An ugly plane cannot fly. As Tupolev said: “Only beautiful planes can fly well

Probably, this phrase of Andrey Nikolayevich Tupolev, put in the title, was heard by many. They began to invest in it a broad, metaphorical meaning - well, that nothing good will come of it without the soul invested in the matter and the efforts made, without the lofty goal and wonderful plan that a person should have when starting something important. This is all clear and undeniable. However, after all, the designer himself, who expressively threw this phrase, actually put a direct meaning into it. He addressed it to his colleagues, who were willing to lift ridiculous-looking, awkward structures into the air. This drove Tupolev to rage and swearing!

Anyone who knows a lot about the "techie" business will say that the phrase "ugly planes don't fly" makes no sense! "Beauty" - an attractive aesthetic appearance - has nothing to do with the working qualities of the machine, in particular, the flight qualities of the aircraft; on the contrary, if you put aesthetics at the forefront, it can actually harm the technical merits ...

Any number of very unsightly-looking aircraft flew beautifully, were safe, appreciated and loved by pilots! The famous German Junkers attack aircraft looked so ridiculous that the German aviation department did not even want to accept it for serial production, but the good flight qualities of this model outweighed the negative aesthetic impression it made. The fighter designed by the Soviet engineer Lavochkin looked very poor, but it flew beautifully, demonstrating unprecedented maneuverability, so the pilots fell in love with it. Created in 1947, the famous biplane An-2 even at that time looked archaic, being devoid of any swiftness, "blunt-nosed", with jumpers between the wings giving it the appearance of a bookcase. But he immediately took to the air with unusual ease, and the "corncob" was ideally suited to perform his tasks, staying in the air, remaining controllable, at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour and taking off from a 100-meter grassy area. And this seemingly unsightly miracle has survived to this day!

And here is one of Andrei Nikolayevich's favorite brainchild - the first Soviet jet passenger aircraft Tu-104, built in 1955 ... A swift look, a slender long fuselage, wings folded back like a swallow, with engine nacelles neatly pressed to the fuselage, hiding in themselves nine tons of jet thrust each ... And now - almost the very first flights of this handsome man turned into a series of disasters that claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

Yes, the designers were faced with the factor of the unknown: before that, our planes did not fly near the border of the troposphere (9-11 kilometers); it turned out that at these heights, ascending currents coming from the ground throw the plane up. And this slender, swift Tu-104 did not have enough flap area to effectively change the lift, reducing it when it became excessive, and increasing it when it was necessary to overcome the "failure"; the aircraft was designed exclusively for "dynamics", stable forward movement ... After "loud" accidents, the mechanization of the wing on the Tu-104 was strengthened, but still the congenital defect, which gives poor vertical controllability, was not completely overcome.

However, Tupolev himself was confident in the perfection of his offspring, and also answered the reproaches with the well-known phrase: “This is not a bad plane, it’s you who don’t know how to fly it!”, Which cynicism tarnished the reputation of a really great engineer who stood at the origins of our aviation.

And Tupolev's planes are swift, elegant, everything in them calls for speed and soaring into the sky ... Created after the "fatal" Tu-104, Tu-124, Tu-134, Tu-154 were no longer so dangerous, but their own the view in the sky was mesmerizing. Note that they retained some characteristic Tupolev problematic features - it's still the same "inertia", insufficient controllability, especially when landing ...

So why, after all, did the great designer consider flight to be the lot of only beautiful cars? What is beauty (not to be confused with the key aesthetic category - beautiful!)? Yes, it seems that the harmony of the ratio of parts should speak of the perfection of the design, that is, it already refers to real technical merits, and not "beauty" as such ... Probably, Tupolev saw it approximately like that. In his opinion, what is perfect, it should be beautiful. By the way, besides him, the designers sometimes abandoned their projects because of the ridiculous appearance of the resulting machine. A harmonious look is a kind of verification of the design concept, an expression of its fidelity.

But a perfect car will not always be beautiful in the accepted sense. The contradiction here probably lies on two planes. Firstly, the stereotypical standards of external perfection are not always applicable to a complex technical object, which may simply be new and unusual; the usual stereotype of beauty sometimes has to be broken. Secondly, it is impossible to absolutize any one principle in the approach to business: for example, when creating an aircraft, reliability is at the forefront, but, of course, everything is not limited to it among operational qualities - the device may need to be high-speed, maneuverable, load-lifting ; so among the qualities as a whole, a harmonious appearance is needed, but its role is not absolute, it will probably "apply" to the fundamental perfection.

When the Wright brothers lifted into the air the first man-made structure heavier than air, they were not up to aesthetics, not up to checking perfection with a harmonious look; a kind of "cuttlefish" was their brainchild. First you need to lay, work out the foundation, and then go to visible perfection.

