How many airworthy Polikarpovs?

Regarding I-16s and I-153s the story seems to be quite clear, 6 I-16s and three I-153s were restored/built in Russia, as described on these pages:
http://www.nzfpm.co.nz/aircraft/i16.htm
http://www.nzfpm.co.nz/aircraft/i153.htm
(The articles linked at the bottom of these pages are quite interesting by the way!)

Some of these aircraft have been sold, but as the photo above illustrates there are a few still available in NZ. As for the I-15bis, it seems that a different ‘production run’ for this type has been set up, with at least two (probably three) examples completed.

By the way, is it just me or does ‘Red 23’ appear to be a two-seater??? :confused:

I still think it is amazing how many ‘long forgotten’ types are reappearing in the skies these days!

Go here to see a few …
http://www.nzfpm.co.nz/
I will post a couple of in-hangar photos later

You can see here there are three I-16 Ratas and one I-153 Chaika. I had the pleasure of seeing the Chaika fired up. What a machine! It seemed to be this huge engine with the tiniest airframe imaginable wrapped around it. Quite something.

Ah okay, thanks John.

Yes lucky there wasn’t much damage from the belly landing of the ‘153.

Cheers
Chris

TNZ

Hi TNZ

I am no engineer but as I understand it this configuration is not a radical departure from the original and all the proper sums were done before they flew. I also don’t believe that apart from a small incident when they first arrived in NZ there have been any issues at all with any of the aircraft anywhere in the world so I guess all is well there ……………

Regards
John P

With that prop/engine arrangement, would there be any operating restrictions?
ie to stop the whole lot coming apart in a big way.

TNZ

Hi

I think this engine and prop set up is prettey much standard on all of the restored/rebuilt aircraft as the NZ rebuilds had the same arrangement.

On some aircraft there is a spinner which hides the An2 prop hub and on others it is exposed so you can see the absent blades on the hub. I wonder how it would go with 4 blades !!!! It would certainly look different

Regards
John P

I asked (through our interpreter) the pilot – or one of the ‘keepers’ – of ‘White 19’ at Gelendzhik, how many parts were original ??

He grinned, pointed to one of the instruments and said, that one!

BTW, the engine is an ASh-62 from an An-2 – as is the prop – with two blades removed.

Ken

I don’t know how many there are in total – but I have photographed at least TWO – and possibly three.

The first one was taken at MAKS 01 airshow at Zhukovskiy – and is a flying I-15bis coded red 7. I can’t make out the serial – but I think it has Rusavia titles. I’ll try and find my original print..

The next is the same I-15bis that is at Duxford – my photo was taken at the Hydroaviation Show at Gelendzhik in 2002. Note the Rusavia titles and the serial FLA RF02089 as well as the bort number ‘White 19’

I visited Russia again in 2003 – first to St Peterburg, then on to Novgorod and finally Moscow.

I photographed a ‘White 19’ – first at a small sports airfield at Rezhevka in St P., then at Novgorod – where it landed in company with a Cessna support a/c on it way down to Moscow – and finally at the airshow at Zhukovskiy.

Note that in the Rezhevka & Novgorod photos it is minus its Rusavia titles and serial. In the Zhukovskyiy photo it has its FLA RF 02089 serial applied – but not the Rusavia title.

Also on the flightline at Zhukovskiy was ANOTHER I-15bis – this time painted silver and red with bort number ‘Red 23’, Rusavia titles and serial FLA RF 1603K.

I only took a single front 3/4 pic of this machine – but I have since found a photo of the same machine on the cover of a mag – so I have scanned it and included it here.

So – there are definitely TWO I-15bis’ flying – the one in the first photo taken in 2001 might be ‘White 19’ in a different paint scheme – or it might be a THIRD airworthy Polikarpov.

As for non-flying examples, I have also photographed a scale replica (7/8th?) I-5 (not I-15!) at Zhukovskiy in 1993, an I-15bis replica and a wingless I-153 at Monino, an I-15bis at Victory Park, Moscow – and the I-153 at Le-Bourget

I have quite a few ‘walkround’ pics of ‘White 19’ – taken at Gelendzhik & Novgorod – I’ll try and put them up on my website over the hols….

Ken

If the one at Duxford is in for a longer term stay than we thought, might it appear in a couple more airshows… ? (I guess this depends more on having the right pilot more than anything else- the guy at Legends was a talented aerobatic flyer from Russia, and a fine job he made of it as well!)

Go here to see a few …
http://www.nzfpm.co.nz/
I will post a couple of in-hangar photos later

Hi Mike and Archer

I am led to believe that there are /could be more on the way from Russia if sales can be had for the Duxford example. This is I imagine why it is still at Duxford – to drum up business ? I might add that these things are hard to sell given the difficulty the Kiwis have had in selling their other Polikarpovs and I believe that the Duxford one is a fair bit more than one of the Kiwi ones.

Regards
John P