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Lately the U. S. magazine Aero Digest, which is usually accurate, has run two articles on Soviet aviation which estimate that its military strength is at least 3,500 planes and possibly much higher.* Some 50,000 miles of airlines, mostly unaided by radio, cover all of Russia proper and much of Siberia. Last year these lines transported 200,000 passengers and 7,500 tons of mail against U. S. figures of 1,146,138 and 7,689. Osoaviakhim (civil aviation society) has 7,000,000 members, most of whom make parachute jumps for amusement. Some 600,000 Soviet children belong to model plane clubs, hold 13 model plane records.
Russia's planes are a curious blend of adaptation from abroad and original development at home. The planes that flew to the Pole were of the ANT6 four-motored bomber type. Lumbering, ungraceful things with highly tapered wings and bicycle landing gear which does not retract, they have little merit beyond big payloads. Instead of developing practical improvements, Russia's designers tend to go head-over-crupper for such fantastic devices as the P-5 biplanes whose fat lower wings open up to provide coffin-like niches in which 14 soldiers can snuggle. Most successful of Russia's planes are those she has bought abroad and adapted. In Spain, modern German and Italian ships have been outmaneuvered by Russians flying modified Boeings of a type long obsolete in the U. S. Russia has also bought one of the new Douglas flying boats and a Sikorsky amphibian. Russia has on order at the Glenn L. Martin plant in Baltimore a $1,000,000 flying boat of the China Clipper type but considerably bigger, has also given contracts to Consolidated and to Vultee Aircraft, both in California. Fortnight ago Russia gave a contract for $370,000 to Seversky Aircraft Corp., Farmingdale, L. I., for two Seversky amphibians plus manufacturing rights. The Seversky amphibian holds the world amphibian speed record of 230.4 m.p.h.
Aviators like to argue that various nationalities have distinct flying traits. Favorite assertions: that Japanese are poor pilots, Chinese good; that the methodical Germans are best at bombing, refusing to be drawn out of formation under attack like the hot-headed Italians. Russians are said to be careless about such perfunctory details as keeping gas tanks full, but have a wild Cossack flair for aerial dogfighting. Most curious fact about Russian aviation is that the men who best demonstrate the Russian genius for conquering the air have made their greatest successes in the U. S.
Most famed of all is Igor Sikorsky, who began flying in Russia in 1908, flew in the War, left Russia after the Revolution and is now the leading U. S. builder of flying boats. Sikorsky's chief engineer is Russian Michael Gluhareff, Brother Serge Gluhareff, authority on structural design, is also in the Sikorsky plant at Bridgeport.
Second most important U. S. Russian is Major Alexander Prokofieff de Seversky, who lost a leg for Russia while flying in the War, has lately zoomed into military importance by producing what is generally regarded as the world's fastest pursuit plane. Last week he flew his chunky ship from Belleville, Ill. to Dayton, Ohio at an average speed of 321 m.p.h. Other prominent Russian designers in the U. S.: