Some consider Academician Tupolev a genius of fighters and bombers, others respectfully call him the father of civil aviation. The truth is that both statements are correct. Andrei Nikolaevich became one of the most famous Soviet aircraft designers, whose aircraft building traditions are still maintained.
Childhood and parents
The biography of Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev began on October 29, 1888. He was born in the small estate of Pustomazovo (now this territory belongs to the Tver region), where his parents moved from St. Petersburg to farm. The move was forced and connected with the political views of the father of the future academician Tupolev. Nikolai Ivanovich sympathized with the populist revolutionaries, and although he never participated in the activities of their organizations, after the assassination of Alexander II he was expelled from the city where he came from Surgut to study law, and then stayed to live. In the village of Pustomazovo, Tver province, he became a provincial notary.
Tupolev's father came from commoners,Siberian Cossacks, and his mother, nee Lisitsyna Anna Vasilievna, came from the nobility. She was born in the Tver region in the family of a forensic investigator. She was educated at the Mariinsky Women's Gymnasium.
Education
Aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev went to study at the Tver Provincial Classical Gymnasium. There he showed an interest in the exact sciences and technology, and in 1908 entered the Imperial Moscow Technical School, now known as Bauman University. Tupolev immediately became interested in gas dynamics and a year later became a full member of the Aeronautical Circle under the guidance of Professor Nikolai Zhukovsky. Together with other students, he built a glider, which later made the first flight.
However, unrest spread among the students by 1911, and illegal literature was distributed. This was the reason for the arrest of Tupolev and his forced deportation to his native land. He could not return to Moscow, as he was under the covert surveillance of the police. It was possible to resume his studies and scientific activity only during the First World War, when he was able to return to the educational institution and graduate with honors in 1918.
First career
Even while studying in the biography of academician Tupolev, work in the aviation settlement bureau and the design of wind tunnels was noted. The famous Russian mechanic and founder of aerodynamics, Nikolai Zhukovsky, was its co-organizer and co-director of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. There Tupolev finally decided on his vocation andAfter graduating from college, he became deputy head of the institute for all-metal aircraft construction. It was thanks to him that in this area they gradually abandoned the use of fragile wood and heavy iron, replacing these materials with chain-aluminum. The name of this alloy was given by the name of the Kolchuginsky plant, which opened the first production of duralumin in Soviet Russia.
Aircraft industry
In 1925, Andrey Tupolev's first TB-1 aircraft saw the light of day. It was all-metal and equipped with two motors. He was distinguished by high flight data and immediately received the status of one of the best bombers in the world.
However, the aircraft designer did not stop there and by 1932 he improved his invention by creating the TB-3 heavy bomber. He became famous for the fact that the expedition was transported to the North Pole. In the interval between the releases of TB-1 and TB-3, Tupolev managed to receive the title of Hero of Labor and the first of two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor.
In the same 1932, Tupolev acted as a leader in the design of the all-metal cantilever single-engine low-wing ANT-25, another name for which was RD, which translated as a range record. The uniqueness of the machine was the narrowing and very large elongation of its wings. This made it possible to maximize the aerodynamic quality. But to achieve this breakthrough was not easy - it was necessary to do a lot of theoretical calculations and multiple purges before the console turned out to be light andyet strong enough to support the weight of fuel.
A year after the development, Tupolev received the first of his eight Orders of Lenin, the second - the Red Banner of Labor and the only Red Star. Already in 1934, ultra-long flights of the ANT-25 began and a promotional eight-engine aircraft of the Maxim Gorky model appeared. It had a useful area in excess of 100 square meters and could accommodate 60 passengers. Other propaganda planes were Pravda and Rodina.
In total, during his work at the institute, Andrey Nikolayevich supervised the development of many bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, fighters, passenger, transport and naval aircraft, as well as snowmobiles, torpedo boats, motor units and elements of airships.
