AIR: ANT-25 What's the real story?

There is a California state historical monument outside Hemet that is the landing site of one of the ANT-25 flights. Haven't been there yet- it's pretty much out in the boondocks.

Actually, Pearson Airfield in Vancouver, Washington which is just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.

The Pearson Air Museum has a pic of the ANT 25

here another link:

HTH

JDQ

I recently sold my kit on E-bay but it was by IKAR (as in Icarus) which I've seen rendered into Roman alphabet as NKAP. It was moulded in an ivory-white colur plastic with considerable flash. The decals accompanying the kit had several different registrations. The model had a prodigious wingspan for a single-engined 1/72 aircraft. A few years back I saw a program on Russian aircraft and one of the planes has survived and is in a museum (Monino?).

Bill Banaszak, MFE

AFAIK it is an actual achievement by this aircraft -- it was basically a flying gastank and had a huge wing so it could get off the ground with its single engine.

But due to many Soviet overstatements and the unpleasant days of the 1950s I think many people tried to claim the aircraft did not make those flights.

For the most part, many of the claims made by the Soviets in those days were true, as lying tended to get you shot if Uncle Joe was lenient or sent to Siberia if he was not.

Cookie Sewell AMPS

Bill,

The ANT-25 at Monino is a scale replica - dunno what scale though - but it is certainly smaller than the original. I'll try and dig out some more info.....

There is a 'real' ANT-25 at another museum in Russia - can't remember where though. IIRC it is named after Chkalov (one of the ANT-25 pilots and a well-known figure in Russian aviation circles).

He died at Khodynka flight testing a Polikarpov I-185.

The official Monino website (in Russian) is at

There is a very good unnoffical site at :-

The ANT-25RD is at :- Ken

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast Flankers Website -

I think that's the one I saw on TV.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

The full size ANT-25 you see in a Russian museum is a flying replica build for a commorative movie called something like "Poem over Flying".

After a couple record breaking flights inside the Soviet Union, the real a/c made two trans-polar flights. The first was 8504 km (FAI recognized distance) from Moscow to Vancouver Washington (a small town across the Columbia river from Portland Oregon). The second was from Moscow to San Jacinto (not San Jose) California for a recond distance of 10148 km.

The "Ikar" kit is passingly accurate. There are various interpretations of the San Jacinto paint scheme, however. The most recent illustrations show a dark blue cowl and spine stripe, silver dope fuselage and red wings.

The kit has been out of circulation for some time, but I don't think is all that rare. Keep an eye on eBay.

Greg Reynolds, IPMS

Admendment:

The replica is the one at Monino.

A surviving ANT-25 is on display at the Russian city of Orenburg, about 600 miles east of Moscow. The city had been renamed "Chkalov" in Soviet days to honor Valery Chkalov, pilot of the Vancouver flight and famous test pilot.

Greg Reynolds, IPMS