering he proved the aircraft could successfully fly.
  Following the initial test flights, the aircraft was grounded while two additional 100hp Argus engines were installed as pushers behind the two tractor engines. The first flight of the four-engined (tractor-pusher) configuration was made on May 13, 1913, with Igor Sikorsky as pilot in command. The historic flight took place at 10 PM during a typical "White Night" in Northern Russia, and lasted ten minutes.
  In June 1913, the two pusher-mounted engines were moved to the leading edge of the lower wing and placed in a four-abreast configuration. In this, its final configuration, the Grand was renamed the Russkiy Vityaz (The Russian Knight). This version first flew on July 23, when Sikorsky conducted a "cross-country" trip to an Army airfield at Czarskoe Selo, some 25 miles south of St. Petersburg. Sikorsky successfully landed the machine in view of a large crowd that included Czar Nicholas II, who later inspected the machine. Less than two weeks later, on August 2, the Grand made what was then considered its most spectacular flight - a two-hour ride with eight people on board.
  The life span of the Grand was just over four months and ended on September 11, 1913. During the Russian Military International Aircraft Competition, a Meller No.2 airplane lost its engine while in flight. The falling engine landed on the Grand's left wing and damaged it severely. After this freak accident the aircraft was not rebuilt because the structure was weakened beyond repair. In the end the Grand had logged 58 flights, with an estimated 40 total flying hours.



Sikorsky Aircraft Data
Model: S-17 S-18 S-19 S-20 S-21 (1st Grand) S-21 (2nd Grand) S-21 (3rd Grand)
Year: 1916 1916 1916 1916 1913 1913 1913
Engine(s) type: 150hp Sunbeam 150hp Sunbeam x2 150hp Sunbeam x2 120hp LeRhone 100hp Argus x2 100hp Argus x4 (2 push/2 trac.) 100hp Argus (tractor)
Length, m: - - 17.1 7.6 20 20 20
Wing Span, m: top/bottom 13.8 16.5/15.3 28 11.6 27/20 27/20 27/20
Wing Area, m2: 43.5 58 - 26.0 120 120 120
Wt. empty, kg: 845 1485 - 395 3000 3400 3500
Wt. fuel/oil, kg: 160 380 - 65 150 250 250
Wt. load, kg: 342 600 - 175 400 600 700
Wt. flying, kg: 1190 2100 - 570 3400 4000 4200
Wingload, kg/m2: 26.7 36.2 - 33.5 28.5 33 35
Powerload, kg/hp: 8.5 7 - 10 18 11 11.5
Speed, km/h: - - 115 190 80 90 90

A.Andrews. The Flying Machine: Its Evolution through the Ages (Putnam)

The earliest capacious aeroplane designed for passengers, breath-takingly conceived only two years after the first Russian had flown, was Igor Sikorsky’s Bolshoi (‘Great’), a biplane with 92ft wing-span powered by four 100hp Argus engines, which accommodated eight people - the pilot and co-pilot in an enclosed cockpit, and the others in armchairs and sofa sitting round a table in a ‘greenhouse’ cabin glazed with unbreakable glass. This made its first incredible flight in 1913, with high success.

Журнал Flight

Flight, October 4, 1913.

AEROPLANE TYPES.
THE SYKORSKY BIPLANE.

