The Flying Heritage Collection's Russian Ilyushin II-2M3 Shturmovik (IL-2) will make its debut flight Saturday, September 15th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The IL-2 type aircraft is the single most produced military aircraft design in all of aviation history. It operated close to the ground, attacking enemy tanks, trucks, and troops near the front line. The job was dangerous and though the IL-2 was heavily armored, many of the planes were lost in battle. As Germany threatened western Russia, Soviet factories moved east to ensure new IL-2’s arrived to take the place of recent casualties.
The FHC's IL-2 is the only flying example in the world! It was originally constructed in Kuybyshev in mid-1943 and was assigned to the 828th Attack Aviation Regiment on the lower Karelian Front. On October 10, 1944, the plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking an airfield and crashed near the Titovka River. The plane was discovered in a nameless lake by searchers scouting the area with a helicopter in 1991. As part of its debut, the IL-2 will be joined in the sky by the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, which is already on display at the FHC.
Free parking is available outside the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field, 3407 109th Street SW Everett, WA.
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ReplyDeleteAn amazing aircraft. 69 years old and still able fly :)
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