What is this hole in the MiG-15's nose for?

The Air Zoo is a world-class, Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace and science museum, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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[@killroy255]

I'll be honest, the mental image of a mig-15 having a nose ring makes me happier than I want to admit

[@danielkutcher5704]

I was going there, but you beat me to it. 😁

[@PrintScreen.]

no

[@DennisMartinezCalifornia]

No

[@axod1916]

Yes

[@mattl6300]

I came here to say this but alas here you are.

[@gene8842]

It's an old scar from the goth phase it went thru during its teenage years. Those dang cartlige piercings never really heal right. 🐽

[@JB-nq5rf]

Beat me to it, had the same thing in mind. 😂

[@piggyoinkenstein.186]

I'd say it had a straw up its nose quite a lot man, yadig?

[@piggyoinkenstein.186]

@@JB-nq5rf OinK 🐷👍

[@quorthonsinferno5119]

Btw, nose piercing don't go through the cartilage, they go through the fleshy bit just under

[@pqddachu]

​@@quorthonsinferno5119 thanks, only goth people like you would know

[@SeanBZA]

Crash tow point, you have a steel rod you place through there, and then you hook on the steel wire ropes, using washers and pins to hold them in place, so you can tow an aircraft that landed on the runway all shot up, and which needs to be hauled off now, so the rest of the squadron can land. Also can be used if you have no ground support tow bar, and need to move the aircraft on the ground with minimum personnel, just the tow vehicle operator, and the person riding the brakes in the cockpit. Pretty common on all military fighters in some form or the other, though normally it is marked with a ring of red paint and stencilled as crash tow point. I used to use the plexiglass protective window in the aircraft I worked on so that you could guide the person buried in the wheel well to the location of plugs they needed to connect or remove, or to reset the pitot heater circuit breaker, which was buried right up there, nicely visible through the window, but otherwise impossible to see, or reach unless you had midget fingers, and an extra elbows, plus Orangutan arms. Not fun locking wire there by touch, with another telling you to go up, down left or right to find the little holes it went through. Or getting the 14mm spanner up there to undo the pitot static pipes either.

[@jayztoob]

Ha! Thanks for reminding ding me. I'm the guy with the "wingspan" for that job.

[@AVlad-eg3ds]

You are right. There is only one thing can be added here. These holes originally were covered by percale but during the exploitation of the aircraft they have usually been torn off pretty quickly.

[@StabbyJoe135]

Only a pessimist calls it a crash tow hole. An optimist realises it's a design feature to kindly make it easier for Ukrainian farmers to attach their tractors to it so they can steal it

[@akcrawling4775]

hey man this is an awsome comment. and thank you for your service sr.

[@orthografe]

I like this better than the rope, those sharp edges would have torn the rope pretty fast

[@epintherager9479]

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I had to go "oh THAT hole"

[@bruhchongles1579]

From the thumbnail and title, i honestly hought he was referring to the huge ahh hole that takes up the entirety of the nose

[@eddyhunter75]

Same

[@j.griffin]

I was thinking about the small hole at the top of the big hole…

[@Killbayne]

I watched because I wanted to know what exactly the huge ass nose was for 😭

[@guillermoperez5302]

Dats wat she sed

[@donmcatee45]

After earning Ace status they get a Bull Ring to flex…

[@jasperdavis5517]

It’s from the nose ring it picked up when stationed in East Berlin

[@rocketg4360]

You can see the marks in the metal where exactly that has been done. A cable or something was strung through and left divots.

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

I had the same thought. Though whether it was intended for that purpose, I can't be sure. Someone else mentioned a bar that could go through it with a Shackel.

[@douglaswrightington2412]

And probably small pieces of metal for that engine to breathe

[@M109TankEnthusiast]

It’s actually some damage from the inlet covers..

