Worlds FIRST flying IL-2 Shturmovik since WWII - Engine Runs and Test Flights

**Correction... NOW there is A SECOND Il-2 flying! It's an earlier version with the straight wing before they added the sweep to make up for CG issues!
www.FightToFlyPhoto.com
The late Paul Allen has been busy since August 10, 2012 getting their newly acquired Ilyushin Il-2M3 Sturmovik ready for its public debut on September 15, 2012. The initial test pilot, putting the first few hours on the aircraft, was Steve Hinton. Beginning this week, pilot John Penney began flying the aircraft and trained mechanic Jim Martinelli. Jim's first flight in the aircraft was August 15, 2012.
As the title suggests, of the more than 40,000 IL-2's produced during WWII, this is the only one in the world that is flying. It finished its restoration in late 2011 in Russia, and was received in early 2012.
This aircraft is powered by an Allison 1710 from a P-38 Lightning, so the propeller turns the proper direction (counterclockwise). The armor around the engine and cockpit even retained several bullet holes from when it was shot down.
This aircraft will put on a public display on September 15, and September 29th at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. Flying events are free to the public and airplanes fire up at 12:00

[@launch4]

The moment this beast took flight after all these decades, tank crews all around the world suddenly felt a cold chill.

[@sherbetgod3066]

45th like… ironic…

[@viveyehoshoua2301]

Il 102 prendra la relève

[@Future183]

Nothing against the beast named STUKA

[@josharuni547]

They spammed the j key

[@hawkeye681]

Der Russkie Jabo!!!!!

[@ryancafferty4973]

what a wingspan! beautiful airframe, nice lines.

[@fight2flyphoto]

Indeed!

[@user-ve7co6ei7y]

Машина сама за себя сказала, и давно. Спасибо реставраторам , а пилоты супер - взлёты+посадки!!! Особо две первые. На стул и то не всегда так сядешь. Восхищён!

[@ziggy2shus624]

Probably the most effective aircraft of WW2. The war in Europe was won on the ground and the Il-2 was a great aid to the ground troops.

[@birgerjohansson8010]

The Il-2 deserves much more attention, together with the tiny Po-2 It was the aircraft produced in the largest numbers ever.

[@alimtimm7355]

Amazing that these beautiful birds are still flying. God, I wish modern aircraft were as beautiful as this. Amazing engine sound tho😃

[@PahaLukki]

IL2, I-16, Yak-3, BF-109, FW-190, He-111, P51D... my all time favorites. WW2 planes are so awesome.

[@tonymerritt7141]

Like the Stuka, so homely it is beautiful.

[@stevenweasel2678]

Spot On

[@789french5]

Keep that history in the skys! Well done, truly a one-of-a-kind airplane.

[@Jabo27]

il2 is my favorite plane.

[@H-cranky]

kinda ironic tho. the most produced millitary aircraft ever, yet there's only 1 left now

[@uranium_enjoyerOfficial]

Actually second one flies in Russia. Problem is that most of those planes that were found are too badly damaged to restore

[@josephstabile9154]

Thanks for the love of aircraft, and keeping them flying! This really helps to keep history alive!

[@butchoharechicago6657]

God I love the Stormovick. It looks Slavic. Rugged. I like the Yak-9, Yak-3 and the Petlyakov PE-2 Peshka very much also. Slavic looking.

[@karel88l]

lol

[@butchoharechicago6657]

+@@karel88l So sick of Mustangs, Spitfires and ME-109,s. I like different aircraft like the Mitsubishi KI-46 Dinah, Yokusuka D4Y3 Judy, Nakajima-KI-43 Oscar III, Kawasaki KI-61 Tony. lol!

[@DerDop]

@@butchoharechicago6657 "God I love the Stormovick. It looks Slavic. Rugged. I like the Yak-9, Yak-3 and the Petlyakov PE-2 Peshka very much also. Slavic looking." Yak-9 or yak 3 look anything but rugged. they are sleek and beautiful machines.

[@butchoharechicago6657]

+@@DerDop Yak-9 looks tough. Yak-3 looks pretty. Like P-51-D Mustang or Spitfire Mark-9. My favorite aircraft are Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. Nakajima-KI-43-3 Oscar, Kawasaki KI-61b Tony, Yokusuka D4Y3 Judy, Nakajima KI-84 Frank, Mitsubishi A6M3-22b Zero. Now Japanese WW-2 aircraft were very pretty. For killing machines. Italians produced only Axis 4 engine bomber of WW-2. Piaggo-108. Same performance as American B-17 bomber. Very well armed. Soviets produced 4 engine heavy bomber. Petlyakov PE-8. Only about 50. Had same performance as British Lancaster. Bombload wise. Nice looking machine. I have been military modeler since 1973.

