RuAviation

To the 90th Anniversary of Ilyushin Design Bureau

The IL-62 development was started in 1960 when Aeroflot defined the requirements for the long-range aircraft capable of a non-stop flight from Moscow to Khabarovsk and Havana. Proceeding from the task in the basis of the new aircraft design was the concept of maximum reliability and safety in operation, achieving economic efficiency and providing a high level of comfort for passengers in flight.

Foreign counterparts of that period had complex control systems. IL-62 was the only aircraft in the world of such weight and dimensions with a simple and reliable, requiring minimum maintenance, boosterless control system.

On September 24, 1962, the first prototype IL-62 was taken out onto the airfield of the Central airfield in Moscow. The leader of the USSR, the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev was the first to climb aboard. The organization of the meeting on board and the view of the passenger cabin made such an impression on him that he was touched and said: “What a good, what a beautiful airplane…”.

The first prototype of IL-62 of the USSR-06156 was equipped with AL-7P engines with 7,500 kgf each. On the second prototype USSR-06153 in 1964, it was equipped with the new NK-8 engines (9,500 kgf), and later – with modified NK-8-4 engines with 10,500 kgf thrust. Later, during the modernization of the IL-62M, the plane received more powerful and fuel-efficient D-30KU turbofans. The engines were placed in the tail section which improved the aerodynamic qualities of the wing and allowed to install the efficient mechanization ensuring good take-off and landing characteristics for the airplane.

On January 2, 1963, the IL-62 made its maiden flight. On September 9, 1967, after completion of tests, the airliner made its first commercial flight from Moscow to Alma-Ata. The airplane covered the distance of up to 10 000 km without making any intermediate stops. The IL-62 carried out flights from Moscow to Havanna, New York, Magadan and Khabarovsk.

The IL-62 was the last airplane built under the leadership of Sergey Ilyushin. At the end of the 1960s, Ilyushin retired for health reasons, and the Design Bureau was headed by Genrikh Novozhilov, who completed the design work and tests of the aircraft. During the entire production period, 289 IL-62 airplanes were built at Kazan aircraft plant, the last one rolled out of the final assembly shop in 2004.