[@BradleyGibbs]

​@@douglaswrightington2412 wot

[@clintyoung6482]

Dang it was very thin like a guitar string.... Damn near could have rubbed a slice through it

[@MrTastyM7]

“It’s not a phase mum!”

[@noe616]

It's not a phase for you because you took it irreparably too far.

[@rohithks4045]

Put a ring! Put a ring! Put a ring! PUT A GOD DAMN RING !!!

[@TheSpartacusTV]

The image in my head of someone pulling his mig-15 around with a rope like if it was a dog and saying hi to people passing by and introducing them to his mig-15 made me giggle uncontrollably and I thought it was cute at the same time 🛐

[@Fancy_Terminator]

It’s from the MIG’s alternative phase as a teenager when it had its septum pierced.

[@randytaylor1258]

🤣🤣🤣

[@nottelling8129]

MAY NOTHING GET REJECTED, MAY NOTHING GET INFECTED

[@randytaylor1258]

It equalizes the air on either side of the intake splitter to prevent turbulence at speed as the air heads to the fan. Towing would be from the nose gear below which is designed to take that load.

[@juanarambarri2373]

Nope, it would be a much cleaner and smooth hole

[@justinpatterson7700]

it seems to just be for a bar to hold in the inlet covers for storage. there are a few pics on google

[@Ayyjaxx]

This was my first guess as well

[@user-ot7ns8gl9g]

​@@justinpatterson7700 That makes sense.

[@williamthenoah5277]

The hole in the nose was used to release pressure from that area as there was high strain from air there with the split inlet, but also doubled as a tow.

[@lexeindhoven]

It's to hold the inlet cover, can find some pictures if you Google it. A bar is moved through to hold it in place

[@ParkerUAS]

This is the correct answer.

[@rocketg4360]

Smooth, operator. Smooth.

[@TheEnginator]

Makes sense. I wouldn't pull the whole aircraft with that tiny non-bulk structure, which is also an essential part of the aircraft. But the weight of an inlet cover would be more acceptable.

[@debbiestimac5175]

For guys that don't know what you mean by inlet cover, he means the plastic and rubber cover you put on the jet inlets when it is being put away for storage, to keep out weather and foreign objects, the red ones you see air crews pulling off during a scramble alert. It's what should have been covering the inlets on the F-14 Maverick and Rooster stole in the movie.

[@cefb8923]

This seems like complete overkill for a engine inlet cover.

[@jandri2]

It's like Deadpool, but an aeroplane.

[@sumrandomguy6212]

When I saw the title I was like "it should be pretty obvious that that's the intak- oh there's another hole"

[@Kepler170]

"it's not a phase, mom!"

[@maxk4324]

Me: Poorly placed static port? USSR: Tractor hitch

[@westernspy517]

I met a WW2 veteran at the local air museum I volunteer at and he pointed to the MiG-15 they have. He said that hole was used to hold the Air inlet cover and it was also used to tow aircraft with horses. Because some bases in the Soviet Union were so poorly made that only horses could pull the aircraft out of the mud as the tractors would get stuck.

[@Vickzq]

Fits perfectly old sovjet philosophy.

[@SMGJohn]

The horse thing is true for planes landing in designed grass fields in Siberia etc, as horses were quicker to respond, but out the mud? Sounds bullshit, this is a heavy plane, Soviets used a lot of tracked tractors for this reason.

[@westernspy517]

@@SMGJohn I am just repeating what he told me.

[@Vickzq]

@@SMGJohn For stuff too heavy for horses... people used bulls.

[@SMGJohn]

@@Vickzq Why use bulls when you could use a tracked diesel powered tractor that was more common than bulls in the USSR, literal tractor population was higher than that of bulls.....