[@gianniskiritsis2808]

How could an plane be Slavic your noob

[@Zhenya_Lukashin]

Он живой,в прямом смысле.Увидел это на его рулёжке,разбеге и взлёте.В звуке мотора чувствуется мощь.Легенданая машина.Спасибо рестовраторам за их проделанную работу!

[@MrSteeleye]

WW2's equivalent of today's A10 Warthog.

[@basfinnis]

Wonderful stuff. Monster

[@RichardS-qh8mi]

That big wing really wants to keep flying - Hinton is the consummate test pilot and professional, beautifully handled from start to finish.

[@isuruthiwanka9448]

Its really a flying tank. I watched "The Pilot Battle for survival" 😊😊

[@Svendskommentar]

I hope this plane is still going strong. It looks and sounds great. :D

[@Talltrees84]

These planes were used in the Korean War along with the Il-10, Yak-9 and Po-2. On the American side there was the P-51, B-29, A-6, F4U Corsair, C-47. The A-6 and C-47 were used in Vietnam too. We hear about the F-86 and Mig-15 but not these old war birds.

[@carowj]

Looks and sounds great ! First of the dedicated tank busters.

[@Harukichi_Hyakutake]

Polykarpov I-15 and various yak planes fought alongside this legend. I'm eager to see those aswell.

[@libatonvhs]

It baffles me how this thing gets itself off the ground. The aerodynamics are truly amazing.

[@hausverkur]

Great to see this. I was kinda starstruck when I saw a real IL-2 for the first time. If any WW2 plane is legendary, it's this one. The plane Stalin said was as vital to the welfare of the Soviet people as bread and water.

[@releasethekraken5039]

Really appreciate the fact that they didn't remove the berezin 12.7mm turret. They usually remove most weapons from restored ww2 aircrsft

[@davenc8527]

Amazing that only two of these planes are flying today. This was the most produced aircraft of WWII. More than 36,000 were built.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@davenc8527 The same workshop in Russia that rebuilt those two examples was working on a third, although I do not know the current status.

[@MrCrenDel1]

Many specimens still lie at the bottom of reservoirs and swamps. But no one cares about them. I know one place where at a depth of 12 meters lies an Il-2M, shot down by the Finns on July 4, 1944...

[@MikeSmith-ok2ci]

For a plane this heavy it has a rather short takeoff run.

[@Eagle-od1im]

Probably because it doesn’t have any armour or weapons on like it’s counterparts in WWII

[@SoloRenegade]

big wings and no payload, and that Allison engine is far lighter and more powerful than the original engine was. probably light on fuel too.

[@mi0ltx]

@@SoloRenegade small comment: It seems it has Allison V-1710, which is much less powered (1100 hp) than AM-38 (1700 hp), originally used ..

[@SoloRenegade]

@@mi0ltx Allison V1710 was putting out 1800HP in combat in at least as early as 1942, as verified by numerous USAAF and RAF pilots, and even Allison tested teh engine and verified it in a test reports. By 1944 pilots were getting 2200HP from later model engines. P-51A with Allison was the single fastest piston fighter of WW2, below 15k ft, as a result

[@mi0ltx]

@@SoloRenegade Yes, you are right ... also got this information ....

[@philipaddison1582]

Does it have an original engine does anybody know ? To me inline engines just sound so much better than radials. Beautiful sound. Much quieter and smoother than i expected. Thanks so much for restoring this beautiful aircraft.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+Philip Addison Nope, it has an Allison V12. There isn't a Russian engine that has been flight certified yet, but I think some other projects are moving in that direction.

[@pinngg6907]

I'm impressed with the landing. Smooth as butter

[@free-birdrocker8809]

Cool bird, never seen one.....looks well maintained...

[@spingebill8551]

You would think that by the number of mustangs, spitfires, and even PBY Catalinas flying today that there would be way more than 2 IL-2s flying.

[@sanciopancioahoy]

Looks like MOSKVIC with wings :D

[@SoloRenegade]

the highest performing IL-2 in history with that Allison engine. Light weight and more HP than the original engine

[@Metalstacker]

Beautiful aircraft!

[@robertdundas4593]

Great job steve!