This is the natural way, by the way, not only of technology, but also of nature: the first "fossil" organisms - how ridiculous they looked!

It seems that Academician Tupolev was not alien to these ideas. Well, and "Ugly planes - they don't fly" - a phrase thrown in the heat of the moment and still not implying an absolutely direct understanding.

Let's share a look at some non-trivial solutions in the field of aviation, doomed to failure at first glance, but nevertheless, managed to get off the ground and conquer the sky. These devices, which are not at all like airplanes, did not go into a full-fledged series, which means they are not familiar to the general public. Today we correct this undeserved omission.

Avrocar (1952)

Although Nazi Germany lost in World War II, its engineering heritage deeply impressed the Allied specialists with its achievements and multiple developments, prototypes that were seriously ahead of their time and the then development of engineering by the leading world powers. What were only Hitler's secret flying discs, copying ancient Indian apparatuses of aliens - vimanas.

Apparently, impressed by the success in this field, the American designers accepted the challenge and, together with their British colleagues, began to develop their own flying saucer. One of the offspring of such design research was the AvroVZ-9V Avrocar vertical take-off fan. Despite the ambitious declared characteristics, the design, on which the Canadians spent about seven years and a solid budget, could not rise above one and a half meters above the ground against the three-kilometer ceiling declared in the technical specifications. The speed of movement also left much to be desired.

Such a flying fan was produced in only two copies and was able to fly with two people on board - a passenger and a pilot. The rather large size of the unit left no chance for the development to be realized at least in the form of an alternative urban transport. And although the “flying saucer” was capable of low flights above the ground, the military was not interested in it. But today, such developments are gaining popularity again, judging by the appearance of flying bicycles in Russian laboratories.

VVA-14 (1972)

Perhaps seeing a Soviet amphibious aircraft inspired George Lucas to create the Millennium Falcon in his famous Star Wars saga. It is the contours of the futuristic space starship that resemble the forms of a vertical take-off torpedo bomber, created in Taganrog according to the project of aircraft designer Robert Bartini. Taking into account the restrained confrontation between the two superpowers in those years, many projects were developed with a view to operational military operations already on the territory of an overseas military enemy. Therefore, the creation of a water ekranoplan capable of delivering many thousands of tons of cargo, equipment and manpower by sea was a very promising undertaking. Built two really operating units were very impressive in size. The ekranoplan had as many as twelve lifting engines and two sustainers. Together with the payload, the twenty-five-meter apparatus weighed more than fifty tons. True, for all its versatility and successful tests, the seaplane did not go into mass production.

Caproni Ca.60 (1921)

The idea of ​​transatlantic flights to carry multiple passengers has been bugging engineers since the turn of the century. Connecting the Old World with the New Highway is a business that can glorify daring geniuses and bring solid profits. It was in pursuit of such solutions that a twenty-meter seaplane-airliner appeared in 1921, designed to carry a hundred passengers. The Italians approached the matter on a grand scale - three stacks of wings from heavy bombers, which themselves consisted of three carrier planes, were installed on a long cigar of the hull. As a result, the plane boasted nine wings ready to lift it into the air. It only remained to verify this on test flights! But the first flight showed the shortcomings of such a design: having risen to a height of about twenty meters, the miracle plane broke and crashed into the water. Fortunately, no one was hurt. And the plane itself was even restored after the crash. True, he no longer made further flights, but simply burned out ingloriously, possibly as a result of sabotage.

Vought V-173 Skimmer (1942)

Another attempt to reduce the length of the runway has turned into a perfectly fit unit, nicknamed “pancake” for its outlandish appearance. Indeed, the plane resembled the aforementioned culinary dish with its profile. Despite the ridiculous appearance, the aircraft turned out to be very mobile in the air and justified the hopes placed on it. All thanks to powerful motors that drive propellers so large that they would touch the ground on takeoff, if it were not for the elongated front landing gear rods, due to which the cockpit lifted up into the sky at a very sharp angle. This unit served as a prototype for a larger and heavier carrier-based fighter of the same shape and similar design. Such developments did not go into the series, despite the very encouraging characteristics, since the Second World War had already ended at the time of the proposed introduction of prototypes.

Stipa-Caproni (1932)

If anyone has not seen a flying barrel, we advise him to take a look at the brainchild of Italian engineers who, before the start of World War II, created an amusing two-pilot aircraft that used the principle of a turbofan engine to escape from the ground. Indeed, the aircraft was a prototype of the turbine of a modern passenger airliner, to which a wing was screwed from each side. This fat man had very modest dimensions, but he managed with a very modest power plant and could accelerate to a speed of 130 km / h. Unfortunately, the military did not show enough interest in this development and its value to the aviation industry was revealed later, when it came time to pay attention to civil aviation and the turbofan engine layout became very attractive for increasing the power of the power plants of the new conquerors of the skies.

