"Ukrpovitriash". First Steps

February 21, 1923, can be considered the starting point of the history of the first domestic airline, "Ukrpovitriash." On that day, M.L. Stamo, the head of the transport department of the authorized body of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Trade of the Ukrainian SSR, and V.Yu. Youngmeister, the head of the Air Fleet Department of the Ukrainian Military District, wrote a letter to the People's Commissariat of the Ukrainian SSR proposing the creation of a Ukrainian organization to engage in air transportation.

Just a week later, in Kharkiv, the then capital of the Soviet Ukraine, a meeting was held in Stamo's office, attended by practically everyone who could help establish air connections. Military personnel, government officials, and representatives of commercial structures that emerged due to the new economic policies of the Bolsheviks were present.

It's not surprising that such a disparate company viewed the initiation of an exotic form of transportation for that time in various ways. The new Soviet businessmen turned out to be the most pessimistic, especially when they heard that at least 500,000 rubles in gold would be needed to start the venture, and the government had no intentions of seeking such an astronomical sum. To temper the hopes of party "comrades" for assistance from the non-state sector, the chairman of the All-Ukrainian Consumers' Cooperative Union, Vitman, immediately stated that it was "impossible to withdraw such funds from trade turnover now."

No serious economic arguments in favor of the venture were articulated. However, there were plenty of fervent appeals and stories about the wonderful fruits this endeavor would bear. Youngmeister was particularly eloquent. He passionately declared, "Civil aviation can be used as a school for military pilots or as a kind of reserve."

Considering the international situation, this was a compelling argument, and the meeting concluded with the acknowledgment: "Establishing air communication in Ukraine is timely and extremely urgent." However, reaching a final decision on the forms and funding of this "organization" proved elusive.

Although the government of the Ukrainian SSR had no intention of financing such a costly project from the state budget, it generally viewed it positively. And quickly, various departments received instructions to explore the idea. Following the economic "trend" of the time, it was decided to establish a joint-stock company for air transportation. To cope with the myriad organizational issues, an initiative group led by Stamo and Youngmeister embarked on vigorous activity. The process was lively, although there were occasional unpleasant setbacks. For instance, it took two attempts to convene the constituent assembly.

Finally, the assembly took place on April 11. Mostly representatives of various state institutions, enterprises, and organizations attended. They adopted the statute of the Society, which was named "Ukrpovitriash". Later, the spelling "Ukrpovitroshliakh" was also used. It is worth noting that despite the policy of Ukrainization being implemented in the Ukrainian SSR at that time, most of the documents of the new Society were in Russian, and the predominantly used name was the Russified "Ukrvzdushput" or just the abbreviation UVP.

The Society's management board was elected at the constituent assembly. It was headed by the chairman of the Higher Council of National Economy of the Ukrainian SSR, V.M. Ksandrova. In fact, he was a "ceremonial general," while the practical management was handled by Stamo and Youngmeister.

However, regular passenger air transportation was still far away. One of the main problems was the acquisition of aircraft. The domestic industry could not provide the necessary equipment, so reliance on foreign supplies remained. The choice was between aircraft from German companies "Junkers" and "Dornier". The former offered the already popular F.13, while the latter offered the new Komet II. The "Dornier" aircraft turned out to be significantly cheaper, and the company, which was not overloaded with orders, was more flexible in negotiations. So it was decided to purchase six machines from them.

The "Komet II" was an all-metal low-wing monoplane with a smooth skin, unusual for that time (mostly corrugated skin was used, which was lighter). The crew consisted of only one pilot, whose open cockpit was located on top of the fuselage, behind the engine. A more comfortable enclosed cabin was provided for four passengers. The aircraft could accelerate to a maximum speed of 160 km/h and cover 500 km.

The contract for the supply of "Comets" was signed on June 6. The first two aircraft were to be equipped with 185-horsepower BMW-IIIa engines, and the others with more powerful Rolls-Royce Falcons with 240 hp. The total contract amount was $78,000 (almost one and a half million today). The parties seemed to have agreed on everything, but then there were many organizational, financial, technical problems, and simple misunderstandings. As a result, the desire of the management of "Ukrpovitriash" to open the first navigation in 1923 remained just a desire.

