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

At this time in Russia there were pioneers who, like Euler in Germany, preferred to copy the more successful French designs. A copy of Farman’s machine was made and given the name ‘Rossiya (Russia) A’, and a copy of the single-seater Bleriot XI, the cross-Channel type, was named ‘Rossiya B’. Predictably, these types flew well and many Russian pilots received training on them, both machines being powered by the reliable 25 h.p. Anzani engine and reaching maximum speeds of about 45 m.p.h.

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

The Rossiya B
Russia's First Production Aircraft

  Although ballooning dominated Russian aeronautics in the late Nineteenth Century, there already existed a growing interest in building a heavier-than-air flying machine. With the achievements of the Wright brothers in 1903, the study of aircraft theory became the primary concern of aeronautics in Russia. Within several years, organized clubs had formed throughout the country to study airplane designs and construction techniques. Several such clubs published periodicals based on information received from a large European community of aviation enthusiasts. By 1909 the Imperial All-Russian Aero Club's magazine, Aeronautics, had emerged as one of most authoritative periodicals devoted to flight.
  After Louis Bleriot's historic flight across the English Channel in 1909, the Russian government acquired a keen interest in airplane development. To Grand Duke Alexander (considered Russia's first major air theorist), the military implications of Bleriot's flight were immediately evident. He argued for building of military air groups, forming of special commissions to study aeronautics, and flight training for military officers. In addition, the Duke hoped to broaden public awareness. To achieve this, he used flying clubs as a means to promote aviation throughout Russia. The Imperial All-Russian Aero Club in particular enjoyed the patronage of Duke Alexander and other key figures from the military services and the government. Because of their influence, the Russian government provided funds to purchase airplanes for testing.
  In 1910, members from the Imperial All-Russian Aero Club formed an organization known as the First Russian Aerostatics Company, located at the Shchetinin Works in St. Petersburg. The company's main purpose was to design and construct a Russian aircraft. Technical data had been assembled on various foreign designs, but the primary inspiration was a set of Bleriot airplane photographs acquired from a correspondent in France. The company's non-innovative design was built and designated the Rossiya B. With Matievich Mazievich (a Russian military officer who had pilot training in France) at the controls, the Rossiya B completed its first successful flight on 26 August, 1910.
  Although the Rossiya B was not the first Russian-designed and built aircraft to fly, it was the first to be mass-produced (exact quantity unknown). Of the several Russian aircraft designs completed earlier, the Kudashev Model 1 was the first to fly, on 23 May, 1910. The Shchetinin Works in St. Petersburg would build both Bleriot and Rossiya B aircraft in 1910, in addition to the Rossiya A (a biplane version of the Rossiya B) which appeared in the same year.
  The Rossiya monoplane had a wooden box girder fuselage, braced by wire, with only the forward section covered with fabric. The wooden struts of the landing gear supported steel tubing, on which spring shock absorbers were connected to each wheel by a Y-shaped strut. The two-section wing was secured to the fuselage by bracing wires attached to the upper cabane strut and the landing gear axle. The wing's front spar was rigid; the rear spar was flexible, allowing lateral control by warping of the trailing edges through movement of wires secured to the wings and attached to both the cabane pulley and a mount beneath the fuselage. The stabilizer was below the fuselage and could be adjusted for varying incidence. The rudder was mounted to the fuselage by hinges and moved by cables attached to the control wheel. Power was supplied by an Anzani three-cylinder air-cooled engine that developed about 25 hp.
  It is not surprising that the Rossiya B and the Bleriot XI had many similar traits. In fact, they differed in only a few respects. The Rossiya B substituted a skid for the Bleriot-type swiveling tail wheel. The Bleriot tailwheel aggravated a pronounced ground-looping tendency. It was believed the skid would give the Rossiya B better directional control on landings and takeoffs, and would in addition serve as a brake in case of difficult landings. Other known differences between the two included size and placement of landing gear struts, wingspan, and fuselage length.
  The first Rossiya B was sold to Nikolas G. Prokoffiev Seversky, considered one of Russian's first pioneer sportsman pilots, who owned his own aircraft in 1909 (non-Russian made). (During World War I Nikolas G. Prokoffiev Seversky served
as a pilot with the EVK.) Some sources have falsely credited Seversky as the first Russian to own his own aircraft. In Seversky's defense it can be said the Rossiya B he purchased would be his second aircraft, making him the first private owner of the first production aircraft designed and built in Russia.
  The Rossiya B served Seversky well on local hops for two years before being retired to ground duty. Factors contributing to its grounding were increased weight, through absorption of moisture; power loss through engine wear; and, possibly, minor changes in the structure due to maintenance. It was still going strong as of 1917, however, as a grass-cutter ('Grass-cutter' refers to a powered, non-flying aircraft which student pilots used to develop taxiing skills.) for student training. Considering that most students would have subjected the aircraft to hard usage as a training tool, this clearly demonstrated the strength of its construction.
  Nikolas' son, Alexander de Seversky, was mechanically inclined and developed an early interest in his father's aircraft. (Alexander Seversky later became an ace with six confirmed victories.) While working on them he gathered information which would greatly influence his later life. Facts have indicated that Alexander used his father's Rossiya B as a 'grass-cutter.' This might explain why, several years later at the military aviation school in Gatchina, he required dual instruction in a Gnome-powered Farman 4 totaling only 6 minutes 28 seconds before he was pronounced ready to solo.
  The following data are from Shavrov, Vadim Borisovich:
Model: Rossiya B, tractor monoplane
Designer: Rebikov, Nikolai Vasilyevich
Manufacturer: First Russian Aerostatics Company
Year: 1910 Span: 7.5m
Engine: 25 hp Anzani Wing area: 14 sq m
Length: 7.5 m Fuel/oil: 25 kg
Empty weight: 230 kg Flying weight: 330 kg
Weight load: 100 kg Speed: approximately 70 km/h
Wing Loading: 23.6 kg/sq.m Power Loading: 13.2 kg/hp