   THE Sykorsky "Grand" biplane, the work of a young Russian designer, is exceptionally interesting on account of its enormous size and disposition of power plant. Unfortunately few details are obtainable, but the accompanying sketch plan and elevation, together with the principal dimensions, should give a general idea of this remarkable machine. It certainly constitutes the first successful attempt at a large, multi-passenger machine or aerial 'bus, for it has been flown by its designer for 1 hour 4 mins. with seven passengers, thus demonstrating its practicability. It has a long rectangular-section metal fuselage having a large glass-sided cabin forward accommodating the pilot and passengers. The foremost portion of the fuselage forms a cockpit in front of the cabin. Various systems of engine mounting have been tried; in its original form, four 100 h.p. Argus motors were mounted on the lower plane, these being arranged tandem fashion on each side of the fuselage - two at the leading edge and two immediately behind them at the trailing edge, and each driving independent tractors or propellers. The rear motors were afterwards brought alongside the front ones, so that all four were on the leading edge. Latest particulars to hand show that only the two motors near the fuselage are employed. The chassis is extremely strong, and consists of four sets of skids, two long ones supporting the fuselage and two shorter ones under the motors. A small skid, carrying two pairs of running wheels, is mounted (by rubber springs) between each of the inner and outer skids. Lateral control is obtained by ailerons hinged to the rear spar of the top plane extensions, and longitudinal control is obtained by a rear elevator hinged to a large lifting tail. Dual wheel (ailerons) and column (elevator) control is fitted. The principal dimensions are as follows: Span 28 m., length 20 m., supporting area 120 sq. m., weight (empty) 2,700 kilogs., speed 85 k.p.h.
"VEE JAY."


Flight, May 3, 1917.

THE "TOTALLY ENCLOSED" AEROPLANE.

   ON looking back it appears that for the year 1913 Russia held the lead as regards the construction of "totally enclosed" aeroplanes, at any rate as far as actual flying of this type is concerned. No other country, during that period, actually witnessed successful flights on an aerial "Limousine." There can be little doubt, however, that in other countries machines were in preparation, although they did not take the air until the following year. In the case of the Sikorsky "Grand," the "enclosed" feature was, perhaps, to a large extent incidental, being the logical result of the other characteristics of the machine, which was of very large dimensions. When the machine first made its appearance there were those who ventured to prophesy that it would never fly, but as soon as everything was in readiness Mons. Sikorsky soon convinced his critics of their mistake. The "Grand" flew, and flew very well indeed.
   Our illustration, which shows only a short part of the very long body, gives a good idea of the cabin portion that forms the most interesting feature, in connection with this article, of the machine. This cabin, which extended from the rear of the wings to some distance in front of the leading edge, was divided into three compartments. In the front one were two seats, one on each side of the cabin, in front of which were the dual controls. Normally the controls on the left were the main ones, and in front of them were mounted all the various instruments. Between the two seats was an open space leading to a door opening out on to the open part of the body in the extreme nose. From here observations could be made with ease, as the position was so far forward as to be well clear of all obstructions. For use at night a searchlight was placed right out in the bow, where it would not dazzle the pilot but would illuminate the landing ground.
   The central portion of the cabin was set aside for the accommodation of passengers. As was to be expected in a machine so elaborately equipped, the passengers were not asked to squeeze into seats of the ordinary bucket type. Chairs, well upholstered and not fixed to the floor, were placed alongside the windows. Communication between passengers' and pilot's cabins was by means of a glass door, and thus any passenger could walk through the pilot's compartment out on the open front portion of the body, where a more unobstructed view was obtainable. From illustrations of the "Grand," the doors leading out into the open appear to be, instead of sliding, of the swinging pattern, so that opening them against the pressure of the air may have been attended with some difficulty.
   To the rear of the passengers' compartment was a partition, with a door leading to the aft cabin, which was divided into two, one part of it being set aside for housing spare parts, while the other contained a sofa on which those weary of the journey might lie down and have a rest. It is stated that the cabin walls so reduced the noise of the engines, that conversation could be carried on quite comfortably inside the cabin.
   In general arrangement the Sikorsky "Grand" was characterized by a very long and shallow body above which, the cabin portion extended a considerable distance. A monoplane tail and four vertical rudders constituted the tail units. In front the body rested on the lower main plane, which further supported the four Argus motors of 100 h.p. each that supplied the power. At first these four motors were mounted in pairs, one pair on each side of the body, the front one driving a tractor screw and the rear one a propeller. Later a different arrangement was tried by which the four engines were all placed on the leading edge, two each side, and each driving a tractor screw. Later again the two outer engines were removed altogether, and the machine flew quite well with the remaining two. After having done a considerable amount of flying and established a world's record for passenger carrying - 1 hour 54 minutes with pilot and seven passengers - the "Grand" came to an untimely end through a machine flying overhead shedding its engine, which crashed through the wings of the "Grand."
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