Dynamic Donkey

摘要

Like many Soviet aeroplanes of the era, the Polikarpov I-16's conception and design were conducted under incarceration - and the relentless eye of the State. Following his initial failure to create a new fighter blueprint, aircraft designer Nikolai Polikarpov was abruptly jailed and ordered to conceive the superior product demanded by Premier Joseph Stalin. Considered in 1932, the resultant aircraft entered series production in 1934, under the designation I-16. Comprising mixed construction materials, the diminutive machine with its open cockpit was an incredibly affordable option for the Soviet Union. Steel tubing formed the bulk of the forward fuselage and wing spars, wood was employed in the aft section and duralumin in the wing and tail framework. In using what they already had, manufacturing did not require expensive or new techniques, and it relied on easily obtainable commodities. For added simplicity, the pilot would raise the undercarriage manually using a mechanical winch.