Beriev Georgiy Mikhailovich: biography and photos

Among the outstanding figures of the Soviet Union, Beriev Georgy Mikhailovich occupies an honorable place. Perhaps his name is not known to everyone, but in the field of aircraft construction - it's a man of legend. He more than any of his colleagues succeeded in creating amphibian aircraft, which to date are among the best on the planet. They are issued under the brand "Be" (the first syllable of the surname of the creator). Beriev left descendants not only a lot of models of aircraft, but also a school in which his students continue to design seaplanes.

Childhood

On February 13, 1903, Georgiy Mikhailovich Beriev was born in the Georgian city of Tbilisi (Tiflis). His nationality is Georgian. His father's name originally sounded like Beriashvili. But since the overwhelming majority of Tbilisi residents were Russians, Mikhail Solomonovich felt not very comfortable and changed the name. All four of his children grew already Beriev.

The father of the future aircraft designer worked as a simple laborer, and his mother - Ekaterina Prokhorova (apparently, was Russian) - worked as a laundress.

Young George was very lucky with the school. Her director, being a great enthusiast, tried to provide students with a quality education, enriching the standard program. Children were constantly taken on excursions and expanded their horizons in various other ways. The impressions of the school years were forever remembered by Beriev. And a huge shock to his childhood was for him the flight of an airplane he had seen for the first time, committed by Sergei Utochkin. Perhaps, it was during that airshow that the boy had a dream about the sky.

But after graduating from school, fifteen-year-old Georgy Mikhailovich Beriev, went not to the pilots, but to the iron foundry. True, he worked there only a couple of years.

Education

The guy's parents, although they were very poor, believed that they owed education to their children. Therefore, they did everything possible for George to enter the Higher Primary School of Tbilisi. Studies were given to the young man easily, especially technical subjects. In 1916 Beriev successfully graduated from this school and immediately entered the other - railway, where he received a specialty in mechanics.

The boy did not manage to finish the school. The civil war grew stronger and Beriev Georgy Mikhailovich, being an ardent fan of the Bolsheviks, first joined the Komsomol, and then volunteered for the Red Army.

Only after a few years he managed to continue education. This time the choice fell on the Polytechnic in Tbilisi.

Dream of the sky

Analyzing the fate of an outstanding figure, today we can say that Beriev Georgi Mikhailovich was born "winged". The dream of heaven, which was born in childhood, became even more acute in my youth. The guy tried to enter the Egoryevskaya school of pilots, but did not work out - had to study at the Polytechnic. Only George was not one of those who surrendered. A year after his arrival, he found a compromise option, moving from Tbilisi to Leningrad, where the Polytechnic Institute had a shipbuilding faculty and an aviation department. Life was on the right track ... The dream was getting closer.

Students were practicing at the Krasny Pilchik plant, the largest aircraft manufacturer in the country. During the practice, the 27-year-old Beriev Georgiy Mikhailovich first climbed into the sky. However, so far only as a passenger.

Carier start

The 20-30s were marked by rapid development of hydroaviation in many countries of the world, including the Union. For the development of this sector, the Soviet government specifically created the OMOS (Marine Experimental Aircraft Building Department). A graduate of the Polytechnical Institute came here to work.

The next place of work of Beriev was a design bureau led by the French aircraft designer Paul Richard. Georgy Mikhailovich first held the position of calculator, and then designed the nodes.

The design bureau was functioning for three years and during that time it was not noted with any significant achievements. Therefore, the contract with the Frenchman was not extended, and the bureau was disbanded. Individual employees, among whom was Beriev, moved to TsAG TsAGI. Highly qualified specialist was entrusted here with the post of deputy chief of the sea department of the Central Design Bureau-39.

Beriev Georgy Mikhailovich works tirelessly and very soon creates a plane that in the next twenty years was indispensable in the aviation of the navy of the USSR. It is about the most mass apparatus of those years - the all-metal seaplane MBR-2.

Foreign experience

After the launch of the ICBM-2, its designer was noticed and noted by the government. The authorities decided that Beriev Georgiy Mikhailovich, whose biography was simply impeccable (born in a proletarian family, joined the party, fought in the Red Army), is worthy of traveling abroad for the purpose of adopting experience.

The trip lasted 6 months, and during this time Beriev had time to visit the aircraft manufacturing plants of England, France, Italy and even the United States of America. At home, the delegation of Soviet aircraft designers returned in July 1934.

