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Title: Russian Airplane |
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Description: This Russian aviation poster depicts routes of commercial aviation throughout the Russian landscape. The aircraft, a commercial tri-motor monoplane is shown departing from the hub in Moscow on an eastern route to provincial cities, the hinterlands, and Siberia. The inscription on the poster imparts a vision of commercial flight and reads: “each city must have a modern aerodome.” In 1930 soviet aircraft flew from the hub in Moscow to Lenningrad, Berlin Khar’kov, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirisk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Tashkent, Samakand, Kabul, Alma-Ata, Tiflis, and Khabarousk. The civilian airplane pictured in a Konek-Gorb CCCP-105. A total of fifteen Konek-Gorbunoks were obtained by Oavuk the society for aviation and aeronautics in the Ukraine and Crimea. All Civil aircraft in the Soviet Union were state property and air and transport companies and other pilots operated them under permission from the State. National aircraft registration was kept by the inspection of the GVF. In January 1921 registration regulations for commercial aircraft were issued by the Russian government. The first airmail flight took place on May 31, 1923, and the first passenger flight occurred a day later on June 1st en route from Rostov to Khar’kov. To keep track in the industry, each aircraft was submitted for technical inspection by GU RkkVF and registered and assigned to a particular airport. In 1922 aircraft registration consisted of RR which stood for Rossiskaya Repubeika (Russian Republic) starting with RR1 and ending in 1929 with RR41. On May 1st, 1929, a new registration system was introduced and the national prefix was changed from RR to CCCP (cryllic letters) for SSSR, followed by a three digit number. Aircraft bound for flights outside the Soviet Union were labeled URSS or (USSR). In 1931 system was again modified and on January 5 CCCP/URSS was adopted and the new register. The first Soviet airline called Deruluft (Deutch-Ruissiche Luftverkhers-Gessellschhaft) was owned by Russia and Germany. The purpose of the airline was to promulgate trade between Moscow and Berlin. During the first five year plan from 1928 to 1933 Deruluft carried passengers, luggage, and mail. Deruluft flights operated every day even during the winter when the extreme cold forced pilots to heat and enclose the cockpit. Deruluft service reached its zenith in 1935 but political changes in Germany and the Nazi takeover caused a decline which continued until the onset of WWII in 1939. The history of Russian aviation is a reflection of Soviet philosophy. From 1938 to 1933 Stalin instituted a five year plan to expand aviation by building an air force and competing for international air records. During this period the GVF fleet increased to 4,000 aircraft. Aviation was important in Russia because of its expansiveness and severe winter climate which engendered road and rail construction impossible. The Soviets instead focused their attention on advancing air transport and in five years succeeded in efficiency, speed, and accessibly servicing remote areas. |
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