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (1948)

The plane, resembling a flea both in appearance and in size, but nevertheless, being a jet fighter, was assembled by American engineers in the late forties of the last century. Such a miniature airplane was hung like a Christmas tree decoration under the fuselage of a large strategic bomber and was there during the entire lengthy flight of the giant to its destination. With the threat of intercepting a bomber by enemy fighters, the baby pilot stopped drinking coffee and took his place in a miniature cockpit using a special ladder. Further, the micro-fighter undocked, made a counterattack and, in case of success, docked again to its native pylon. The concept at that time would have made it possible to cope with the low range of conventional escort fighters, but the small dimensions of the Goblin did not allow it to compete on an equal footing with enemy interceptors, therefore, the model could not perform its functions of effectively protecting bombers. Therefore, there was no question of any mass production of babies.

It was also timed to coincide with the anniversary of a large-scale event - the transportation of the Tu-144 from the sixth building of the university to the street. Dementiev, where he stood for more than 30 years, to building No. 8 on the street. Chetaev. Transportation of the fuselage weighing 50 tons on the night of April 14-15 last year lasted 5 hours. According to the idea of ​​the university staff, the liner with tail number 77107 will turn into an interactive museum of aerospace technology by the end of the year and will receive its first visitors.

The pinnacle of engineering in the 20th century

This year marks half a century since the first flight of the Tu-144. And in the early 60s, the idea of ​​​​creating a large passenger aircraft capable of flying at a speed greater than sound was fantastic, because quite recently, “whatnots” seemed to be the limit of achievements.

The USSR Ministry of Defense entrusted the implementation of the ambitious project to one of the most experienced design bureaus for the creation of jet aircraft - the Tupolev Design Bureau. And the project was brilliantly implemented.

“Tu-144, the first in the world in its category, became the pinnacle of engineering in the 20th century. It implements hundreds of world-class innovations, and yet it was made in the post-war difficult times, - said the rector of KNRTU-KAI Albert Gilmutdinov. - This board, under the leadership of Andrei Tupolev, began to be designed 2 years later than the participants in the Anglo-French project, who created the competitor, Concorde. But at the same time, our car took off two months earlier than the Western European one. That's how they worked back then."

Artists worked on TU-144

Once Tupolev was shown a model aircraft. “No, it won’t fly,” he assessed the appearance. - "Why?" - “The model is ugly. Ugly planes don't fly."

When asked whether Andrei Nikolayevich really said the phrase that became winged, the grandson of the aircraft designer replied that the story was real.

“In addition to designers, he also had designers, they were artists of a fairly high level. And, by the way, I agree with him,” said Andrei Alekseevich. According to his observations, fate turns out to be unsuccessful for "ugly" aircraft - even with a good start, successful experimental flights, he does not get a start in life.

Why did Andrei Alekseevich choose the profession of his great grandfather? - the future aircraft builders asked the grandson of the designer.

“I became interested in the aviation industry early. But I couldn't get past aviation. Pilots, designers visited our house on weekends, and on Saturdays my grandfather was either with the Minister of Defense or with the Minister of Civil Aviation, he recalled. - The whole life of my grandfather and father was devoted to the aircraft industry, the family occupied much less space than aviation. When I graduated from the institute in 1983 (MAI in the direction of "Aircraft Engineering" - ed.), I had a graduation project based on the materials of the Tupolev Design Bureau. I still could not show the drawings and calculations made to my father because of his busyness. As a result, he told me: bring it to 11 pm.

Students asked Andrey Tupolev a question about the prospects for using additive technologies in the construction of aircraft (in which “extra” material is added to the manufactured product, and not removed. - ed.), in particular, a 3D printer.

“I am positive,” he replied. - They significantly reduce the cost of production. In addition, they drastically affect the quality control system. Foreign aircraft power plants have built-in control systems that show, for example, that after one and a half thousand hours of operation, such and such a node may fail. But the use of a 3D printer will depend on the level of modernization of aircraft factories.”

“One of the American companies has developed an engine for a large aircraft, which is almost entirely made using 3D printing. This technology is the future,” added Albert Gilmutdinov.

"Let's turn ideas into hardware"

The idea to transport the TU-144, which stood in the Aviastroitelny district of Kazan for 31 years, to the Novo-Savinovsky district, caused a lot of skepticism, said the rector of KNRTU-KAI Albert Gilmutdinov. Nevertheless, the planned was implemented. To install the hull of the liner at the place of permanent deployment, it was necessary to bring in an 800-ton crane from Nizhny Novgorod, the only one of its kind in the Volga District.

