Glider and airplane builder

Vladislav Konstantinovich Gribovski (Russian: Владислав Константинович Грибовский) was born on September 7, 1899 in Saint Petersburg. Soon his parents died and Gribovski was forced to enter an orphanage in Gatchina where he would receive high school education. In 1909 during an excursion he visited the local airfield and according to his own statement, from that moment he fell in love with aviation. From an early age he began to read all the materials he found on aviation, made a series of model airplanes and helped the mechanics at the airfield. In 1919 he would leave the orphanage, joining the Red Army. He tried to enter the aviation school, but did not succeed, being assigned to the artillery courses in Petrograd. As part of a group of cadets from the school he would participate in combat against Yudenish, being wounded. In the fall of 1920 he was promoted to commander in the Second Moscow Artillery Brigade.

In 1921, he was finally able to enter the Yegorevsk Aviation Theoretical School. He would continue his pilot studies at the Kacha (Sevastopol) and Moscow (VAShL) flight schools in 1923. In 1924 he passed the Higher School of Aerial Shooting and Bombing in Serpukhov. In this way, in just three years, he passed the entire program of preparation courses and became a fighter pilot. Upon graduation in 1924 Gribovski would be assigned to serve in the 3rd Fighter Squadron based in Kiev.

VK Gribovski began flying gliders practically from the moment he joined the unit in Kiev.

In 1924 in Kiev he designed his first glider, the G-1. This aircraft was included in the list of competitors of the III National Sailing Competitions in Koktebel. After some short test flights, the 22 of September of 1925 the G-1 was hit by a gust of wind that destroyed land.

In 1924 he participated in the II National Sailing Competitions in Koktebel and was one of the first pilots who managed to keep his glider in horizontal flight for some time. In these tests, the category of pilot-planerista was established, which was reached after achieving 5 flights with a total duration of 60 seconds of which, at least one, had to exceed 30 seconds. The title of “paritiel” pilot or thermal exploiter was received by those who managed to keep their glider in flight without losing altitude for 3 minutes.

In the II National Competitions of 1924 Artseúlov, Gribovski, Zernov, Kalan, Kravtsov, Rudzig, Seregeyev, Tarasov and Yakovchuk received the title of pilots “paritiel”.

Gribovski became an instructor at the Serpukhov Flight School in 1927. In the workshops of this institution he would build his second glider, which was launched as G-2 in 1927. The G-2 would fly with great success in the IV, V and VI National Sailing Competitions, becoming one of the main Soviet training gliders in those early years.

In parallel with the G-2, Gribovski designed in 1926 a 4-seater transport glider that received the designation G-3 and was not approved. The G-4 was a never-completed project for a low-power Bristol Cherub-powered light aircraft, designed in conjunction with AB Yumashiev. Its construction also began in 1926 in the workshops of the Serpukhov Flight School. Following the transfer of the flight school to Orenburg, Gribovski would successfully build and fly the G-5 light aircraft.

The G-6 (1928) and G-7 (1929) gliders were also built in Orenburg. The G-7 was one of the best gliders among the participants in the VI National Sailing Competitions. In this glider, the renowned pilot VA Stepanchonok set the Soviet record for flight duration by staying in the air for more than 10 hours.

At the beginning of 1930 Gribovski was appointed head of the OSOVIAJIM Flight School in Moscow. Based on his initiative, the famous Túshino aerodrome was built and the OSOVIAJIM Central Aeroclub was created on the basis of the school. Towing tests of Gribovski’s G-2bis glider were carried out in the autumn of 1931 in Túshino and from their results the G-9 towed glider was built, which was manufactured in series and became one of the main training gliders. of the USSR in the pre-war period.

In 1931, in the workshops of the OSOVIA Flight School, Jim Gribovski would build the excellent G-8 light single-seater training aircraft. This small plane with a takeoff weight of only 483 kg and a 60 hp engine reached a speed of 150 km / h and a flight height of 3000 meters. In the autumn of 1932 the G-8 was used by the pilot D. Koshits to carry out a flight that covered a dozen cities in the USSR, covering a total of 4,500 km.

In 1932 Gribovski began working at the Bureau of Construction of Moscow (MKB) of OSOVIAJIM and a year later would steer. The MKB was financed from donation funds and was located in an apartment in the basements of building No19 on Sadovo-Spaskaya Street in Moscow. In addition to the MKB, the founders of the GIRD – creators of the first Soviet rockets – were also located in this basement. Currently at the entrance is a memorial plaque.

Under Gribovski’s direction, the G-512 and G-16 hydro-gliders were built. In the latter, for the first time in the USSR, a takeoff was made from the water in a glider, towed by a Shavrov Sh-2. Another interesting example was the G-14 towed glider, used for different tow tests. The G-14TsL-2A tanker glider was built on the basis of this model in the “Aviajim” factory for the first time in the world, conceived for long-distance flights from the refueling of the tow plane from the glider itself.

Also noteworthy are the G-15 light tourist aircraft and the G-22 and G-23 single – seaters. In the G-22 the pilot Ye. Miednikov set a world speed record in its category in July 1938 by reaching 165 km / h and pilot I. Grodzyanski in the G-23 set a height record of 7266 meters.

