Ilyushin Il-62

By Patrick Mondout

The Ilyushin Il-62 was developed for the USSR's state run airline, Aeroflot, as a long range jetliner and as a replacement for Tupolev Tu-114 turboprops.

The Brits cried foul when they saw how much it resembled the VC-10 right down to the dual engines on either side of the back and the T-tail. Whether it was another case of industrial espionage on the part of the Soviets has never been proven, but it is difficult to tell the two aircraft apart.

The VC-10 proved troublesome as that type of aircraft is subject to a particular type of deep stall unique to the T-tail configuration. That the Il-62 took four years from flying prototype to flying passengers (a very long time compared to other Soviet jets and twice as long as Vickers) shows perhaps that while Ilyushin had no trouble copying the design, it had even more trouble figuring out how to prevent the deep stalls.

Ilyushin Il-62 CCCP-86457 - an Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62 as seen in Madrid in May 1977. Image courtesy of AirNikon. Find more of his photos at Airliners.net

Ilyushin Il-62 at a Glance
Engines	4 Soloviev D-30KU turbofans
Cruising Speed	571
Passengers	186
Range	4845
Span	141ft 9in
Length	174ft 3in
Height	40ft 5in
Weight	363,000
Built	288
Final Production	1990
Mesurements refer to Il-62M

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		Your Memories Shared!

""I've never flown on any Russian-built aircraft, but I did fly on the VC10 that the Il-62 was designed after. My fondest memory of the Il-62 was when an old school friend of mine, his girlfriend and I were on our way to Candlestick Park to watch a Giants game. On the way we passed San Francisco International Airport, and just as we drove past on the freeway near the end of Runways 10L and 10R, I heard what sounded like an extremely loud Hoover vacuum cleaner overhead. For fun I shouted, 'Incoming!'. As I looked up, I saw that it was an Aeroflot Il-62 flying directly above us, heading out toward the Pacific, evidentally on its way to Khaborovsk in the Russian Far East - the schedule had them stopping at Anchorage enroute. According to statistics, this aircraft is surprisingly sound despite numerous crashes early in its existance. It does meet international standards and FAA requirements on U. S. bound flights, even during the Soviet era. Today, it is slowly being phased out and being replaced by newer aircraft. In recent years Aeroflot has been buying Boeing 767s and 777s to compete with the world's airlines. "" --Harald A.