[@h3avym3tals69]

It does appear to have some damage in the hole that would totally validate that theory. Especially if they used a forged steel chain intead of a rope to tow it with. Im guessing thats an aluminum body and steel is much harder than aluminum. You can even see the stress around the the holes with that discolored halo around it. In welding, that effect is called the heat effected zone, but the same idea applies I would think regarding a stressed area in the metal. Plus Im not aware of a drill bit that would make a whole like that and it definitely doesnt look machined. (It doesnt even look like its quite straight) I wouldnt be surprised if thats something one of the mechanics did in the field long after it was manufactured.

[@eternalmiasma5586]

These are some of the coolest looking aircraft

[@reach1.066]

This is a beautiful jet and I saw a footage of this jet that Cambodia use in the 1960.

[@craig_sez8534]

I wonder if it has anything to do with air pressure equalization as its goin into the intake..Not likely but just a thought cause it reminds me of a ballance tube in duel exhaust for cars n motorcycles..Yes i know its a stretch..

[@abdulazizsaleh9567]

I know that your short episode so amazing...thank you man😃👍🏻

[@ipikture]

Nose rings are all the fashion now, Maybe dress her up for the holidays with something sparkly! 🤔

[@Petar_Savic]

All Indian hidus especially women have such nose holes

[@dantheman9996]

I don’t know what the answer is, but it would logically make sense for these two holes to create a sound in which frightens the enemies like screams of terror.

[@aardque]

What is logical about a terror device that could not possibly be louder than a 150 decibel jet, using sound waves that do not travel faster than a jet _that can fly the speed of sound?_ Do you know what the term "logical" means?

[@Suo_kongque]

@@aardque MiG 15 wasn’t Mach speed.

[@aardque]

@@Suo_kongque So you are saying a screaming whistle to intimidate intended human targets is a valid reason to drill a hole through the nose of your subsonic Mig? Because the reason the whistle idea is so pathetically absurd, as compared to the equally pathetic but useless Stuka screamer that nevertheless inspired an entire generation of dreamers, is essentially the ambient volume of the already _screaming_ jet, combined with the rate at which that death knell propagates and to simplify the notion, we call it "the speed of sound." We hadn't expected the comment nazi's to come in and discriminate that Mig's can only go transonic in a dive. Congratulations, Colonel Shultz.

[@tomrodgers6629]

That is what it is for. The scars you see on the alunium is from a rubber bushing

[@kyototomokui6676]

I look at the MiG-15 and all I hear is Bad Piggies theme music.

[@_Addi_]

There will be Rule 34 of a goth MiG 15 now. Thank you.

[@nmaviation1]

Interesting, I’ve never noticed that before

[@danielfrancis3660]

Probably something to do with the airflow at the intakes and balancing both sides

[@bradenalder9016]

my understanding was it was to secure it during transit on a ship or flatbed

[@onceuponadime978]

My immediate 1st thought b4 u even said it was "that's for a tow line" makes sense to me.

[@inconspicuoussalad7730]

I've heard emergency tow point for crash landings which would make sense why it's a bit more rough and ready than its actually tow point

[@stephenbrickwood1602]

The old Ukraine farmers used to take them home with their tractor.

[@otukucocker365]

Yep in the snow 5 miles uphill .

[@yeetmeme6027]

right after the soviet airforce didnt need em they went to help farm

[@johnhartney7576]

Lmao

[@patrickcoleman6287]

Apparently the Ukrainians will tow anything with a tractor.

[@betterwithrum]

legend has it, they still do :P

[@ForexAlien]

The aircraft is happy and whistles as it flies along using those holes.

[@KoxisVerserken]

You can't unsee Deadpool.

[@johnorlitta]

Ewan, do you have access to any MiG17PF's? I'm working on a 1/72 scale model of one, and I want to build in some detail work of the air intake ducting at the nose of the aircraft. I've been searching the internet and have not found any good references. Would you be able to provide some high detail photos of the intake ducting? Thanks.

[@123dodo4]

Maybe its for the cover to close the hole intake when storing the jet

[@easypeezy03]

One things for sure, the MiG-15 is definitely a nose breather

[@Arthur_Putey]

I'm pretty positive is for towing, but I'll ask my grandpa. He flew these beauties.

