#lisunov

[airsllides]

airsLLide No. 19069: CCCP-73956, Lisunov Li-2, Aeroflot, Salekhard, July 25, 2000.

Under black skies: The first day way up North in Siberia had been a bit disappointing: First, thick smog of nearby bush and peat fires had shrouded the Salekhard region into a brown mist. Then, shortly before dinner, a hefty thunderstorm hit and turned everything dark and cold.

While contemplating the bad timing in the local airport hotel over some night cups of a local spirit, our aviation tour participants suddenly noticed some silver lining on the horizon. About half past midnight - we were well above the Arctic circle here - the silver line turned into a deep blue, clear sky with the midnight sun two fingers above the horizon. And this was when the group realised that the sun was not only lighting up the gate guard Lisunov 2 at the access road to the airport but also casting a rainbow behind her. The following rush in a Vodka-induced mellow midnight mood and the impromptu photo session of the old girl became legendary with all the participants of that trip...

[bigglesworld]

Lisunov Li-2T.  (Soviet version of the DC-3). Tarom (Transporturi Aeriene Romane). Passenger and transport aircraft. Type first flew in 1939. At Prague. In 1966

[airsllides]

airsLLide No. 11975: RA-01300, Lisunov Li-2, private owners, Moscow-Sheremetjevo, May 28, 1996

The license-produced Lisunov 2 was originally used by the «Central Aeroclub» out of Moscow Tushino airfield until the mid 1970s after which it was stored on location. In 1992/93, the Soviet Dakota was restored to flying condition and given the civilian registration RA-01300 and eventually operated from Moscow Sheremetjevo airport on the airshow circuit, with a multitude of sponsor attached.

In 2003 at the latest the historic aircraft was relocated to Myachkovo airfield in the South of the Russian capital. When it was supposed to be ferried to Kaluga for an event in June 2004, the flight engineer who was later found to be drunk mistakenly shut-off the fuel supply to both engines on climb out, and the Li-2 crashed into an adjacent neighbourhood, killing four out of the five occupants (including said flight engineer) and destroying the airframe.

[airsllides]

airsLLide No. 44652: HA-LIX, Lisunov Li-2, Malév, Zürich, September 4, 2023.

Old planes in modern times: What you see here is the world's only airworthy Li-2, operated by Hungary's Goldtimer Foundation in the 1950s livery of former Hungarian flag-carrier Malév.

'But, hey, that's a DC-3, man?' you may say. Well, yes, it is one of at least 4937 license-built Dakotas the Soviets manufactured. The USSR had acquired the rights to build its own derivate of the DC-3 in 1937, modified by design bureau Lisunov and equiped with locally designed Shvetsov A/Sh-62 engines with nine air-cooled cylinders.

After the German attack on the USSR in 1941, the basic design was quickly adapted to carry bombs and MGs, the latter manned by gunners sitting next to the additional small hatches/windows right aft of the cockpit. During World War II, production was sped up and with the help of additional tools and knowledge from the US, the Li-2 became indirectly also part of the 'Lend Lease'-program that provided the USSR with large amounts of hardware such as trucks, buses, bulldozers and aircraft parts without which it would hardly have had the transport capacity needed to fight-off the invading German troops (a fact even modern Russia tries to keep silent on, for reasons of heroic pride, I guess).

The number of 4937 Li-2 produced is based on data released by the Soviets after the war, other sources estimate the total production run to be in excess of 6100 units, which would be more than half the number of DC-3 / C-47 Dakotas produced by Douglas in the US. After the war, many of the Russian 'Gooney Birds' were converted back to civilian use, much like it was done in the West, but due to central planning and the lack of independent, second and third level users, it disappeared from regular service during the late 1960s already. Only few survived as gate planes or in museums, and Budapest-Budaörs based HA-LIX is the only one that still spins its propellers today.

[hariesautomoto]

Li 2 by HariesAutoMoto

[hariesautomoto]

LI-2 by HariesAutoMoto

[hanspanzer]

Lisunov Li-2

[hanspanzer]

Lisunov Li-2