Antonov An-8 Camp - Development

The design of the tail section of the fuselage with a large cargo hatch (length - 7.4 m, width - 2.95 m) caused a special complexity in the design. Under the leadership of E.A. Shahatuni the team first developed a technique for strength calculation, and then built its exact model (to the last rivet!) in a scale of 1:10.

The experiment turned out to be successful and the "games" with the models continued - to test various parts of the future aircraft, to check the mechanisms involved in the landing, 2 models were produced at a scale of 1: 5 with dynamically similar cargo models suspended under them, suspended under the An-2F wings, and the model in scale 1:10 was installed between the wings of the carrier aircraft. Only after thoroughly testing all the nuances on the models, having checked the calculations and various methods of safe landing of people and equipment, proceeded directly to the design of the An-8 air transport proper.

The An-8 was designed for 1 year and built in 1.5 years. In early February 1956, it was transferred to flight tests, on February 11, it ascended into the air. Factory tests continued until October 2, 1956, then the plane was handed over to state tests, which ended in late November of the same year. The last test flight An-8, already with some modifications of the design, was made on October 30, 1957, after which the aircraft was launched into series production.