[@sparky4878]

Anything I have seen involves a hitch attached to the front wheel and a tractor to tow the aircraft.

[@williamjeffersonclinton69]

That's because it is 15 and going through the doorknocker in the nose phase. Around 17 it'll stretch its earlobes out and install Frisbees

[@SOVIETTHUNDERPILOT]

I started thinking that a person puts a rope and walks around with the big migger as a pet

[@edshultz9760]

That is what my wife wants to do to me!! Lol

[@gordonstroup882]

What? Leading you around by your balls isn't good enough for her anymore? Haa!🤣

[@albertphillips3313]

Ouch

[@SlavicUnionGaming]

your wife is probably emmo

[@mattheww9656]

That cannon on the bottom left looks badass. I just saw a video showing the huge difference in size/efficacy between 20mm and 30mm projectiles pretty interesting. Edit - If anyone is interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpLMe2iXp9ODotk

[@chamberlane2899]

Oh yeah, a gun so mighty they had to downgrade it HARD just to keep it from being as much a threat to its own aircraft as it was to the enemy’s

[@JNelson_]

Pretty sure the big one is 37mm and the little ones are 23 mm

[@raijinoflimgrave8708]

I'm very happy KZbin started recommending your videos to me. They're highly interesting

[@noelmcauliffe]

"..awww but muuuum.." "I don't care Miguel,take it out it looks bloody ridiculous!" 😆

[@M22TONK]

It could just be to balance the Airflow but they might of used it as a hook

[@billgates3699]

Cool Short. I paid nothing and learned nothing.

[@johnweiland9389]

The tow bar usually attaches to the nose wheel.

[@suhandatanker]

Idk why but I always picture the mig's intake as if he were screaming lmao

[@CalumFoster-ed3su]

The Mig-15 was just an angsty 15 year old rebelling against it's parents by getting a sick nose ring. It grew up though so it doesn't wear it anymore but the hole is a forever reminder of it's upbringing.

[@jaxonrabb4740]

I just visited Michigan, and I am a pretty big aviation person and I just wanted to say thank you for offering this wonderful place for people to go to

[@losowypiotr]

Another interesting thing is the cover on top is for mounting the camera, this is clearly an Lim-2R or equivalent.

[@oldschoolamericangentlemen7934]

my cousin owns a Mig-17 he got at auction he flies if 3 or 4 times a year when he has a business trip! only flies it in the US doesn't do any international trips. Hey mostly flies to Burbank CA , Salt lake City UT, Ronald Reagan airport and JFK

[@dackyc9231]

They were towed by Zetor 25's and the tow bar attached around the front wheel assembly.

[@TruthSeekerAll]

When the MiGs get older they have an option to be used to plough land so that farmers could farm their produce. All you need is a nose ring, a steel rope and a tractor to pull the MiG. Cool idea actually.

[@williamkennedy5492]

Its for the two way suck back valve, it works if the airplane yaws and controls the yaw damper.

[@benjaminromberg2091]

It could possibly be used for towing but it can also be used for equal intake pressure to the engines.

[@usedtruckemporiumusedtruck4166]

It's to equalize the pressure differential that can occur- consistent airflow to the face of the compressor is crucial to avoid compressor stalls

[@Finder245]

I managed to get this answered by an old Hungarian pilot who flew these. According to him, that was for towing, and it was meant to be used if there was an issue with the nose gear that prevented towing there. He has never seen it used though.

