Shavrov SH-2 data wanted...

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:16 pm

Lifted from Wiki:

Quote:

Shavrov Sh-2 was a 1930s amphibian design and the first Soviet mass produced hydroplane. The small, wooden aircraft was a further development of the Sh-1, with a more powerful engine and increased size.

The Sh-2 could carry two crew members as well as two passengers and during wintertime, the aircraft could be equipped with skis. The small lower wing served as attachment for the stabilizing floats. It was a light, simple and reliable design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavrov_Sh-2

I'm looking for interior / walkaround shots of a Shavrov for a 1/72 scale kit I picked up - particularly cockpit shots. I'd not be very optimistic, except there's an example not far from a couple of WIX members, at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, Creve Coeur. Any chance one of the locals could help us out?

http://www.historicaircraftrestorationmuseum.org/

I'm also interested in knowing why the Shavrov is a 'scary' aircraft to fly, according to museum sources...

After all, it 'looks right' or is that just me and 'boats?

TIA

astixjr · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:48 am

James,
I exported this plane from the from Russia to our museum in St. Louis back in 1992. I'll pull some photos from my files on Friday and put together a Photobucket page. I'll take some digital photos of the plane this weekend for you. The Aeroflot guys said the last Sh-2 was retired in 1964 so they had a pretty good run. In some ways, the Sh-2 was the amphibian counterpart of the Po-2. There are only estimates of how many were built, nobody really knows for sure. The story behind this particular plane is too long for this post. Let's just say it involves all kinds of strange people and events including an Aeroflot helicopter crew who spotted it in a marsh in the mid 1980s, a P-61 deal, an absurd amount of Vodka, some typical late 1980s-early 1990s Aeroflot insanity (both on the ground and in the air), and some fun with what used to be called Botflot, yes "boat fleet" a sister company to Aeroflot "air fleet".

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:28 am

Hey, Albert,
That's great! Appreciate it. Like the book cover blub too... we want to know more now.

Did you ever fly it at CC?

Mgawa · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 3:06 am

Yo man

there is one issue of SAFO magazine where is article about this plane with details of Polish service. Also I have to take a look but somewhere in Soviet magazines was very good drawings about.

Cheers

Michel Lemieux · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:38 am

The tail end looks like most DH products of the same area.

astixjr · **Posted:** Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:34 am

Here a few scans of the Sh-2 when it was in the USSR. These photos were given to me by the head of the Aeroflot tech school where it was restored. I'm not sure who took them or the date but I would guess mid to late 1980s. The Sh-2 was used in military service by the Soviets and this one apparently went down during the Great Patriotic War but since Aeroflot restored it, they put their logo on it.

More later. The scanner on this computer wakes up the baby and that make mommy very cross. My wife could have been a test pilot at a broom factory so I need to stop for now.

JDK · **Posted:** Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:36 pm

Michel,
I'd not noticed that, good point.

Albert,
Great, thanks!

Don't get killed, just get the rest of the pics... Are you making high res scans first? I'd be interested in copies - you have a PM.

Many thanks again...

astixjr · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:56 pm

Cockpit shot taken while the plane was still at the Yegorievsk Aeroflot tech school.

Well built "custom" shipping crate arrives at Creve Coeur Airport

Shipping crate with top removed. Very well packed for the trip from Yegorievsk to St. Louis. They guys that restored the Sh-2 wanted to make sure it arrived in good shape.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:09 pm

Cool! Looks almost like a homebuilt!

airnutz · **Posted:** Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:31 pm

I've always thought it'd be neat to have one-o-them. Do ya'll fly it Albert? The retract setup looks nifty, but kind of
ergonomically odd in the way the crank is approached...is that the case in practice?

astixjr · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:57 pm

I was told that the Sh-2 that we imported did actually get into the air one day while it was doing some taxi runs on a lake near where it was restored. The civil aviation authority in Moscow forbid the tech school from flying the Sh-2 but it accidentally flew around the lake at least that one time. When we were putting the plane together in St. Louis for the first time, we noticed some parts that were clearly from the original plane they found in the marsh. Not only was the metal work extremely crude, it was not airworthy by our standards so we decided not to fly it until we had more time to look it over. I'm glad we did not try it when it was first imported. We had to re-restore the plane in late 1993 due to some "damage" it suffered while in the Missouri River. Had we flown it back in 1992, I'm sure somebody would have died in it. We decided to keep all of the original metal parts on it when it was re-restored so it has never flown again.

Here are some shots of the 2nd Sh-2 the Russians built. These photos were taken by Robert J Ruffle at the Moscow Airshow in the mid 1990s. He was kind enough to send me copies. The Sh-2s were used to scout for enemy ships and subs during the Great Patriotic War and also to rescue downed pilots. Many war time Sh-2s had this winter camo "all over white" paint. I'm not sure where it is today. Anyone know?

airnutz · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:16 pm

Ahh..thanks Al!

Mark Nankivil · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:46 pm

Thanks for all of the images Al! I remember stopping by the airport with the container out on the ramp and thinking someone was keeping a sabre-toothed tiger on the grounds

That was one stout (and crude!) looking container!

Enjoy the Day! Mark

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2009 4:03 am

Great stuff, Albert! Much appreciated.

Have you managed to get any interior (and exterior) piccies of your beast as is at the moment?

Thanks for the input so far.

It sure looks a cool beastie to me; wouldn't it be neat as a lake-fishing trip-plane? You'd also get a few "The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming!" reports as you puttered over the SUV driving masses...

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Shavrov SH-2 data wanted...

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