[@Tenebrius1963]

The flying tank!

[@AustNRail]

Considering how many were produced, some 35000, I’m surprised this is the only one flying. Well done.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+AustNRail There is another one flying in Russia that was restored at the same workshop. And they are working on a third restoration. Here is the second example flying at the Berlin Airshow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYSZhJSBZdiEeck

[@markus1642]

Hmm, in Finland we have this thing called lapinlisä. I bet theres some of that in those numbers 🙂

[@allgood6760]

Awesome 👍

[@polakrodak8538]

Our glorious plane

[@martinavaslovik3433]

What a marvelous piece of history! Amazing there's one left at all.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+Martina Vaslovik It was restored under contract in Russia, and another has been rebuilt to fly in Russia. And I think the same workshop is working on a third example.

[@uranium_enjoyerOfficial]

There another one as well and it flies in Russia

[@danielf.285]

Thank you for keeping those birds alive

[@davidcole333]

I can't believe he didn't take up his tailgunner! He would have been a sitting duck for any marauding Focke Wolf 190s!

[@ShahidKhan-lr3kp]

excellent video and some great flying skills!

[@dazlee3449]

beautiful aircraft very under rated

[@dhegenk256]

A Russian bird, w American (Allison) engine & a prop from a P-38. ~ flypast mag

[@EpemaKlapkin]

This aircraft is powered by an Alison 1710.

[@antonioromanoneto7054]

Estou montando um desses na 1/72. So de ouvir o ronco do motor da medo. E possuí linhas bem elegantes pra um tanque alado.

[@alexanderreimer387]

My friend modified the Allison on his Mk 9 Spit to take a Ham Standard hydraulic unit at 1/10th the cost of a Curtiss Electric…!!!

[@lav25og83]

So that is a later purpose built two seater with the swept back leading edge to move the center of gravity

[@Kingzcro]

Fun fact: This isn't the first flying IL-2 sience WW2 because the Soviets used and produced them up until 1949

[@thedyerchannel8391]

Does this beauty still fly under the museums new management?

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@thedyerchannel8391 The museum just reopened. The early press release stated that they hoped to get back to flying soon.

[@royalanania3306]

Handsome airplane

[@wckoek]

Given the large numbers build, it is sad that so few of them still survives. There are frames that is possible to made airworthy, if it is still possible to cobble up some together?

[@djprosser2010]

Thanks for releasing the video. And thanks for not using a modern camera that makes the prop look like a windmill.And especially thanks for not playing any music.

[@constastar1660]

Wym prop?

[@localbod]

​@@constastar1660Modern digital cameras have a high sample rate that makes the propeller blades look like they are stationary or moving very slowly unlike the human eye and this video.

[@mwwssjdh]

I've played the IL-2 games for year, but this video give a true appreciation of the plane and its shear size! Thanks for sharing this video, it's given me a greater appreciation for this aircraft :-)

[@UzzeRR]

In our squadron there was two girls: RR_Gaika and RR_Jaguar. Fighting on virtual wars since IOW, VEF, VWF and of corse ADW. ^^

[@derptank3308]

O wow A gamr grill

[@akuma_no_zetto]

Han Lockhart there are quite a few, to be honest, IL-2 as well as War Thunder have some similarities and I’ve seen quite a few on War Thunder myself so that makes me happy seeing girls playing supposedly male-dominated games. There should be quite an appreciation of machines from the war, from both males and females.

[@constastar1660]

It’s a changoos class plane

[@mwwssjdh]

@Omar Khurshid lol not played that game it was a game called IL-2 not played for a while now - happy gaming

[@FARANG100]

Thanks a lot guys for what you've done!!!

[@PopGapon]

To be honest, it was restored in Russia. But anyway - the whole project was American, and I also very grateful for their enthusiasm.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+Pop Gapon Another IL-2 was completed in Russia this year and is flying there now.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+Pop Gapon It was announced this week that another IL-2 is being raised from shallow water in Russia and will be restored to fly. This was a controlled landing on water and the it is thought to have little damage and is very preserved from heavy silt.

[@user-gs7vi5iz5d]

Если бы не русские история бы вообще об Америке несохранилась

[@user-dl3uo9zl6f]

@@user-gs7vi5iz5d Сам-то хоть понял, чего с таким количеством ошибок написал?

