Antonov A-15 Explained

The Antonov A-15 is a Soviet mid-wing, V-tailed single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed by Oleg Antonov and produced by Antonov.^[1]

Design and development

The A-15 was a follow-on design, based on the bureau's experience gained with the A-11 and A-13 gliders. This new open class design quickly proved its worth as a record-setter.

The aircraft is made from aluminium. Unusually for a Cold War Soviet aircraft, its 171NaN1 span wing employs an American NACA 64-618 airfoil at the wing root, transitioning to an NACA 64-616 section at the wingtip. The A-15 carries 500NaN0 of water ballast. The landing gear is a retractable monowheel.^[2]

A total of 350 A-15s were built.

Operational history

The A-15 was used to set many world records, including a world goal distance record of 714.0230NaN0, flown in June 1960.

In August 2011, there was one A-15 registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States.^[3]

References

• Book: Shenstone, B.S.. The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II. 1963. Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. Zurich. 245–246. 1st. K.G. Wilkinson. English, French, German.
• Web site: A-15 Antonov. 8 August 2011. Activate Media. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829145351/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=460. 29 August 2012. dead.
• Web site: The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage. 8 August 2011. Lednicer. David. 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110719211726/http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html. 19 July 2011. dead.
• Web site: Make / Model Inquiry Results. 15 August 2011. Federal Aviation Administration. Federal Aviation Administration. August 2011. 17 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120917193124/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=505AN. dead.

External links

• A-15 Three view
• Photo of the A-15
• Video of A-15 landing

Notes and References

1. Web site: A-15 Antonov. 8 August 2011. Activate Media. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829145351/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=460. 29 August 2012. dead.
2. Web site: The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage. 8 August 2011. Lednicer. David. 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110719211726/http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html. 19 July 2011. dead.
3. Web site: Make / Model Inquiry Results. 15 August 2011. Federal Aviation Administration. Federal Aviation Administration. August 2011. 17 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120917193124/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=505AN. dead.