Although the USSR had been formed only six months earlier, the all-union regulations were already in place. This was especially true for the armed forces, defense industry, and foreign trade. Therefore, the affairs of "Ukrpovitriash" could not do without coordination with Moscow officials, if only because civil aircraft were considered part of the military reserve. Upon receiving each aircraft, the leaders of the Society even signed a "Solemn Obligation and Receipt," which, among other things, stated: "The Society 'Ukrvzdushput' solemnly undertakes to use the aircraft accepted by it for operation on air routes of Ukraine with the greatest benefit for the Workers' and Peasants' Government and the workers of the Republic. At the first request of the Government, in case of threat to the country and revolutionary conquests, the aircraft will be immediately transferred to the Military Department."

Receiving the airplanes, which included test flights, took place in Moscow. The first "Comet," with temporary registration RR-16, landed at the scientific research airfield at Khodynka on July 4. The second aircraft arrived twenty days later. Experienced military pilot P.H. Mezheraup conducted the tests and accumulated numerous observations about the foreign technology. The process dragged on. The leadership of "Ukrpovitriash" even began to threaten the German side with sanctions. Then, in early August, the Dornier company sent its chief test pilot, H. Zinsmaier, to the scene. The lanky pilot completed six successful flights in three days, showcasing the Comet's best qualities.

Following this, the Dornier representative, Dr. Weiss, wrote to Youngmeister: "...I assert that the 'Comet' not only meets the requirements of the contract but also surpasses them in some aspects..., and the shortfall in speed and ceiling was due to poor weather and 'accidental overloading' of the aircraft - there was an extra passenger on board."

Finally, on September 14, a protocol for the acceptance of the first two aircraft was signed. They were given state registration marks RRUAA and RRUAB, as well as their own names painted in Russian on the sides. The first aircraft was named "Donetsk-Zheleznodorozhnik," in honor of the trade union of the Northern Donetsk Railway, which had subscribed most successfully to Ukrpovitriash shares. The second was named "Ukraine" (OAVUK) - this Russian abbreviation stood for "Society of Aviation and Aeronautics of Ukraine and Crimea."

It was time to ferry the "Comets" to Kharkiv, and it was not without incident. On September 26, near Kursk, the engine of the RRUAB aircraft stalled, and only Zinsmaier's skill allowed the machine to land on the nearest available field. However, the propeller, left landing gear strut, and right fuselage were damaged, and the fuselage received dents. Taking advantage of this accident, the Ukrpovitriash management negotiated a $4,000 discount with the Germans before finalizing the contract.

The acceptance of four "Comets" with Rolls-Royce engines took place in October and went almost without incident. However, there was one strange episode, mentioned in the archives by Swedish researcher Lenart Andersson. It is still unknown why, but one of the aircraft arrived in red Moscow painted in the yellow-blue colors of the Ukrainian national flag! Analyzing the results of Dornier's cooperation with Ukrpovitriash, the German consul wrote in his report that the company made a big mistake by delivering an aircraft in the colors of the "Petlyura government." Of course, the "Comet" was quickly repainted, and to avoid such incidents in the future, the Ukrpovitriash management demanded that Dornier only paint the aircraft blue.

Following the example of the first two "Comets," this quartet also received not only state registration but also their own names, again inscribed in Russian. The RRUAC aircraft was named "Kharkov Metallist," in honor of the metalworkers' union of the Kharkiv region, RRUAD - "Krasny Khimik," in honor of the workers of the Kyiv Porcelain-Faience-Glass trust, RRUAE - "Kharkov Proletarian," in honor of the Kharkiv labor unions, RRUAF - "Vneshtorg," in honor of the foreign trade institution of the Ukrainian SSR.

Finally, on November 18, a grand ceremony was held in Kharkiv for Ukrpovitriash to receive their long-awaited "Comets." It ended with rides for the eager on the airplanes.

In fact, winter had already set in, and at this time of year, regular passenger routes were not operational. Therefore, the beginning of air transportation had to be postponed until the following spring, while efforts were made to improve the infrastructure of air routes and resolve other organizational issues left over from the tumultuous 1923.

Rostyslav Marayev

Photo:

1 - Passenger aircraft Dornier Komet II during testing at the research airfield. Summer, 1923.

2 - The first aircraft in the "Ukrpovitryashlyakh" aviation park was the "Comet" with the state registration RRUAA.

3 - A rally during the ceremony of receiving aircraft by "Ukrpovitryashlyakh". Kharkiv, November 18, 1923.