[@marcconyard5024]

When Luftwaffe Ace Erich "Bubi" Hartmann first encountered the IL II he found it virtually impossible to shoot down due to the amount of armour protection. After a few fruitless encounters, one of which where his Bf109 was damaged by return fire from a rear gunner Hartmann discovered that if he attacked from behind and below, firing a short burst of cannon fire into the IL II's ventral oil coolers/radiators it burned almost immediately and crashed soon after. It didn't take long before the IL II suffered huge losses.

[@lauriwiren6398]

Finnish fighter aces noticed that wing root was a weak spot.

[@jackson32]

Yes I don't know much about this subject buy I did hear that this plane was over rated because it suffered huge loses because of how slow it was and it was not that accurate either in it's ground fire.

[@marcconyard5024]

@@jackson32 Probably a lot of the IL 2 losses were down to poorly trained crews.

[@daniialsyed7175]

@@jackson32 IL-2 is the most massive attack aircraft in the USSR. it's same as saying that flyer1 is the safest plane because it never crashed

[@SSGRockFury]

Great footage of "the Cement Bomber"... Double-thanks for remembering that the prop spins and keeping the speed on your camera slow enough to prove it. I hate vids where the videographer didn't and you can count the blades even at full power...

[@fight2flyphoto]

Thank you for noticing! :-)

[@constastar1660]

Oh, I’ve never heard cement bomber, over here in Russia we called it the flying tank

[@ivanchristopher1303]

This is truly one of Russia's finest prop planes and had proven itself in the battle of Stalingrad... low altitude , great ground cover , 2) 23mm cannons and back gunner-

[@maxfrankow1238]

Ivan Christopher add to that all the bombs, rockets, and munitions it could carry in addition! A creation of sheer power.

[@neilfoster814]

The rockets they carried were later reconfigured into the famous 'Katyusha' artillery rockets because the Russians had nothing else that could be fired from a truck.

[@mothmagic1]

Not forgetting the 12.7 machine guns inboard of the cannon. All told they carried enough to spoil your day somewhat

[@dezaktivator]

​@@neilfoster814Чушь несёшь,причём тут ракеты Катюши.

[@migslayerx]

This is probably my favorite ww2 plane but it confuses me how 36,000 of these were built and only 1 is still flight worthy

[@okrajoe]

Beautiful plane.

[@Newebenny]

русские лётчики ласково называли его "горбатый" )))

[@DmitrySSS]

Newebenny советские.

[@royalstygian8344]

okrajoe Um no the IL2 has to be one of the most butt ugly aircraft. But beauty doesn't win wars Combat effectiveness does

[@nyquildays]

Royal Stygian No it is beautiful.

[@mishaparem]

+Royal Stygian Looks beautiful to me. The thing about millitary tech - it's all beautiful. The more effective it is, the more beautiful - no extra crap to make it look pretty is what makes them beautiful.

[@maxmob8058]

The IL-2 Sturmovik, such a good strike fighter.

[@vladimirassalukas6726]

aha, such a good like a wood bracket ))) flying in the direction it was thrown

[@starhunterterra9849]

WAS IT THE RUSSIAN VERSION OR COUNTERPART OF THE GERMAN STUKA?.

[@amerigo88]

The Ju-87 Stuka was built as a dive bomber from the outset. It borrowed much from the American biplane dive bombers of the 1920's. The Sturmovik was not a dive bomber, but instead a low-altitude attack bomber with 23mm cannons plus light to medium weight bombs and sometimes RS-82 rockets. Many have suggested the Sturmovik owes much of its design to the British Fairey Battle light bomber that performed so poorly during the German blitzkrieg through Belgium and France in May 1940. The Sturmovik's massive armored "tub" that protected the engine and crew was revolutionary and the German crossing of the Meuse River at Sedan would have been much tougher against Sturmovik's than it was against Fairey Battles. The modern A-10 "Warthog" owes more of its design to the Sturmovik than anything else from WWII.

[@maxmob8058]

No need for a paragraph, but thanks I guess

[@user-mx4cb3tw9m]

14000 летаюших танков ,я вас умоляю.

[@IgnatSolovey]

Now it's only the first one, but not the only one: another was recently restored in Novosibirsk and probably will appear on MAKS-2017

[@fight2flyphoto]

Ignat Solovey I know, and that is so exciting!!! The new one is the straight winged version.

[@sphoenix123]

Hey, folkz! IL2 on MAKS-2017 confirmed. I did 2 pictures at ground, can send on demand. And of course, thank you, guys, for a great job!

