Mi-38 flies

The Hope of Russian Helicopter Construction Tears its Wheels away from the Earth and… Flies!

An event which has been expected for so long in our helicopter world has come true. On 23 December 2003, at the Kazan’ Helicopter Plant, the first flight took place, more precisely, a hover, of the experimental prototype of the new Mi-38 multirole helicopter. The most complex scientific and technical, experimental and design and organizational and financing task has be resolved. Despite numerous obstacles, the unwarranted protracted development stage and the sneers of skeptics, the “hope” of Russian helicopter construction tore its wheels off of the ground and… flew.

According to the general director of ZAO Euromil’, Vladimir Yablokov, in flight the Mi-38 is beautiful, light and the power is felt immediately. It answered a question, by which it surprised, by the low noise level. This is explained by a new profile of the main rotor blades and the absence of an auxiliary power unit (the AI-9V auxiliary power unit is on the Mi-8/17). During start, the lightweight KVZ “Ansat” helicopter “muffled” the Mi-38. The crew in the Mi-38 cockpit conversed in low voices without intercom headsets. As regards power-to-weight ratio, as early as during ground tests (on a tether) with the maximum Mi-38 takeoff weight (15,600 kilograms) it came to light that it is one and a half times less than maximum in power.

The first flight of the Mi-38 prototype is the greatest even in the last 10 years for all of Russian helicopter construction. This day is memorable not only for Russians. A participant of the international program – the Western European helicopter builder Eurocopter, despite the Christmas holidays, congratulated the management of ZAO Euromil’.

At the present time, the flight test program is being composed, the very important stage of test work in the air is ahead. Vladimir Yablokov thinks that development flight tests needs to be finished before the fall. “We already have discussing the laying down of the second and third Mi-38 prototype with the KVZ general director, Aleksandr Lavrent’ev,” he emphasized. To speak on the whole about the program, as it will come about, is still premature, but one may say with confidence that “the helicopter taking shape.”

The Mi-38 is needed not only in the post-Soviet space for replacing the “work horse” Mi-8/17 which is going to a deserved rest, but also for Europe, whose fleet of medium and heavy helicopters has gotten old, and the American proposals are too expensive even by European standards.

Source: 30.01.04, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent, Natal’ya Avtushko