Paul Allen just added yet another rare World War II-era airplane to his Flying Heritage Collection, at Everett's Paine Field. The collection started final reassembly Friday of a Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik that it says is the only one of its kind still flying. A team of Russian mechanics is set to bring the airplane to full flying condition over coming months, with a public debut expected this summer.
The Il-2 Shturmovik was a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft. Adding in the up-rated Il-10, more than 42,330 were built, making it the single most produced military aircraft design in aviation history, according to the Flying Heritage Collection.
The Flying Heritage Collection's plane is an Ilyushin Il-2M3 – sometimes called an Il-2 Type 3 or 1944 production Il-2. It has a 23-mm cannon in each wing and 7.62-mm ShKAS machine guns.
The Il-2 Shturmovik was a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft. Adding in the up-rated Il-10, more than 42,330 were built, making it the single most produced military aircraft design in aviation history, according to the Flying Heritage Collection.
The Flying Heritage Collection's plane is an Ilyushin Il-2M3 – sometimes called an Il-2 Type 3 or 1944 production Il-2. It has a 23-mm cannon in each wing and 7.62-mm ShKAS machine guns.