[@IgnatSolovey]

I've seen it there myself, even got some video of a flight in the evening on 19th, but since MAKS this year was terminally boring, at least for me, on 20th in the morning I flew from UUMD to UWWQ to see the new serial 2-seater flying boat named Borey to be rolled out... Full feature on it (and not MAKS) on Flight TV soon, in issues 14 English and 69 Russian... and also I'm now doctoring a montage of its maiden flight, that will be on Instagram (some time on the night by Moscow time. that's evening for the US time zones)

[@ErnestoTani]

WOW! that's an legendary plane! Designed to survive on battlefield.

[@DavidCurryFilms]

Tremendous! I had no idea there were IL-2 in flying condition.

[@lostinthesauce6409]

i hade no idea this was the last one

[@nightofthunder5509]

Need one of these to fire all guns at matlock police station

[@spreadeagled5654]

I have played the PC flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik for years and it is really great to actually see the actual aircraft in action. It’s a real inspiration for me to keep on playing the simulation ! 👍

[@georgeunknown2833]

Хорошо хоть американцы сохранили нашу историю!

[@SergeyMorsin]

Не совсем. У нас полным-полно Ил-2 в музеях, но никто их не доводит до летной кондиции. Это для самолета, который давно серийно не производится, очень дорого. И американцы его в точности не повторяли. По инфе с их сайта, в самолет, который на видео, поставили не оригинальный двигатель АМ-38 или АМ-38Ф на 1700 л.с., а американский Элиссон с самолета P-38 на 1475 л.с..

[@georgeunknown2833]

Сергей Морсин т.е. вы думаете, что 1475 л.с. недостаточно, чтобы поднять в воздух ИЛ-2?

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

Георгий Ютьюбов It flies doesn't it ??? Plenty of horsepower to get it in the air, that Allison was no slouch at lowere altitudes....

[@ejpmooB]

I love Google Translate

[@georgeunknown2833]

Daniël Boomsma OKAY (

[@Inferalanding]

Amazing restoration of another type I never thought I'd see flying again.

[@SpenzOT]

Wow wow wow! Never in my life did I ever think I would see an IL-2 flying again. I knew about other restorations such as the fully original FW-190, but an IL-2? Clearly out of left field for me. Amazing restoration and amazing video. Damn do I wish I was still living in Seattle.

[@2manyguitars]

Perfect landings.

[@kennethcohagen9037]

Thanks for sharing. I have only seen pictures up til now, and had no idea how big the IL2 actually was. Smooth sounding V12 and watching it land it's like the thing just doesn't want to stop flying.

[@player1GR]

That smooth soft landing thou

[@planetary109]

This was the most was produced military aircraft of all time and there's only ONE that works? And it had to borrow an engine from another plane? What happened to all the other planes?

[@souleatingskeleton5829]

***** Maybe German Luftwaffe

[@1946nimrod]

***** In the late 40s, the Cold War arms race had already begun. There was little room for sentimentality for old aircraft that contained valuable and usable materials. That's why there are virtually none left of Halifax, Stirling, Typhoon, Tempest, Beaufort, Beaufighter, etc. etc. Also, in Britain, we didn't have lots of dry, empty bits of desert to park them in in case we might need them one day!

[@stortroopers]

1946nimrod There WAS lots of sentimentality for them. There's more than a few Lancasters still around, and in the world of WWII-era aircraft, Spitfires and Hurricanes are abundant. The USSR is much closer to the mentality you quote. The USSR took IL-2s and turned them into IL-10s and gave them away to their communist allies later, or they recycled them to build more relevant aircraft. The Yak-7 was the USSR's Spitfire, but there's no great love for them. To them they were just machines, the Soviet public was much more concerned about the millions of young men being sent to die without as much as a gun, all in the name of the Motherland.

[@SergeyGalin]

+I play random Men sent to battle without any gun is just an anti-soviet fairytale. Like "Stalin ordering to kill millions innocent people for nothing just to scare everyone" and etc. There was lack of modern guns but there were rifles.

[@SergeyGalin]

+1946nimrod True, at least about USSR. Everything was recycled or given to allies. A few has been turned into non-functional memorials, often without engines and cockpit equipment. Also Russian climate turns anything abandoned outdoors into rust pretty quickly so the only hope is that someone finds an IL-2 laying in an oxygen-free environment in some swamp.

[@stuartgarfatth1448]

Fantastic filming and post production. Wonderful images, as she flew over, that planform from below has not been seen against a blue sky backdrop for many, many years. Well done!. That last landing was SO SMOOTH, one 'chirp', and the Pilot just 'kissed' it in!. Stunning, simply stunning.