“After that, the external restoration of the aircraft was carried out, professional dynamic lighting was installed. The first big stage is over, but now the actual organization of the museum and educational complex is standing. Inside the aircraft there will be about 10 themed halls with 50 exhibits, including interactive ones. They will recreate the cockpit, and it will be possible not only to sit at the helm, but also to take off and land with the help of computer software, overcome the sound barrier, and experience the effect of overload during air maneuvers. Quests are also going to be arranged here.

The museum has three main "personalities": it is an educational laboratory for students, a center for additional technical education at the federal level and a technical museum for tourists, Gilmutdinov said. But in order to attract foreign tourists, the museum must become a real gem. “We need interesting ideas from you, and we will implement them in hardware,” the rector addressed the students.

There are also plans to attach an additional building to the aircraft, where it will be possible to demonstrate aircraft engines and other large objects. In KNRTU-KAI they want to create a domed ZD-cinema, from the outside to show a view of the Earth from space, at night - the starry sky. The museum is scheduled to open on December 31, 2018, on the day of the 50th anniversary of the first Tu-144 flight.

Kazan hosted a meeting of students and journalists with Andrey Tupolev, Advisor to the General Director of the Tupolev Design Bureau, timed to coincide with the anniversary of a large-scale event - the transportation of the Tu-144 from the sixth building of the university on Dementyev Street, where it stood for more than 30 years, to building No. 8 on Chetaeva Street. The transportation of the fuselage weighing 50 tons on the night of April 14-15, 2017 lasted five hours. According to the idea of ​​the university staff, the liner with tail number 77107 will turn into an interactive museum of aerospace technology by the end of the year and will receive its first visitors.

The pinnacle of engineering in the 20th century

This year marks half a century since the first flight of the Tu-144. And in the early 60s, the idea of ​​​​creating a large passenger aircraft capable of flying at a speed greater than sound was fantastic, because quite recently, “whatnots” seemed to be the limit of achievements.

The USSR Ministry of Defense entrusted the implementation of the ambitious project to one of the most experienced design bureaus for the creation of jet aircraft - the Tupolev Design Bureau. And the project was brilliantly implemented.

“Tu-144, the first in the world in its category, became the pinnacle of engineering in the 20th century. It implements hundreds of world-class innovations, and yet it was made in the post-war difficult time, - said Rector of KNRTU-KAI Albert Gilmutdinov. - This board, under the leadership of Andrei Tupolev, began to be designed 2 years later than the participants in the Anglo-French project, who created the competitor, Concorde. But at the same time, our car took off two months earlier than the Western European one. That's how they worked back then."

The Tu-144 aircraft became the pinnacle of engineering in the 20th century. Photo: AiF

Artists worked on TU-144

Once Tupolev was shown a model aircraft. “No, it won’t fly,” he assessed the appearance. - "Why?" - “The model is ugly. Ugly planes don't fly."

Andrei Alekseevich Tupolev is the grandson of the famous aircraft designer A. N. Tupolev. Photo: AiF / Venera Volskaya

When asked whether Andrei Nikolayevich really said the phrase that became winged, the grandson of the aircraft designer replied that the story was real.

“In addition to designers, he also had designers, they were artists of a fairly high level. And, by the way, I agree with him,” said Andrei Alekseevich. According to his observations, fate turns out to be unsuccessful for "ugly" aircraft - even with a good start, successful experimental flights, he does not get a start in life.

Why did Andrei Alekseevich choose the profession of his great grandfather? - the future aircraft builders asked the grandson of the designer.

“I became interested in the aviation industry early. But I couldn't get past aviation. Pilots, designers visited our house on weekends, and on Saturdays my grandfather was either with the Minister of Defense or with the Minister of Civil Aviation, he recalled. - The whole life of my grandfather and father was devoted to the aircraft industry, the family occupied much less space than aviation. When I graduated from the institute in 1983 (MAI in the direction of "Aircraft Engineering" - ed.), I had a graduation project based on the materials of the Tupolev Design Bureau. I still could not show the drawings and calculations made to my father because of his busyness. As a result, he told me: bring it to 11 pm.

Students asked Andrey Tupolev a question about the prospects for using additive technologies in the construction of aircraft (in which “extra” material is added to the manufactured product, and not removed. - ed.), in particular, a 3D printer.

“I am positive,” he replied. - They significantly reduce the cost of production. In addition, they drastically affect the quality control system. Foreign aircraft power plants have built-in control systems that show, for example, that after one and a half thousand hours of operation, such and such a node may fail. But the use of a 3D printer will depend on the level of modernization of aircraft factories.”