Charge and arrest
Successful experiments in the biography of Andrei Tupolev were interrupted in 1937, just a year after he received the Order of the Badge of Honor. At this time, he and a number of other specialists of the institute were accused of creating a wrecking organization called the Russian Fascist Party and counter-revolutionary activities, the purpose of which was to transfer drawings to a foreign spy network. This was followed by arrests, and after 3 years the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR announced a sentence to Tupolev in the form of serving a sentence in a forced labor camp for a term of 15 years, loss of rights for 5 years and deprivation of all state awards.
A possible reason for the accusation was Tupolev's trip to the United States through France as the head of the delegation together with the head of the institute, Nikolai Kharlamov. Howeverthe initiative did not come from Andrei Nikolaevich. He went to America to purchase equipment and licenses after his appointment as first deputy and chief engineer of the People's Commissariat for the Defense Industry. For a new position, he was recommended by the People's Commissar Grigory Ordzhonikidze.
In France, an inspection was made of local products of the aviation industry, in particular aircraft engines. The meeting with the French was successful, especially since Tupolev spoke their language. But the US trip was less fruitful. At first there was a scandal in connection with the wrong placement of orders. Aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev, under the influence of Alexander Prokofiev-Seversky, who emigrated to America, refused the services of the consulting trading company AMTORG. Another stumbling block was that on a business trip he took with him his wife Julia, who was far from the aviation industry.
As a result of the trip, licenses were purchased for the construction of aircraft that were very difficult to manufacture, and fighters that did not meet strength standards. And only thanks to the Soviet aircraft designer Vladimir Petlyakov, a license was acquired for the production of a truly modern and well-performing Douglas transport aircraft.
In the biography of Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev, this trip abroad was already the second. Prior to that, being the head of the airship building, he was in Germany, and that business trip did not raise questions from the top management. The incriminating facts about the stay in the United States did not generally correspondthe level of punishment. In addition, Joseph Stalin himself did not believe in the guilt of the scientist Andrei Tupolev, as Air Chief Marshal Alexander Golovanov testified to this. Nevertheless, the aircraft designer went to serve his sentence, but managed to work at the Experimental Design Bureau.
Tupolev did not have long to live in a forced labor camp. A year later, his criminal record was expunged and the awards returned, and in 1955 he was fully rehabilitated.
Design work in wartime
When the Great Patriotic War began, Tupolev became the chief designer of a plant in Omsk. There he finalized and put into mass production the Tu-2 bomber. The problem was solved successfully, 2.5 thousand copies were released.
In the middle of the war, he returned to Moscow and became the chief designer and head of the plant, on the basis of which the base of his bureau was created.
Post-war period
The new aircraft of Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev were produced already in his design bureau. The most famous of them are the Tu-16 heavy twin-engine multipurpose jet bomber, which develops speeds exceeding 1000 km/h, and the first Soviet civil jet Tu-104. For the last Tupolev received the Lenin Prize.
The Tu-114 turboprop long-haul passenger aircraft was developed in 1957, and in 1968 the supersonic Tu-144 flew into the air. In addition, divisions were created in the bureau that were engaged in the development of a planning hypersonic vehicle androcket plane. Unmanned reconnaissance and cruise missiles were successfully created. A lot of work has been done in the field of creating supersonic bombers with a nuclear power plant. The civil aviation industry was not forgotten either.
In total, the designer has developed about a hundred types of aircraft, most of which went into serial production. High performance allowed them to set 78 world records and make about three dozen outstanding flights.
Awards and titles
During his work, Tupolev received the Orders of Suvorov, the Great Patriotic War, "Georgy Dimitrov", the gold aviation medal of the International Federation of Aeronautics, as well as the medals of the Society of the Founders of Aviation of France, "Hammer and Sickle" and "For Military Merit". In addition, he had several awards: four Stalin, one State each, named after Zhukovsky and Leonardo da Vinci.