[@billliddle5749]

Thank you for your question. I have searched the web for information about the hole in the MiG-15's nose air intake divider. Here is what I found: - According to a video by Air Zoo², a Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace and science museum, the hole in the MiG-15's nose is for a rope to tow the aircraft around. The video shows a MiG-15 with a rope inserted through the hole and explains that this was a common practice in the Soviet Union and its allies, where ground equipment was scarce and unreliable. The video also mentions that some sources claim that the hole was for a pitot tube, but this is unlikely because the MiG-15 had a pitot tube on the wing tip. - According to an article by World War Wings³, the hole in the MiG-15's nose could either be for a rope to tow the aircraft or for a pitot tube. The article cites Air Zoo's video as one source and another source that claims that the hole was for a pitot tube that was later moved to the wing tip. The article also notes that some MiG-15s had a different nose design without the hole, which suggests that it was not essential for the aircraft's performance. - According to an answer by aeroalias on Aviation Stack Exchange¹, the MiG-15 had a split air intake in its nose because it had only one jet engine and the cockpit, avionics bay, fuel tanks, and nose landing gear bay occupied the same space as the air intake. The answer does not mention the hole in the nose, but it provides some background information on why the MiG-15 had a split air intake design. Based on these sources, it seems that the most likely explanation for the hole in the MiG-15's nose air intake divider is that it was for a rope to tow the aircraft around. However, there is some uncertainty and disagreement among different sources, so it is possible that there is another reason for the hole that is not widely known or documented. I hope this helps you with your inquiry. 😊 Source: Conversation with Bing, 10/10/2023 (1) What is this hole in the MiG-15's nose for? - KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpaZnoilo8h6mZo. (2) What Is The Hole In The MiG-15's Nose For? - World War Wings. worldwarwings.com/mig15-nose/. (3) Why do the MiG-15 and MiG-17 have a split air intake in their noses?. aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/27480/why-do-the-mig-15-and-mig-17-have-a-split-air-intake-in-their-noses. [Bing Chat]

[@cck1496]

No no, it's for balancing the air pressure going to the compressor and there would be another at the downstream.....Check it out!

[@jeffduncan9140]

That was actually my thought, too. Sort of like an x or h pipe on a car.

[@richsmith7200]

I love the old migs. Got some Airfix kits laying around here somewhere...

[@iTzskyline1]

If anyone is curious the two big holes are the intakes for the engine

[@mikeoxlong7025]

Its used to cover the engine with those pads to protect it from the cold and dust and stuff like that. The pad would have an stell pole and the place on in one side of the hole, they placed the other pad in the other, im a jet expert

[@Wolfbarron]

Prototypes of the MiG 15 mounted guns in the space between the intake ducts, but this led to engine problems caused by ingestion of gun gas and so the armament was relocated to under the nose.

[@LipeBrickStudios]

My teacher told us that we were going to a zoo. I thought it be boring looking at animals, but I saw no animal, I saw an F-14 tomcat and a Mig-15. Crazy zoo

[@Spike_365]

It’s like pulling a bull by the nose

[@johngalt1027]

You left me with more questions than answers dude.

[@tomweickmann6414]

Not good towing it from there. A lot of damage might result. Perhaps some kind of pressure equalization between the two chambers maybe? Weird things happen in air intakes sometimes. Doesn't look like a good attach point for a FOD screen.

[@appamaddox8190]

It's forward of the steering pivot; so yes.

[@helmshookscraper5941]

Nose pit just to allow front turbulence to get much more air momentum before thrusting inside the engine, it’s a simple move but a huge step for Soviet aerodynamics scientists

[@chewiepac5932]

The hole is for preventing hydrodynamic cavitation as aerodynamics turn the air into liquid as the nose compresses the air, this preventing the explosions that cavation creates, it's to stop the pitting on the compressor blades of the jet turbine

[@notmenotme614]

Could also be used during the aircraft construction when using cranes to lift that part of metal around the factory

[@bird197196]

It a pressure equalizer tube. Keeps the pressure equal in both halves of the intake when making high G maneuvers.

[@genegene5339]

My Dad was shot down by one of these in. He survived, thankfully.

