DESCRIPTION

Ka-18 Soviet Civil Helicopter 1956 Year 

1/72 Scale

Plastic Model Kit 

Amodel 7252

Manufacturer: AMODEL

Material: Plastic

Condition: New in original packaging

Historical reference

Ka-18 (according to NATO codification: hog-“bors”)-a multi-purpose helicopter. The Kamov Design Bureau under the leadership of the chief designer Nikolai Ilyich Kamov was developed, M. B. Malinovsky was directly engaged in layout. It was a modification of the Ka-15 helicopter, which was distinguished by an elongated and expanded fuselage. Package: one pilot and two or three passengers.

He was awarded a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Brussels of 1958.

Four experimental copies of the Ka-18 were built in 1956-1957 at factory No. 938 in Lyubertsy-Ukhtomskaya. From 1959 to 1961, the production of Ka-18 helicopters was carried out at the Ulan-Ude aircraft factory No. 99. About 120 cars were built. Ka-18 was in operation for about 15 years from the date of their removal. Since the beginning of the 1970s, the Ka-18 began to actively replace with a newer model of the light-economic helicopter Ka-26. The last cars remained in operation until the mid-1970s.

The first Ka-18 helicopters began to arrive at the airlines of the USSR since 1957. The helicopter building in the USSR was, then, relatively, a young industry, so the development of helicopters of this type was difficult. Despite the unique "coaxial" scheme of Kamov helicopters, they were not devoid of constructive shortcomings. In addition to the lack of experience of the pilots, the initially weak AI-14V engine with a capacity of 210 hp affected, which did not give out sufficient power for normal flight. There was a lack in the design of the chassis themselves. So, when promoting the load -bearing screws, there was a probability of earthly resonance, and this could lead to the collapse of the supporting screws. The adjustment of the non -existent system resembled, rather, the finest tuning of a musical instrument and was complicated.

According to the results of the first years of operation, the manufacturer will receive complaints and crossed the engine up to 280 hp. In addition, the operation of this type of helicopter demanded that the newly reduced skill pilots and acute intuition. The whole increase in safety, a whole method of take -off and landing was developed. In fact, the operation of these machines, the first years was experimental. The write-off of Ka-18 helicopters began in the late 1960s and ended mainly by 1974.

With love from Ukraine