Also, Tupolev became Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service, Academician, Honored Worker of Science and Technology, a member of the Central Executive Committee and a deputy of the Soviets at various levels, in particular the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, an honorary citizen of Paris, New York and Zhukovsky, honorary member of the Aviation Society of England and the American Institute. Three times became the Hero of Socialist Labor. He received the Order of the October Revolution a year before his death. He died on December 23, 1972 and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
Little Known Facts
The photo of Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev was seen by everyone who is seriousengaged in aircraft construction. And it seems that everyone knows about his almost fantastic abilities. Contemporaries spoke of him as a person who, at first glance at the drawing of an aircraft, could accurately assess its potential. All the more interesting is the legend that tells about the development of the Soviet Tu-4 bomber.
According to her, the design of the combat aircraft was a plagiarism of the American "flying fortress" B-29, which made an emergency landing on Sakhalin. The aircraft was completely dismantled at the Tupolev Design Bureau, but a copy of it was not obtained for a long time. The designer could not guess the purpose of the holes in the walls of the exhaust nozzles until the problem was solved by an average engineer. Only after that did the Tu-4 take off.
How true this story is is unknown. Nevertheless, it does not detract from Tupolev's merits as a talented aircraft designer, because he has many designed and successful aircraft.
Family
Academician Tupolev was married to Yulia Nikolaevna, whose maiden name was Zhelchakova. The future spouses met in a hospital organized at a higher school. Both, after completing medical courses, were engaged in nursing. In this regard, Tupolev was kindly teased and even given the title of "head nurse on the third floor."
The couple lived together for 62 years, they had a daughter, who was also named Yulia. She became an Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation and personally treated her father. Julia married VladimirMikhailovich Vul, the leading designer of the Tupolev bureau. Tupolev's son Alexei followed in his father's footsteps and also became a famous Soviet aircraft designer.
Tribute to memory
Even a brief biography of Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev reveals how talented this man was. Descendants pay tribute to his memory, in many cities streets are dedicated to his name. A year after the death of the scientist Andrei Tupolev, the Kazan Aviation Institute was named after him, and in 2014 a monument to the designer was erected in this city. The Moscow Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex also bears his name and continues the established traditions of aircraft construction.
A bust depicting him was also installed in the administrative center of the district in which he was born - the city of Kimry, and a memorial - on the site of the village of Pustomazovo. Now it is the territory of the Ustinovsky settlement. The local high school has a memorial plaque for the hero and is named after him.
Photo by Andrey Tupolev can also be found on postage stamps of the USSR. His name was given to the Moscow Machine-Building Plant. A brief biography of Andrei Tupolev is covered in the film by Daniil Khrabrovitsky "The Poem of Wings".
Famous Followers
Academician Tupolev became a mentor for a huge number of talented aircraft designers who, thanks to the knowledge gained, were able to establish their own bureaus. Among them:
- Vladimir Petlyakov, who received several orders and the Stalin Prize for the development of the aircraftPe-2.
- Pavel Sukhoi, who became a doctor of technical sciences and one of the founders of jet and supersonic aviation. Among other awards, he posthumously became a laureate of the Tupolev Prize.
- Vladimir Myasishchev, who rose to the rank of major general engineer. By occupation, he was a designer, scientist and professor.
- Alexander Putilov, who participated in the development of nine aircraft and received four orders and medals.
- Alexander Shengardt, who became the holder of many state awards and was awarded the title of honorary aircraft builder of the USSR.
Besides these constructors, there were many others inspired by Tupolev's work. And of course, one cannot fail to note the merits of his son Alexei Andreevich. From the age of 17 he worked in his father's design office. His first development, a wooden fuselage ending, was used in serial aircraft production during the war. This made it possible to save metal.
Graduation from the Aviation Institute allowed Tupolev Jr. to take the position of lead designer. Having gained experience, he was able to become a deputy general designer, and after a while to take this position.
Aleksey Andreevich's scientific career also developed. He became a doctor of technical sciences, professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Among his awards are the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, 3 awards, including a nominal one named after his father, 5 orders.