“One of the American companies has developed an engine for a large aircraft, which is almost entirely made using 3D printing. This technology is the future,” added Albert Gilmutdinov.

"Let's turn ideas into hardware"

The idea to transport the TU-144, which stood in the Aviastroitelny district of Kazan for 31 years, to the Novo-Savinovsky district, caused a lot of skepticism, said the rector of KNRTU-KAI Albert Gilmutdinov. Nevertheless, the planned was implemented. To install the hull of the liner at the place of permanent deployment, it was necessary to bring in an 800-ton crane from Nizhny Novgorod, the only one of its kind in the Volga District.

“After that, the external restoration of the aircraft was carried out, professional dynamic lighting was installed. The first big stage is over, but now the actual organization of the museum and educational complex is standing. Inside the aircraft there will be about 10 themed halls with 50 exhibits, including interactive ones. They will recreate the cockpit, and it will be possible not only to sit at the helm, but also to take off and land with the help of computer software, overcome the sound barrier, and experience the effect of overload during air maneuvers. Quests are also going to be arranged here.

The aircraft-based museum will start operating at the end of 2018. Photo: AiF / Artem Dergunov

The museum has three main "personalities": it is an educational laboratory for students, a center for additional technical education at the federal level and a technical museum for tourists, Gilmutdinov said. But in order to attract foreign tourists, the museum must become a real gem. “We need interesting ideas from you, and we will implement them in hardware,” the rector addressed the students.

There are also plans to attach an additional building to the aircraft, where it will be possible to demonstrate aircraft engines and other large objects. In KNRTU-KAI they want to create a domed ZD-cinema, from the outside to show a view of the Earth from space, at night - the starry sky. The museum is scheduled to open on December 31, 2018, on the day of the 50th anniversary of the first Tu-144 flight.

AN UGLY PLANE WILL NOT FLIGHT

I recall the wonderful words of the late Academician Andrei Nikolaevich Kolmogorov: "The aesthetic side is important in mathematics - a beautiful hypothesis often leads to the truth."

There is also a noticeable influence of art on science. I never cease to repeat the remark of Albert Einstein, striking in its paradox: "Dostoevsky gives me more than any thinker, more than Gauss." But Gauss is an outstanding mathematician!

It is from the words of these famous people that we want to start a conversation in the great duality of "science - art", duality, to which Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, the designer-artist-poet, had a direct relationship.

They will say: Antonov is the creator of aircraft, a talented designer. All his other hobbies are a typical "hobby", so to speak, necessary, but not mandatory conditions for relaxation after scientific work.

The fact of the matter is that this is far from being the case. Antonov was a typical exponent of those new remarkable processes.

which take place at the end of the second millennium (if you count by and large) as a result of the scientific and technological revolution that has covered all aspects of life.

We will try to understand this complex and extremely interesting process.

The ways of development of science are inscrutable, but in this rapid process, which led us to the scientific and technological revolution, one can discern its own patterns. Once upon a time, in the distant years of the formation of science, the scientist comprehensively covered almost all branches of human knowledge and culture. In his view, science was not divided into separate zones or sections. The exact sciences came close to art. The giant scientist worked with almost equal success in different areas of his life.

Such was the great Leonardo da Vinci. A brilliant artist, a brilliant inventor, a brilliant visionary... The technical creations of the great Italian are equal in importance to his creations as an artist. Creating constructions at the level of his century, the scientist boldly peered into the contours of the future. He gave projects of aircraft, which were not even thought of at that time. With the dedication of an innovative physician, he invaded the then reserved area of ​​anatomy.

Mikhail Lomonosov was just as versatile. Being engaged in astronomy, discovering new laws in the development of chemistry, he wrote poetry, laying the foundations of Russian poetry. And it was not for nothing that in one of the early French encyclopedias it was written for posterity: "We ask you not to frighten the outstanding chemist Lomonosov with the famous poet Lomonosov." Yes, it was he, the great Lomonosov, both a poet and a scientist, who also created beautiful mosaic paintings.

Among people, like the giants of the distant past, there was no sharp boundary not only between the sciences, but also between science and art. The whole complex of human knowledge and worldview was closed in their minds in a magic circle of talentedly resolved real problems.

But years passed, and in the increasingly complex science, the process of breaking up the general into separate departments began. Unable to grasp the vastness of knowledge with their minds, scientists specialized in narrow areas, locking themselves in a circle of individual industries, schools and directions. Only a physicist. And where is there to be at the same time an artist, a poet or a sculptor! Specialization seemed to have reached such a level that the scientist ceased to understand his neighbor in science, who was busy with nearby problems. Only mathematician. Only a mechanic. But once it was different: only Lomonosov, only Leonardo ...