[@killman369547]

ah the good ol' sturmovik gave the Wehrmacht unrelenting hell duing bagration and indeed all the way to berlin no matter what country your from you gotta have respect for it

[@fight2flyphoto]

Isn't that amazing?! I first learned of it almost a year ago. Up to that point I had no idea it was part of Flying Heritage Collection. With a whole new hangar being built, one can only imagine the other secret projects coming our way!

[@fiesta125s]

That is beautiful! Always loved this aircraft. I didn't know any had survived.

[@Firespectrum122]

"They are as essential to the Red Army as air and bread. I demand more machines. This is my final warning!"

[@helmyabdullah1962]

Stalin's ?

[@user-kq1zk8np6i]

Yes

[@helmyabdullah1962]

Гай Монтэг Thanks !

[@TheWallace6969]

stalins warning!

[@penclaw]

Stalin said, gopnik must do.

[@romantic340]

Wonderful to see the ole bird still flying.

[@user-gs7vi5iz5d]

Ребята я не думаю, что этот пилот согласился бы на реальный боевой вылет на этом чуде советского авиапрома, т.к. потери в частях Ил-2 были одними из самых больших. Так что вечная память тем кто ковал победу.

[@sergtalan4453]

Самые большие потери

[@wertushka2715]

@@sergtalan4453 они летали прямо над полем битвы, когда зенитки были рукой подать вот и потери большие

[@nikitos29]

Даже не рядом с потерями б-17. Вот там реально смертники летали.

[@jamestaylor3879]

I don't know why we as Americans persist with the idea that the Russians build second rate military aircraft. This aircraft here was perhaps the best attack aircraft in the world until the Skyraider and it's doubtful the A1 could have withstood the incredible beatings this aircraft took time and again and still fly home. There were dozens of documented accounts by German pilots where they expended their ammunition completely trying to shoot it down, including twenty Mike Mike only to watch it fly off, damaged of course but still flying. Could the skyraider suffer the same to return the same result? As rugged as the skyraider was I don't know, I imagine they were very close to being equals in that area although the skyraider could haul far more ordinance into the sky. And MIG 21 VS. Phantom MIG 21 wins as it actually had a two to one kill rate when those two fought over Vietnam although when considering all types vs the phantom it swings back to the phantoms favor. But considering the incredible cost difference the phantom would need ten to one kill rate to basically break even. The 21 was also literally a gas and go plane, extremely rugged it required very few maint hours per flight hour, being gas and go in the literal meaning. The Soviets even parked their aircraft out in the extreme weather of Russia, just wiping the snow off cranking the engine and away they go. Try subjecting the F 16, F 15,, F 22 ect to extreme weather like that and see what happens. A few might be able to fly but the majority wouldn't. And now we have the new Sukohoi's, the previous generation of which smoked the USAF Eagles when they met in excersises between Indian naval and air forces and American humiliating the Air Force and this new generation 4.5 Sukohi is supposed to be much much better, don't forget too that Russia has adapted vectored thrust tech to their missiles now as well as their aircraft giving them a huge advantage in that area as we have none. We're just catching up to the Russians in the visor control where the missile seeker heads look where the pilot is looking, about half the F 18s are so equipped now I don't think any F 15s but I could be wrong about that, all Russian fighters have had the tech for many years now. I'm not saying Russia is better I'm just saying we need to wake up. We can't afford the stupidity of the usual American arrogance any longer as it just might cost us everything.

[@dyer2cycle]

Yes, after seeing the Yak-3/Yak 9 fighters perform at airshows, I came to the conclusion they were no second-rate fighter, not even to the P-51 Mustang or Spitfire, unless maybe at higher altitudes. The Allison powered ones will really haul ass, maneuverable, and climb like hell, I assume the original Klimov powered ones would as well....

[@akos696]

Hungarians found the tactics to kill the IL's. Only one shoot to the belly in the oil cooler and it is done. After this tactic figured out, we kill them in hundreds.

[@alienghost1605]

@@akos696 not only belly was vulnerable, the whole tail was made of wood without armor, and in combat it's simplier to shoot tail, not belly. But it's easy now to talk about how simple to shoot down IL-2, 'anyone can do this'. Also you said 'we kill them', are you proud about Hungary and Germany alliance?

