The TA (''Transportnaya Amfibiya'' – transport amphibian) was an
amphibious
Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to:
Animals
* Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water)
* Amphibious caterpillar
* Amphibious fish, a fish ...
transport designed and built in the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
in 1945.
Development
Chyetverikov designed and built the TA immediately after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, as an amphibious transport using
Duralumin
Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of ''Dürener'' and ''aluminium''.
Its use as a tra ...
stressed skin construction. The capacious hull had seats for six to eight passengers and room for 1,000 kg of cargo as well as the electrically operated retractable undercarriage which retracted into the sides of the hull vertically. The untapered wing sat atop a short pylon braced by 'N' struts and had electrically operated slotted flaps and fixed floats, as well as the engine nacelles.
The first aircraft was completed in June 1947 and carried out sea and flight trials until the undercarriage collapsed on landing in November 1947. Repairs were carried out, but the Chyetverikov OKB was closed at the end of 1948 before flight trials could resume.
The second aircraft, designated TA-1, had semicircular wing-tips, retractable wing-tip floats and area increasing flaps, (similar to
Fowler flaps
A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landing ...
), as well as other minor changes. Trials were completed and a report submitted by 20 June 1948 but production was not authorised.
The third prototype was completed as the TAF (''Transportnaya Amfibiya Fotografichyeskii'' – transport amphibian, photographic), for use as a reconnaissance or survey aircraft. The outer wings were tapered and had a larger span. The TAF was flown successfully late in 1948 but the OKB was closed before any further work could be carried out.
Variants
* TA – The first prototype of the TA.
* TA-1 – The second prototype of the TA with retractable floats, area increasing flaps and other changes.
* TAF – The third of the TA family was a photographic (possibly survey) aircraft with tapered outer wings of greater span.
Specifications (TA)
See also
References
* Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995.
* Taylor, Michael J.H. . “ Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. Studio Editions. London. 1989.
{{refend
1940s Soviet civil utility aircraft
Flying boats
TA
Abandoned military aircraft projects of the Soviet Union
Amphibious aircraft
Parasol-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1947
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft