EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT MILITARY AIRCRAFT A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site BI-1 (Bereznyak-Isayev 1) The Soviet Union's first high-speed rocket plane. Developed during World War II, it used a liquid-fueled engine built by Aleksei Isayev (1908-1971) with a thrust of 1.5 tons. The maiden flight of the BI-1, following accidents in ground runs of the rocket engine, came on May 15, 1942, lasted three minutes, and reached a speed of 400 km/h. Problems with corrosion, caused by the acid fuels, slowed testing. On its seventh flight, in March 1943, the aircraft reached 800 km/h (unofficially breaking the world speed record) but then experienced a previously unencountered tendency to pitch down and crashed, killing the pilot. Plans to put the plane into production were abandoned, and rocket plane development in the Soviet Union only resumed with the testing of German designs after the war. Related categories    • EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT    • MILITARY AIRCRAFT Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP