In the middle of 1934 Nikitin proposed to build an amphibious aircraft with characteristics similar to those of the North American model Grumman G-15 Duck.
The Nikitin NV-4 (Russian: Никитин НВ-4) was designed as a two-seater biplane built of wood with a central float.
The double-spar wooden wings were rectangular in shape with rounded ends and were braced by N-studs and tension cables. The control planes and surfaces were covered with fabric. The upper plane was located in a sun visor configuration, resting on a structure fixed to the fuselage and had a split on the trailing edge to improve the pilot’s visibility from the cockpit. Each lower plane was attached to the sides of the fuselage junction structure with the central float. The upper wing featured ailerons and the lower landing flaps.
The fuselage was conceived with a semi-monocoque structure with a circular cross section. The rear region was conceived using glued sheets. The single-gear central float was inserted into the fuselage skin to form an integral whole. The plywood covering reached 5 mm in the redient area and 3 mm in the upper part.
The tail section featured an empennage constructed of fabric-wrapped duralumin. The tailplanes were braced to the empennage structure by means of rigid uprights.
The landing gear was of the conventional type. The main landers were retracted into cavities located in the sides of the floats. The tail wheel was located in the posterior region of the redient. The retraction system was manual, using a crank.
The two crew members were located in tandem in a closed cabin with ample glazing. The cabin presented equipment for carrying out night flights.
The selected power plant was the M-11 piston engine of only 100 hp, carefully faired and a two-blade propeller.
The construction was carried out in Moscow in 1936. The NV-4 prototype showed quite good results in flight, so it was decided to use the NV-4 as the basis for the development of a military model as a reconnaissance seaplane that unsuccessfully participated in the unofficial contest for embarked aircraft developed in 1939, which was won by the Beriev KOR-2.
Soon Nikitin would be assigned to fulfill new tasks, so the work on the NV-4 could not be continued.
NV-4
Powerplant: 1 × 100 hp M-11
Wingspan: 10.80 m
Wing area: 28.50 m²
Length: 8.70m
Empty weight: 825 kg
Normal takeoff weight: 1090 kh
Power Load: 10.9 kg/hp
Fuel and oil capacity: 90+15 kg
Wing loading: 38.2 kg/m²
Maximum speed at sea level: 160 km/h
Landing speed: 65 km/h
Accommodation: 2
All Aero 