[@059echo]

Maybe not for towing the aircraft to and from the hangar but sometimes these planes would veer off the runway , maybe to a soggy patch and get the undercarriage inside the muck. The heavy duty salvage engines would then be used to extract these machines out through the nose rings. Thats my assumption

[@RL-RL]

It's a nose turbulence diffuser. It helps equal out the amount of air coming into the turbine.

[@websurfer352]

It’s an air intake and the divider serves like a wing to compress the air increasing its rate of flow according to the Bernoulli principle. So, even at lower velocities the air flow into the turbine is at its most efficient velocity!!

[@ladamyre1]

There was a cover for the intake and it had a handle with a trigger on it and when you pulled the trigger there was these two hooks so-to-speak that would open up, and you put the cover on, released the trigger and the two hooks grabbed onto those holes and held the cover onto the nose of the aircraft. That's what the two holes were for. A cover to keep little animals from getting in there to stay warm. BTW the cover mechanisms could go bad and a piece of rope could be used to keep the cover on too. But to tow the aircraft around with? Don't be ridiculous. Just tie the rope around the landing gear.

[@sooryan_1018]

Post-goth era MiG-15 😳

[@vizender]

My guess would be that it’s for equalizing the pressure on both sides to prevent an engine stall.

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

It's called a "wiggleman hole". It has an important purpose to drive the airtram in a cohelix pattern thus reducing the preturbulence.

[@rhsking05]

I bet it may have something to do with how air vortexes getting pulled apart in one hole may create a pressure difference at the split and this little hole may allow the pressure differences to equalize at the same entrance to the intake.

[@jones616]

I was thinking it might have helped equalize airflow

[@Chonkems]

It's for when the plane crashes. You insert a metal rod and it allows you to tow it off the runway or wherever it has hit.

[@rupben01]

Does look like a tow hook. I would agree with that due to the soviets. They made everything to work anywhere.

[@Orc-icide]

My grandpa welded planes for the Korean war, their engineers said the mig's front was designed very interesting. We have fast phallic planes, they point the giant red lips at us.

[@azazeldeath]

Looks like it's had a chain through there with some force behind it. On the left hole you can see 2 depressions from where the chain has damaged the metal slightly.

[@highflying82]

The tube is for securing the inner sections of the duct covers in place. A rod is run through from the covers 👍🏻 a tow attachment would definitely pull the ducting apart unless there’s a central rod running through to the tail to take the weight mass from just a tube in ally

[@everettlwilliamsii3740]

If those holes were damaged in any way, it would result in turbulent flow into the engines, possibly causing a flame out at some particular speed. These look more like pitot tubes that gage the input air speed.

[@lemons4lana]

equalizer tube…balances the pressure between the two chambers👍

[@cliffcox7643]

The Soviets have always been thankful for the production of grain, especially Wheat to keep the entire population alive, and through hard winters.. The holes in the nose intake were to hold grains of wheat and a handful of wheat was put into the holes before flight.. Equal pressure of air on with sides would keep the grains in place and when the pilot landed on newly conquered lands, he would remove the grains and plant them on the new lands, and further push the borders of mother Russia.

[@samheasmanwhite]

I think they use sunflower seeds now?

[@seafirefr.4751]

It probably is true, considering the T/34’s track link pins were not secured in place properly and a steel block was attached to the hull that would slam the pins back into position after every single revolution, that’s why the T/34 has such a loud rattle from the tracks when driving.

[@chris_hisss]

Did we get an official answer? I like that one about the air diffusion. It doesn't look re-enfoced for towing. I mean I bet it could be done, but I doubt it should be.

[@dukenukem5392]

Just like the "comb" on the Sherman's. It's on some, not on others, and even on random bits of Fram equipment. Lazerpig has a full video on that if you want to look into it

[@busiestytnerd5175]

Maybe it helps equalize the air flow between the two sides

[@weemow3540]

i like to keep my head cannon that the mig-15 used to be a punk rocker before joining the air force

[@mosquito3606]

I legit thought the hole he's talking was the air intake lmao