In the Soviet Union, every citizen knew the name of Andrei Tupolev. Aircraft under the TU brand flew to all corners of the globe. Today, foreign-made aircraft are patrolling over Russia. But the name of the great designer has not been forgotten.
Childhood and youth
The founder of the Soviet school of aircraft construction, Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev, was born on November 10, 1888 in a family of commoners. Father came from Siberian Cossacks. The mother comes from small landed nobles. Parents lived in the small village of Pustomazovo, Tver province. When the age approached, the boy was sent to the city gymnasium. The schoolboy lived in a rented apartment. He studied well. He showed particular interest in mathematics and physics.
In 1908 he graduated from high school and entered the Moscow Higher Technical School. It was at this time that all the newspapers wrote about the Russian pilot Utochkin. Andrey was lucky to see the demonstration flights of the famous pilot. The science of aerodynamics was popular among students. Tupolev began to attend an aeronautics club. Together with his hobby comrades, he took up the construction of a glider. In 1910 he flew on a makeshift aircraft and landed safely.
Professional activity
After completing his studies, Tupolev went to work in an aviation accounting bureau, which was the only one in Russia. At that time, planes were not produced in our country. There were simply no trained engineers and designers. Andrei Nikolaevich, together with Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky, created the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, in which he began to work as a chief designer. At the first stage, he took up the design of an all-metal aircraft.
Foreign practice has shown that airplanes assembled from wood do not have sufficient strength and durability. Steel and alloys are not suitable due to their high specific gravity. Tupolev chose duralumin for his project, which was produced at the Kolchuginsky plant in the Vladimir region. In 1925, the first all-metal aircraft TB-1 took to the skies. At that time, he was considered the best bomber in the world. However, work on improving the design continued.
In the position of chief designer
The situation in the world was heating up and in all developed countries they were preparing for war. The Tupolev design bureau faced difficult and responsible tasks. One of these tasks is the creation of a long-range bomber. The specialists received the design assignment in the spring of 1939. In the spring of 1941, the prototype TU-2 was tested in real conditions. And literally a few days later, the war began. During the period of hostilities, Andrei Nikolaevich had to deal not only with design, but also with the organization of the production process at different factories.
In the post-war period, the Tupolev Design Bureau was also engaged in peaceful programs. It was in the Soviet Union that the first jet-powered passenger aircraft TU-104 was created. Then, when a liner was required for flights across the oceans to distant continents, the TU-114 appeared. Andrey Nikolaevich held various positions in the Ministry of Aviation Industry. Among his students are well-known figures of science and industry, creators of aircraft for various purposes. Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev passed away in December 1972.