But the years went on. Nothing is eternal under the Moon. And again, on the path of the scientific revolution, new lights began to flare up, highlighting new trends. The sciences were born, uniting, it seemed, incompatible, mathematics wove with its iron thread fragmented knowledge into various sections. Young cybernetics came to medicine. The study of space has led to a better knowledge of the geology of the planet. These processes served to unite previously unrelated, even seemingly antagonistic sciences.

The indisputable truth is that what is new in the development of science is often created in the border areas, near the frontiers that once divided scientists. All this forced us to reconsider the triumphant concept of narrow specialization in the direction of universalism.

A modern scientist is categorically obliged to know what is being done in neighboring areas of science. Often, the invasion of "foreign" territory causes a new leap in knowledge. And the more unexpected and seemingly disparate such an invasion, the more results we can expect from this feedback in science.

Today, a new process is clearly visible in the world of science. Scientists seem to be returning to that already forgotten universalism of the past, which generously gave birth to the Lomonosovs and Leonardo.

It is safe to say that the development of science, as a part of human culture, is making another spiral turn of its evolution today, while dialectically returning scientists to the widest scope of the entire horizon, knowledge from science to art. We generally call this process a single word - creativity.

The creative process develops along a dialectical spiral. From the general to the particular and from the particular again to the general - such is the path of creativity, continuously enriched in the flow of time by more and more new achievements in the field of both science and art.

Today we observe how two threads - the thread of science and art - seem to be intertwined in a spiral, continuously enriching each other. Strange, but this is foretold in the old occult treatises.

Here we come to the main thing with which we started our conversation: modern science is making another round today, turning, for example, even to creative discoveries in the field of science fiction painting, imbued with a concrete sense of the future.

And what is amazing - the turns of the two helixes in the field of science and art are intertwined with each other, like a double genetic helix of DNA - the carrier of life. In its mysterious bowels are laid the nuclei of future possibilities - the genes of the future. Isn't this the living connection of outwardly incompatible science and art?

And what is most important - art, as it were, becomes an integral part of science and vice versa, the living juices of science nourish contemporary art.

We were convinced of this at the “Scientists Draw” exhibition, which was held in the very center of Kyiv in a new exhibition hall. It was in 1981, when Oleg Konstantinovich - who else? - took care of its organization.

Under the arches of the exhibition halls, canvases and graphic works of the most famous scientists and designers in the country were collected.

In front of the visitors of the exhibition there are several canvases of the General Designer. Hero of Socialist Labor Academician Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov. Years are powerful and not powerful over the creativity of the designer and artist. After all, the creator of the super-heavy winged "Antey" and the most lifting aircraft in the world at that time - "Ruslan" turned to the palette and poetry, regardless of age. His paintings are predominantly blue, pastel shades. The elastic transparency of the air, through which the artist, as if from a bird's eye view, sees the world around him in a surprisingly young way. Years go by, but the world on the canvases remains the same, his.

Beautiful picture "Our Motherland". As if flying among the plump mass of cumulus clouds, the viewer looks around his native country from an unusual perspective - this is the pilot's view. With the same vigilance, the scientist-artist peers into the microworld in the painting "The Structure of Matter" or tries to associate his feelings with such abstract concepts as "Rage ”, or as socially saturated as the “Battle for Peace”. Mature work by a mature artist. It is not easy to believe that these are the works of the world famous aircraft designer.

And he is not alone in this. Somewhere nearby are paintings by the founders of cosmonautics, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov, Academician Boris Nikolaevich Yuryev, Patriarch of Russian Aviation Konstantin Konstantinovich Artseulov.

The work of these world-renowned scientists, designers and pilots is akin to art. Their aspirations are, as it were, illustrated by the words of O. K. Antonov, addressed primarily to the younger generation:

“The child literally from the first steps is eager to create. After all, he creates, and when he breaks, he explores. This thirst must be maintained, kindled. It is unacceptable to imprison a child in the vice of our adults: “you can”, “you can’t”, “sit still”! What would humanity have achieved if it consisted only of people who are exaggeratedly prudent? ..

I am for bloody noses, for bruises on my knees, for calluses on my hands. Let the guys argue, make mistakes, correct mistakes, learn to handle tools, a ruler, a brush. Let them not be afraid of difficulties, strive to fly further, higher, faster.

However, we must remember another simple truth, an ugly plane will not fly. Everyone needs wings, not only those whose fate is directly connected with aviation.”

The last words refer to us, to artists, to designers, workers, pilots and motorists, to you, reader.

Addressing the youth, the outstanding designer reveals this secret of scientific creativity - the indispensable connection between science and art.

An ugly plane ... Oh, how deplorable is the fate of its creators. Their offspring cannot see the sky!