[@akos696]

@@alienghost1605 First of all I am proud to our hero pilots who fight against the 10 time overpowered USAF and the same power Russian Army. Americans tought that our pilots are Hiter's special force with the withe cross becuse of the qualified and brave pilots. But they "only" protected their (our) country because we were on the wrong side as usual. After the war the russians occupied our country for 45 years . And this is why now we are not in between Europes leading countryes. So back to the IL-2: the tail was more dangerous to attack because a tail gunner can protect it but the belly is can esily shoot form under position.

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

It's beautiful. Screams Russian, simple, rugged, powerful.

[@dronespace]

💪

[@Pincer88]

Not the sexiest of aircraft I ever have seen, but what an impressive sound the engine makes! Considering the value of this aircraft for the Soviet war effort against Nazi Germany, I think you make some remaining of Russian veterans happy with this video. Great job restoring it to flying condition. Must have taken a lot of time and effort! Thanks for sharing!

[@irman3775]

уххх великий самолёт "илюшка" эхх царствие Небесное его создателю)

[@aleksandrermak6607]

утюг

[@KEHT92]

@@aleksandrermak6607 Тупо высрать, или приведёшь доводы?

[@aleksandrermak6607]

@@KEHT92 бомбил только с горизонтального лета, неприцельно

[@KEHT92]

@@aleksandrermak6607 Ну согласись, что при его вооружении, это не слишком значимый минус. Да, он бомбил не прицельно и не совсем точно, но он и не медленный пикер, как юнкерс 87 который сбивали пачками.. Не стоит зацикливаться только на минусах, когда есть и куча плюсов.

[@uranium_enjoyerOfficial]

@@aleksandrermak6607 да вот только в отличие от немецких самолётиков которых пачками сбивала артиллерия, сбить ил 2 было так трудно, что иногда нижняя броня выдерживала артиллерийский снаряд

[@CullenRick]

If only there was one of these flying in Europe. Well done to the USA for doing what we ought to.

[@fight2flyphoto]

Richard Cullen I believe there is one or two more in the lineup for restoration. IIRC when she first came out it was mentioned that this one is helping pave the way for future restorations. I've seen pictures from the restoration facility while this was still being built that showed 2 or 3 other fuselage and wing sets in the background.

[@CullenRick]

Fight to Fly Photography That would be fantastic if it happened. One of the least-known aircraft of the War outside of the USSR, but arguably one of the most important.

[@stortroopers]

Richard Cullen As Stalin himself said it, "They are as essential to the Red Army as air and bread". I think it's actually a pretty well known aircraft outside of Russia, for example a pretty popular series of aerial combat simulators is named after it. But still, nowhere near the fame of the P-51, B-17 or Spitfire.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+I play random stuff The restoration and test flights were actually done in Russia. In spite of Putin's antics, Russia has had a respectable amount of warbird restoration activity since the early 90s. (new-build Yak 3s, a few Mig 3s some Japanese Zero work, and the IL-2.) And I think there are one, possibly two more Il-2s in progress there.

[@stephenraymond8414]

+Richard Cullen And THE most prolific aircraft of all time..even surpassing the Cessna 172. I think there may be some debate as to how many actually were made,but if nothing else it's at least very close. Just looking at that fat wing,can imagine seeing it loaded down with anti-Tank munitions. The Stalingrad avenger... Thank You Paul Allen

[@buckshot704]

Amazing work! Steve Hinton is a legend. I've seen several of his "Roaring Glory" dvds, in which he flies a vast array of aviation's finest Warbirds.

[@josephdupont]

Specifications (Il-2M3) A restored Il-2 at Sør-Varanger museum in Norway. Data from[citation needed] General characteristics Crew: Two, pilot and rear gunner Length: 11.6 m (38 ft 1 in) Wingspan: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in) Height: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) Wing area: 38.5 m² (414 ft²) Empty weight: 4,360 kg (9,612 lb) Loaded weight: 6,160 kg (13,580 lb) Max. takeoff weight: 6,380 kg (14,065 lb) Powerplant: 1 × Mikulin AM-38F liquid-cooled V-12, 1,285 kW (1,720 hp) Performance Maximum speed: 414 km/h (257 mph) Range: 720 km (450 mi) Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,045 ft) Rate of climb: 10.4 m/s (2,050 ft/min) Wing loading: 160 kg/m² (31.3 lb/ft²) Power/mass: 0.21 kW/kg (0.13 hp/lb) Armament 2 × fixed forward-firing 23 mm caliber VYa-23 cannons, 150 rounds per gun 2 × fixed forward-firing 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, 750 rounds per gun 1 × manually aimed 12.7 mm Berezin UBT machine gun in rear cockpit, 150 rounds Up to 600 kg (1,320 lb) of bombs and/ 8 × RS-82 rockets 4 × RS-132 rockets

[@MelonManofWar]

This looks like the war thunder hangar lol

[@HiVoltish]

I know it's wishful thinking but I'd love to see a Typhoon and Tempest Mk5 fly again. That's it, I'm getting on the horn to Santa.

[@LarS1963]

There was plenty of Spitfires over Germany. They were continuously improved and upgraded, and there's quite a difference between a Battle of Britain Mark II and a late war Mark XIV. That aside there was also a large number of Hawker Tempests, the only allied fighter that could follow the FW 190 in a dive. Tempests had the same range as the P-51. The P-51 was a good plane, but as Adolf Galland commented: "The most scary thing about the P-51 was the numbers they appeared in."

[@ovationpdh]

Steve Hinton is on of the best pilots in the world, he is the one to fly this. :)

[@iamfugazi1969]

Watching this makes me wish we had an airworthy JU-87..wouldn't that be a site to see one fly!!

[@fredgarv79]

I just watch a documentary that said there are only TWO left in the entire planet. and they don't fly. one is hanging from a ceiling in chicago, I saw that one. first impression, BIG! stukas were huge! I live 3 miles from this museum in mukilteo, wa and sometimes just drive by just in case they are doing something like this test. one day I got to stand behind the prop wash of a FW 190 as they were running the engine fast. wow, what a powerful wind from like 70 feet behind it it was like being in a mild hurricane.

[@iamfugazi1969]

Fred, that's awesome. Anytime you can near these birds is a GOOD day!! Good info on the Stuka. I know there is a coulple static displays here in the US, it would just be nice if one could be found somewhere..like in Poland or Russia..man I would love to see one flying. I know they weren't the best of planes, but they were a favorite of mine as a kid.

[@fredgarv79]

many of the planes in paul allens museum are ones originally found buried in sand, peat, swamps, etc in eastern europe so I would bet that someday they will find a stuka and bring it back to flying condition. but paul allens museum has an extremely rare FW 190D, the extended longer version that is flyable, but they won't fly it since it's so rare. their ME 109 was found buried in the sand in france and now flies today. I have seen it up close starting up and taxiing out and then flying with the spitfire together. at first this museum had fly days every few weeks in the summer only and hardly anybody was there. now, it's been discovered and there are huge crowds.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

The museum also has a Stuka wreck, but I suspect it will be many years before there is any progress. Other than the two intact examples, other Stuka remains worldwide are badly damaged and partially complete and would require extensive or complete rebuilds, with original and correct blueprints hard to find.

[@VRichardsn]

Another option is to make replica from the ground up, like the Fw 190 or the Me 262 replicas flying today. At least 20 Fw 190s were made from scratch, starting in the 90s.

[@randywatson8347]

The flying tank aka "the black death"

[@raylast3873]

More like Red Death

[@danshivay4007]

The Black Death, in WWII, it's Soviet Marines!

[@caliphnah4069]

One design point I like about the Shturmovik is the way the undercarriage protrudes from the pods so a wheels up landing on a runway or harrd ground will only do the prop in and if the engine is stopped there will be no shock loading..

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

Looks like a really docile and forgiving airplane.

[@fluffycat087]

She looks great!.

[@Wuei108]

I saw the plane flying at a german airshow in the 1990ths. I was deeply impressd how slow the plane flew without loosing heigt. The german landsers called it "Betonflugzeug" wich means something like "flying brick". It was not possible to shoot it down with a normal MG or gun. Seeing this plane fly is an experience i will never forget. Most of the tanks at the eastern front were distroyed by this plane, not by other tanks.

[@ethercruiser1537]

Beautiful classic WW2 plane. Great to see it fly!! :)

[@Yujifanik]

And to think...that beauty is *STILL* the most produced warplane in the history of aviation. And now only 1 remains able to take to the skies.

[@fight2flyphoto]

Here's what it says on FHC's website: This Il-2 was constructed in Kuybyshev in mid-1943 and was assigned to the 828th Attack Aviation Regiment on the lower Karelian Front. On October 10, 1944, the plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking an airfield and crashed near the Titovka River. Are you talking about the "Hucks Starter" connection at the very front? Yes, this is powered by an Allison 1710 This plane needed all the performance it could get, so retractable gear is a must!