Flight, November 1928

BERLIN AERO SHOW 1928

Two Russian Machines

   Of the two larger Russian machines exhibited at the Berlin Show, one was a mail 'plane while the other was an ambulance machine. Both were to a large extent of metal construction, but little could be seen of the detail, and no information was available on the stand during our visit beyond some very brief data printed on placards exhibited on the stand.
   The Russian mail 'plane was a machine of rather pleasing appearance, and the workmanship and finish were very good. In the design of the A.N.T.3, as this machine was styled, there were traces of both German and French influence, and one received the impression that the designers of the A.N.T.3 had examined carefully a number of French and German aeroplanes of various types, and had then incorporated in their design such features as appeared to them to be worth developing. The result was, if one may judge from outward appearances, rather successful, and the machine did not suffer by comparison with aircraft produced by nations with many years' experience in aircraft design and construction. In the A.N.T.3, French influence was traceable in the general design, with the wings arranged en sesquiplan, while German influence was mostly to be found in the constructional features, which were rather reminiscent of Junkers' practice.
   The A.N.T.3 was described as a mail 'plane, and the small cross-sectional area of the fuselage would probably result in the internal space being rather restricted. However, the space behind the pilot's cockpit, which had a sort of screw-down "lid" over it, presumably for the mail compartment, might be converted to take a gun, although the swelling found on all the Italian "commercial" machines was certainly absent. The fuselage, incidentally, was of triangular section, with the two longerons at the top and a single longeron at the bottom. The sides, however, were slightly curved, and covered with corrugated Duralumin sheet, after the Junkers fashion. The engine, a 12-cylinder water-cooled Vee, was described as a 400 h.p. "Aviatrust," but looked uncommonly like a good old "Liberty." Cooling was by two Lamblin radiators of the "lobster pot" type, mounted one on each side of the engine, near the bottom of the fuselage.
   The sesquiplane wings were of all-metal construction, the covering being corrugated Duralumin. The two halves of the top plane were bolted to short streamline stubs rising from the fuselage deck, while the lower wing halves were bolted to the single lower longeron. The interplane struts were of "L"-shape, with a light strut running from the curve of the foot of the "L" to the top rear spar, as shown in one of our sketches
   The undercarriage was of the "split" type, without axle and the telescopic legs were attached at their upper ends to the fireproof bulkhead behind the engine.
   The following particulars of the machine were given on a placard: Tare weight 1,350 kg. (2,970 lbs.); permissible load, 750 kg. (1,650 lbs.); gross weight, 2,100 kg. (4,620 lbs.); maximum speed, 210 km./h. (130 m.p.h.); landing speed, 90 km./h. (56 m.p.h.); climb to 1,000 m. (3,280 ft.), in 3-5 mins.; to 3,000 m. (9,840 ft.) in 15 mins.
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