We must attribute this principle to any kind of scientific and technical activity. Only harmony - a combination of beauty and rationality - gives true results in any field of creativity.

The latter also applies to the outstanding Odessa eye doctor N. Filatov, welding specialist B. A. Smirnov-Rusetsky, candidate of technical sciences M. D. Sterligova, Moscow mathematics professor A. T. Fomenko. Their paintings are innovatively fresh, and their craftsmanship is beyond doubt.

They are inspired by high aspirations, about which Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko spoke beautifully:

“There are many similarities between mathematics and painting, science and art. And most importantly, the scientist and the artist go to the discovery of the unknown, not known before them, and having made this discovery, they carry others along with them.

Isn't this the law of creativity? After all, it extends not only to painting, but also to poetry. Many scientists, designers write poetry and not only for family albums.

The publishing house "Soviet Russia" published two editions of the poetic book "The Muse in the Temple of Science". The poetry of scientists is widely represented in it. Among them is the poet Oleg Antonov.

And interestingly, many of the poets were also presented in the catalog of the exhibition "Scientists Draw". They are poets, artists, and scientists. What about their critics? Oh, they're almost always just critics.

All day long, people crowded at the entrance of this exhibition, wanting to join the mystery of creativity in many areas.

Scientists develop new theories. Scientists draw. Scientists write poetry. Scientists are creating… The guests of the exhibition are dizzy. But in them - reflections of eternal secrets and sacraments.

The guest book at the exhibition "Scientists Draw" contains poems by Candidate of Biological Sciences N. Bromley.

It is a lie that there is no poetry in science.

In the reflections of the great world

Hundreds of colors and sounds will catch the poet

And the sorceress-lyre will repeat.

A true scientist is also a poet,

Ever thirsty to know and foresee.

Who said that there is no poetry in science?

You just need to understand and see.

To understand and see... To leave in memory this good dozen paintings by the late President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician A. N. Nesmeyanov, who also wrote more than 300 poems. He, an outstanding organic chemist, needs these beautiful landscapes and still lifes as much as a sip of spring water, as a heart impulse, as deeply poetic lines about the essence of life.

Poetry and painting helped the founder of space biology, the innovator Alexander Leonidovich Chizhevsky. Creating his famous theory of the influence of solar cycles on life, the scientist wrote (or heard from above?) Beautiful poems and painted romantic landscapes. By the way, such giants as Vladimir Mayakovsky, Valery Bryusov, Maximilian Voloshin appreciated his poems.

And does not the work of Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev tell us about the same connection between science and art? The outstanding physicist, who led the construction of the world's first nuclear power plant, was both a poet and a kind of artist. In addition to the most important theoretical articles on nuclear physics, Blokhintsev more than once published original theoretical articles on the nature of creativity, emphasizing the similarity of creative processes in science and art.

Everyone knows that Lenin's comrade-in-arms, the pioneer of the electrification of our country, Academician Gleb Maksimilianovich Krzhizhanovsky composed poetry. The words of the famous "Varshavyanka" belong to him. Until now, new works by the revolutionary scientist, written by him in prison and exile, are being discovered.

And here are the lines of poetry by another scientist - an outstanding Soviet geneticist, Academician Nikolai Petrovich Dubinin. How figuratively he writes about the majestic river, where he once worked as an ornithologist, being exiled to the Urals during the years of repressions for his commitment to genetics on the slander of Academician Lysenko:

At the dawn of the Urals my blue-blue,

Like Damascus steel in silver.

Bending, he cuts the desert,

Swans calling for spring.

The poems of the Hero of Socialist Labor, Academician Igor Vasilyevich Petryanov, a chemist, world-famous specialist in the field of aerosols, are interesting:

These hands can do everything.

If you want, I'll build a whole world with them, -

These, skillful, mine ...

And how many songs I wrote with them -

These skillful, mine ...

After all, these hands can do everything.

Yes, these hands can do everything.

But I did not keep you with them -

These skillful ones, mine,

Though these hands can do everything.

What brevity and what poetic power in these repetitions of the image of omnipotent and such powerless hands.

And, finally, the poems of another outstanding scientist - the Hero of Socialist Labor, Academician Nikolai Alekseevich Shilo. A geologist, he worked for many years in the East and the Far North - that is why his literary works are devoted to the harsh nature of this region.

Cold sky and pale moon

The unheated sun above the earth.

There is no village here, not even a threshing floor -

The harsh world leaned over me.

This frozen land is dear to me,

On a blizzard day, ringing in the wind,

When the blizzard swept open spaces.

Like a mother's hut, waking up in the morning.

Involuntarily I want to ask a question:

Who is the physicist here? Who is the lyricist?

