Sikorsky Russky Vityaz

The Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (Russian: Русский витязь), or Russian Knight, also called Le Grand, was the first four-engine aircraft in the world, designed by Igor Sikorsky and built at the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works (Russko-Baltiisky Vagonny Zaved or R-BVZ), in early 1913. Sikorsky conceived the S-21 design in 1911, when no known aircraft could lift more than 600 kilograms. The carrying capacity record belonged to a French pilot Ducis, who h... more

The Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (Russian: Русский витязь), or Russian Knight, also called Le Grand, was the first four-engine aircraft in the world, designed by Igor Sikorsky and built at the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works (Russko-Baltiisky Vagonny Zaved or R-BVZ), in early 1913. Sikorsky conceived the S-21 design in 1911, when no known aircraft could lift more than 600 kilograms. The carrying capacity record belonged to a French pilot Ducis, who had flown 800 meters with a load of 600 kg. On hearing about the ongoing construction of the Russky Vityaz in the early spring of 1913, the experts and the media around the world were predicting its complete failure. However, the first aerial test of the Russky Vityaz on 10 May 1913 was successful. At the time, many people in other parts of the world considered it to be a newspaper hoax, and did not believe it. Observers believed that an aircraft with such dimensions would never leave the ground. The Russky Vityaz was a four-engine multi... less