Among light Gribovski models include the G-20 in 1935. With a 100 hp M-11 engine this light aircraft reached 210 km / h and a ceiling of 4000 meters. In 1937, after the installation of a more powerful 150 hp engine, the pilots of the aero club began to perform high school acrobatics on this airplane.

In 1938 on the basis of the MKB OSOVIAJIM and the glider factory, the Experimental Department (Opitni Otdiel – OO) was created under the leadership of Gribovski. Its latest models for OSOVIAJIM were built in this department: the G-26 fast plane and the G-27 twin – engine trainer . This latest model was designed as a crew trainer for the newly introduced Túpolev SB and Ilyushin DB-3 bombers. Although the G-27 in weight did not exceed the Polikarpov U-2, it introduced a two-seater cabin for the pilots and a glass nose for the navigator. This aircraft presented excellent performance but was too demanding in piloting, so it was not considered suitable for teaching. The builders proposed to improve it, but this was never realized. At the beginning of 1939 the glider factory was closed.

The Glider Factory of the OSOVIAJIM, in which the Gribovski models were built, was closed in March 1939 and its facilities transferred to Professor Lievkov, who would build air-cushioned aircraft there. The experimental department was dissolved and Gribovski went into the reserve of the Aviation Directorate of the Union of Defense and Aviation Assistance Societies-Chemical Construction of the USSR (OSOVIAJIM). Through his own efforts, Gribovski managed to be transferred to the system of the Commissariat of the Aeronautical Industry (NKAP). Initially, in December 1939, a new Construction Bureau was created as a subsidiary of Factory No.301. This new organization was based on a garage under construction belonging to the “Mosvoyentorg” located in the Pavshino village, belonging to the Moscow suburbs.In March 1940 Gribovski was appointed to command the newly created OKB-28 and by May 22 of next year the Gr-28 “Krechet” (TI-28) training fighter had been created under his leadership. The cockpit of this trainer had been configured to allow training in day and night flight. The TI-28 featured a synchronized ShKAS machine gun, a photo-machine gun and a collimator for aiming. Under the wings it could carry training bombs of up to 40 kg. The beginning of the war prevented its production.

With the start of the war the OKB was tasked with building an 11-seater landing glider. To carry out this task, Gribovski asked only 2 months. AS Yakovlev thought the answer was not serious and asked the builder to put this in writing. Work on the new glider, known as Gr-29 (serially as G-11), began on July 7 and its maiden flight was made on September 2. After a week of test flights, its series production was decided. This model was produced until June 1942.

When the production of the G-11 ceased in 1942, the OKB-28 collective was integrated into the technical staff of Factory No. 471, re-destined to produce the Yakovlev Yak-6. Gribovski was placed at the disposal of the Commissariat for the Aviation Industry.

For the invaluable contribution of his planners in the tasks of support to the guerrilla groups of Belarus, Vladislav Cheranovski was one of the few Soviet servicemen in the rear to be awarded the 2nd rank “Guerrilla of the Patriotic War” medal.

In 1943, production of the G-11 was re – established in Ryazan, where Gribovski was appointed chief builder and factory manager. The production of this model was maintained until 1948 in different versions.

In these years Gribovski would work on the development of an improved version of the G-11 glider, which, called G-31, was not approved because priority was given to the Moscaliov SAM-28 (which would not be produced either).

In 1946 he would work on the 3 and 6 ton transport glider projects that would not be built either. A year later Gribovski would be tasked with designing a two-seater training glider with spacious cabins located in tandem. Two specimens were produced that began to fly in the spring of 1948. The dissolution of Gribovski’s KB prevented further work.

In 1948 Gribovski would present a new design for a primary training two-seater aircraft with tandem seats and a 90 hp M-10 engine, conceived to participate in the light aircraft competition promoted by DOSAV. This would be his last “official” job. In 1948 his KB had been disintegrated as part of the process of reorganization and contraction of the aeronautical industry.

After the liquidation of the Construction Bureau (KB) in 1948, Gribovski received proposals to go on to work in the Scientific-Technical Committee of the VVS, to dedicate himself to the development of aeronautical technology. Declining this proposal, he requested his retirement from the ranks of the Red Army, passing to the reserve with the military rank of colonel.

In later years he would participate in various sports glider projection competitions and would work on sports boat design, photography and painting.

Vladislav Konstantinovich Gribovski designed 20 gliders and 14 airplanes between 1925 and 1948, not counting the unrealized or finished projects. Virtually all of his designs were successful and some of his gliders were mass-built. Their small collective included specialists including VV Abramov and BK Landyshev.

It should be noted that despite his activity as an aeronautical constructor, Vladislav Gribovski flew actively. He was generally the first to test his designs in flight. He personally participated in various aviation competitions, public demonstrations and propaganda flights.

Most of his designs, built basically in wood, were characterized by their simplicity. For this same reason, their models did not stand out for their performance, but in all cases they were characterized by their robustness and ease of maintenance.

Gribovski was a great defender of the airplane accessible to anyone and fought for the development of sports and tourist aviation.

The pilot and aeronautical constructor Vladislav Gribovski passed away in 1977.