Il-2 Stumovik survivors

[Pat Carry]

I saw in the current issue of Flight Journal where an incredible 36,000 plus examples of the Il-2 Stumovik were manufactured during WW2. Of that how many survive today and where are they? The only one I know of is the one at the Garber Facility in Maryland.

[warbirdcrew]

There's this one in the Polish Air Force Museum in Krakow.

[stickandrudder]

I saw in the current issue of Flight Journal where an incredible 36,000 plus examples of the Il-2 Stumovik were manufactured during WW2. Of that how many survive today and where are they? The only one I know of is the one at the Garber Facility in Maryland.

Hi Pat,

I have seen nose-section of one at the technical museum in Berlin, also there are a pair in Lincolnshire over here in the UK. Out of the two, they are making a single static example for the RAF Museum out of the two-airframes. The owner was trying to get one in the air, but gave up on the project to fly, and then offered to restore one out of the two for static exibit to the RAFM. Will ask questions on their status/locatio for you.
The other one I saw this year was at the Hungarian Air Force Museum at Szolnok. here-

http://stickandrudder.ning.com/video/il ... ok-hungary

[Tillerman]

A few pictures of mine of Il-2's I've seen in the flesh: Il-2 at Prague - Kbely, Czech Republic, photo taken in 2003:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=158116

Wreck of Il-2 recovered from Lake Balaton, Hungary. A/C now on display at the aviation museum near Szolnok AB. Photos taken in 2004:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=338828

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=338832

Tillerman.

Edit: couldn't get the hang of image tags, so replaced with links to the pictures

[jamesintucson]

Pima has one.

http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=141

James

[Mgawa]

There is one in the museum in Belgrade

[bdk]

There's this one in the Polish Air Force Museum in Krakow.

Except that is an Il-10. The Il-2's landing gear pivots straight back while the Il-10's gear rotates 90 degrees as it retracts aft (like a Corsair). Otherwise they are quite similar in appearance. The early Il-2s had much of the airframe structure made from wood. Very few Il-2s exist, a number of Il-10s remain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-10

[warbirdcrew]

warbirdcrew wrote:
There's this one in the Polish Air Force Museum in Krakow.
Except that is an Il-10. The Il-2's landing gear pivots straight back while the Il-10's gear rotates 90 degrees as it retracts aft (like a Corsair). Otherwise they are quite similar in appearance. The early Il-2s had much of the airframe structure made from wood. Very few Il-2s exist, a number of Il-10s remain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-10

Oops! Thanks for the correction Bdk

[Pat Carry]

Thanks for the info. I had no idea there was one at Pima. Its amazing so few remain out of the 36,000 built.

[Warbird Kid]

There's this one in the Polish Air Force Museum in Krakow.

Except that is an Il-10. The Il-2's landing gear pivots straight back while the Il-10's gear rotates 90 degrees as it retracts aft (like a Corsair). Otherwise they are quite similar in appearance. The early Il-2s had much of the airframe structure made from wood. Very few Il-2s exist, a number of Il-10s remain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-10

That being said, I would still like to see an example of either one flying again. Since the Il-10s are apparently more plentiful I don't think that many Warbird enthusiasts would be very picky if someone was able to restore one of these and either backdate it to a Il-2 or makes just resemble it.

The one Il-2 they show on the Wikipedia page in Bulgaria looks pretty sad. I'm surprised Jerry Yagen hasn't snatched this one up yet.

[gary1954]

Thanks for the info. I had no idea there was one at Pima. Its amazing so few remain out of the 36,000 built.

Yeah, as the Marauder comes to mind

[John Dupre]

My 1996 copy of Warbirds Directory shows 7 Il 2s surviving though I would think that has increased at least somewhat by now. Some years ago I knew someone who actually talked to Ilyushin about building a run of new Stormoviks. Ilyushin apparently couldn't understand the concept of a special run of airframes and wanted to recertify everything about the aircraft including building test airframes that would have been destroyed in stress tests. Sukhoi was more accomodating but there Stormovik version isn't nearly as well known as Ilyushin's so the project never went anywhere.

I also knew a young Ukrainian who told a story of a teacher who had seen a hangar full of Ilyushin 2s or 10s in the 1970s in what is now one of the 'stan republics.

It is a fascinating aircraft. From the engine cowling back to the rear cockpit the "skin" is actually averages about 1/4 inch steel plate! These things could crash through houses intact!

[bdk]

That being said, I would still like to see an example of either one flying again.

I am certainly a fan of the type.

I think the hardest part of making one a flyer is the engine. The airframe itself looks prety straightforward.

As with all eastern block aircraft, there just isn't a good market for them. You would spend $750K+ restoring one and you might be able to get $200K for your efforts.

[Warbird Kid]

Do what they did for the new Yaks. Put an Allison in it. Looks like it would fit. "Like" being the key word.

[jamesintucson]

Do what they did for the new Yaks. Put an Allison in it. Looks like it would fit. "Like" being the key word.

You could, but you would be about 400 horsepower short.

Allison
http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=307

Mikulin
http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=323

James