Due to many reasons, the Russian Aircraft, from the aviation perspective, are always fascinating, primarily because they have been, generally, not so well-known in the Western world - until they (gradually) started appearing at many Western airports (to the delight of Aviation fans and observers) - e.g. the largest and heaviest, the Russian An-225, has been a regular visitor to many (foreign) ports of call on cargo and humanitarian missions. The one memory that lingers in my mind, was the impressive sight, from an observer's viewpoint, of an (approaching) IL-76, with its distinctive smoke trails behind it. The Russian aircraft have their own unique interesting characteristics - rather different from western-built aircraft. Let us just say they look and (must) feel different! In the modern times, with global commercialization and collaborations, the situation is changing, but some of the classic Russian aircraft, so to speak, remain elusive and mysterious. The SIM world, however, remains an ideal channel to learn about and explore these (classic) aircraft. In the past, there have been a few excellent FW (passenger) SIM models available, but it would be still nice to have a "training-grade" Russian (SIM) aircraft from one of the premier developers! On a smaller scale, a while ago, I used to own, fly, and enjoy the (original version) Sibwings AN-2, but somehow, lost it during my (years of) break from SIM. More recently, I've picked up Aerosoft's AN-2, and have been (lately) flying it around quite a bit (I had posted an entry for my 1st flight with it) - which, today, made me think of the Russian aircraft one more time. I've read recently that the ATSimulations's AN-2 has been re-released, as many folks here already know.

In this post, I'm exploring Ilyushin IL-62 (62M and 62MK being its primary 2 variants), a classic (VC10 look-alike) Russian Jet, to have come out of the (illustrious) Ilyushin's Experimental Design Bureau (OKB). It's noted to be the world's largest jet airliner when first flown in 1963. So, it's rightly accorded a place in the elite group of four along with (VC10, B707, and DC8). The Il-62 is also one of the (rare) two (with VC10) commercial airliners with four engines fitted in pairs by the sides of, and beneath, the T-tail - one reason, it looks so "unique" and "eye-catching"! The Il-62 entered Aeroflot civilian service on 15 September 1967 with an inaugural passenger flight from Moscow to Montreal, and remained the standard long-range airliner in commercial service for several decades. Over 30 nations (Aeroflot, Rossiya, LOT, Cubana, Koryo been some of the primary users) operated the Il-62 with several examples also been exported to Western airlines. Production of the IL-62 ended in 1990, but it still continues to fly in limited service.

Successive avionics upgrades, in the IL-62, included automatic flight control systems, triplex inertial navigation systems, instrument landing systems receivers, and global positioning system etc. One curious device with IL-62, is its (additional) trademark lightweight (extendable) landing gear. Aircraft with (such) rear-mounted engines are usually tail-heavy when sitting empty on the ground, and these struts/gears are meant too prevent the aircraft from tipping up on its tail. One can see this pair of wheels protruding from the rear fuselage (e.g.) in the last image (below). [Some aircraft, like B727, had used an extendable (rear) airstair to alleviate the same tipping concern.]

Now a bit about the livery used for this post: An airborne command Il-62M (Registration: RA-86570) was customized for the emergency response agency EMERCOM (of Russia) to provide support in cases of evacuation transport and other emergency situations. So, please find, below, images of this (specific) IL-62M on a short morning-flight from St. Petersburg to the Moscow (Sheremetyevo) Airport. For navigation, here, between the two cities, I’ve custom-attached one unit of CIVA-INS to the aircraft.

FYI, below is a link to the (real-life) picture of this particular livery:
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6288083

Even thought this, here, is a FW model, hope these pictures help recall a few memories of this pioneering long-range (Russian) jetliner. Thanks for reading and viewing, and, as always, for any comments. [Drzewiecki(UUEE)/FW(IL-62M)/REX] [Note: BTW, I noticed, today, that (UUEE Moscow) is on 30% SALE, at Aerosoft, for (FSX/P3D/XP), in case you're interested.]

Lovely set! I'm a big fan of the IL-62 myself. You did not mention the reversers deploying in flight.

Please check this video to see my simulation of the IL-62. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18gVBXEw9dk

 

Thanks again for an interesting piece of aviation history, P_7878. The Il 62 had a design flaw though, which was experienced unfortunately in Aug. 1972 by an East German Interflug plane. It crashed shortly after take-off from Berlin on a holiday charter flight to Bulgaria, killing all 156 on board.

 Thirteen minutes into the flight the crew reported problems with the elevator and asked to return to Berlin. With the airport already in sight, the crew reported to have serious problems controlling the plane’s altitude. At the same time heavy smoke was reported in the rear part of the cabin. But what the crew was not aware off was that fire had already consumed a larger part of the tail section, which ultimately separated from the plane, causing it to enter an uncontrolled descent, with its forces braking up the remaining portions of the plane in mid-air.

 When the crash site was inspected by East German and Russian specialists, the Russians suspected pilot error and wanted to close the investigation. But the Germans didn’t agree and continued the investigation alone. This is, what they finally found: the pilot's last messages suggested that a fire in the plane’s rear was responsible for the accident. Unfortunately, this part was not accessible from the cabin; it also had no smoke detectors, so the crew was not able to realize the severity of the situation. It was finally found out that the fire must have been caused by a leak in a hot-air tube through which air with a temperature of some 300 °C (572 °F) left the tube and damaged the insulation material of electrical wires and the plane’s flight control system. After take-off a short-circuit must have caused sparks with a temperature of some 2,000 °C (3,630 °F) and a fire in one of the cargo bays, which housed by default containers with highly flammable anti-icing fluids. This fire then grew rapidly until the smoke reached the passenger cabin. Ultimately the fuselage structure was weakened enough for the entire tail section to brake off in flight.

 When the Germans reported their findings to Iljushin, their technicians rejected them immediately. A couple of months later though, they admitted in private (but never publicly), that there was indeed a problem with the design and they altered the rear part of the plane accordingly and advised airlines to do more frequent checks. Since then no Il 62 reported any such problems anymore.

Ed: Excellent video! Enjoyed it much, and liked the KLN-90B GPS at start! Agree, in-flight thrust reversal is such an interesting concept...worthy of mention in Russian aircraft, and, I believe, in some earlier Western aircraft. I do recall someone, here, had mentioned, an actual experience of being a PAX in such a flight...

Bernd: Thanks. Good supplementary notes...yes, the price of being among the pioneers always comes with such risks, but, as you've indicated, this plane seems to have significantly improved (by avionics upgrades) to prove itself a safe airliner over a long time period...

Very different,You would think it would be too heavy in the tail with all that engine weight.

12 hours ago, Phantom88 said:

Very different...

+1