They have grown together in a single image of a talented person. This creativity illuminates his face with its light.

And here are the verses from the same book by Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov. He called them "The Sound of the Rain".

The rushing sound of the rain

Getting stronger, getting stronger...

Only this noise - not noise -

It's the music of the rain!

Drops are falling, flowing

On the stems, sliding to the ground,

By blade of grass, by blade of grass

Drops jump, shining,

Merging into streams

They run down the trunks to the ground

And from leaf to leaf

This is the music of the rain.

Dance of pearls in the branches.

Jumping, falling, flowing

Under the roots of warm moisture,

Dissolving the salt of the earth.

Silky noise and ringing -

Silence the music of the rain.

Fine comb, fine comb

Rain combs the winds.

Puddles black with anxiety

They look into the dark sky.

... The restless noise of the drip.

Quiet rain music.

The sense of beauty does not change the poet, who has been building airplanes all his life.

How to understand your statement about a beautiful plane? - Antonov was once asked.

It seems to me that in our aviation it is felt especially clearly, - Antonov answered the dull interviewer. - a close relationship between high technical excellence and beauty. We know perfectly well that a beautiful plane flies well, and an ugly one does not fly well, or even does not fly at all. This is not superstition, but a completely materialistic position. This is a kind of natural selection within our consciousness. For many years, some purely technical, calculated and experimental, proven solutions have been developed. Having this partially even subconscious information, the designer can often go from beauty to technology, from aesthetic solutions to technical solutions.

According to Antonov, his artistic education is also of great importance in the designer's work.

That's why being able to draw, he says, is so important to a designer. That is why the designer, when talking with the designer, does not part with the pencil. Talking, explaining, he draws. A few touches - and the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe design becomes clearer ...

No wonder Diderot, the head of the French encyclopedist philosophers of the 18th century, stated:

"A nation that will teach its children to draw as much as to read, count and write will excel all others in science, arts and crafts."

How true! The fact that Oleg Konstantinovich knew painting in all its subtleties, understood art, is clear from his correspondence with the commander of the French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron in 1977.

“Dear Mr. Pierre Poulard!

I cordially congratulate you on the award of the international Lenin Prize for strengthening peace among peoples.

I take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful gift that brought me great joy. It is doubly valuable to me: firstly, as a masterful reproduction of one of the early works of the Impressionists; secondly, as the work of our great friend, the commander of the glorious Normandie-Niemen squadron.

I really love the art of the Impressionists, who made one of the greatest revolutions in art, I admire their steadfastness in defending their aesthetic convictions, their vision of the world.

There are quite the name of Bertha Morisot is rare.

Don't you think that, despite the relatively modest role in the development of Impressionism, her works, at least those that I managed to see, now, after a hundred years, seem surprisingly modern?

We know very little of her work. However, not a single painting by Berthe Morisot is mentioned even in the wonderful broadcasts.

It seems to me that someday it will be “discovered”, as, for example, Jan Vermeer of Delft was “discovered”.

I am sending you transparencies of some of my amateur works: Our Land, Catastrophe.

With best wishes, sincerely yours Antonov.

Antonov ardently supported the unknown artist Alexei Kozlov, whom he knew and whose work he highly appreciated.

A letter from the academician addressed to the director of the State Tretyakov Gallery with a request to support a talented person has been preserved.

Here is the letter:

“Ten years ago I got acquainted with the works of Kozlov, a very peculiar and deeply national artist.

He is a simple soldier, a participant in the Second World War, upon returning to his village Pyshug in the Kostroma region and graduating from an art college, he devoted himself entirely to painting.

For many years he lived in poverty, lived from hand to mouth ...

One of his works, in my opinion, deserves to be acquired by the State Tretyakov Gallery headed by you.

We are talking about a portrait of his friend - forester Kipriyan Zalessky. This is not a portrait of an individual. This is a collective image of a Russian person, seen through the prism of the whole amazing history of our people. The thing is both poetic and deeply philosophical. Her painting is excellent. It may well be put on a par with the world's best portraits by Velazquez, Valentin Serov, Modigliani, Nesterov. The portrait of Kipriyan Zalessky is, like everything else written by him, at his home, in the workshop: Savelovsky per., 8, apt. 6.

Antonov.

The example of the artist Kozlov is not unique.

Many cases are known when Oleg Konstantinovich stood up for artists.

His view of painting was original and, of course, original.

Looking at the picture, Antonov said, look for a projection where all the lines converge at one point. Find it, then everything will be instantly enlightened. This is the wonder of art. Then Platonov's painting "It's snowing" suddenly starts to warm you up. And vice versa, the painting "Fire" is cold. This is the magic of painting, concludes Antonov.