Chief Designer of the Central Design Bureau of Marine Aircraft Building

After the return, Beriev was transferred to Taganrog, where he was creating the design bureau from the ground up at the aviation plant, occupying the position of chief designer.

The Taganrog period of Georgy Mikhailovich's activity includes such "brainchild" as the civil version of MBR-2 - MP-1, presented in two versions - for the transportation of passengers and cargo.

The employees of the plant managed by Beriev managed to create the first catapult amphibian KOR-1 in the USSR. The model was not perfected, but it was put into production.

Among the significant achievements of those years was also the upgraded ICBM-2, which received the "name" of the ICBM-7; MDR-5, created for marine long-range reconnaissance; The development of the KOR-2 apparatus, which belongs to the class of catapult monoplanes, and others.

The dream came true

Working in Taganrog, Beriev Georgy Mikhailovich - aircraft designer of the highest class, continued to dream of the sky. He wanted not only to create cruise vehicles, but also to manage them!

And then the idea comes to him to find like-minded people and create an aeroclub. It is conceived - done! The authorities made concessions to the eminent designer and assigned him two U-2 planes. On them all wishing to learn to fly. I got a "crust" of the pilot and Beriev.

In the future, he often sat at the helm, including his brainchild - MBR-2. And one day, even managing the latter, got into a difficult situation. The plane refused the engine, and the pilots had to put the device on water in bad weather conditions. Balancing on the waves, put in order the "heart of the bird", took off and arrived safely to the airport.

Thus, Beriev Georgy in practice has proved that he has created a worthy model. And yet, finally, his childhood dream came true!

The Great Patriotic War

Productive activity was treacherously interrupted by the invasion of the fascists. The Great Patriotic War began. Design Bureau Beriev evacuated to Omsk, where work continued on the vital country of KOR-2. Time was short, power rushed, although the true motives of her at first were incomprehensible.

Later it was found out that KOR-2 was supposed to perform the functions of a light bomber during sea battles. To this end, the bureau redid the model a little, and it was launched into batch production.

In 1943, when the design bureau was already working in Krasnoyarsk, the project of the first flying boat, created by Beriev, was dated. It was a ship of a new generation. But, unfortunately, he did not have time to fight. The first copy of the LL-143 (or Be-6) was assembled in time for the victory - in May of the 45th, and the country began production of apparatus in 1946. The production was carried out in Taganrog.

For a real breakthrough in the domestic aircraft industry Beriev Georgy Mikhailovich received high awards:

• 2 Order of Lenin.
• 2 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor.
• Medal "For Military Merit".
• Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."
• Jubilee medals.
• Nominative weapon.
• Stalin Prize of the second degree.
• State Prize of the USSR.

After the war

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the design of aircraft received a new round of development. The Taganrog KB released one model after another.

Beriev Georgiy Mikhailovich, whose photo was already familiar to readers of Soviet newspapers, soon after the legendary Be-6 presented the country with the Be-8 multipurpose seaplane, which for a long time served as a flying laboratory (underwater wings were tested on it).

The next brainchild of the bureau was the naval intelligence Be-P1, and after it came the turn to see the light of the Be-10, which for the first time was equipped with swept wings. The aircraft was presented during a crowded air show, and later on it twelve world records were made. True, the age of Be-10 turned out to be offensive, because the device was created from an extremely short-lived aluminum alloy.

The military industry developed all over the world, and nuclear submarines left the "podium". Their destruction is the goal that designers of amphibious aircraft should now pursue. And Beriev creates another masterpiece - Be-12, affectionately called "seagull". This unit could find and destroy submarines. For him, the designer received another award - the State Prize. "Seagull" gave the opportunity to establish forty-two world records.

Some departure from the "theme" was the creation, under the direction of Georgy Mikhailovich, of the P-10 projectile. He had nothing to do with amphibians.

Last years

The last years of his career Beriev dedicated to the creation of projects, most of which remained unrealized. Among them, for example, are the astonishing "ekranoplans" that can fly above any plane due to the air cushion. Some developments simply did not have time to take root, because they lost relevance. And others are still waiting for their time and still look fantastic.

In the late 1960s, after a repeated heart attack, Georgy Mikhailovich left the design bureau. But he does not sit idly by, continuing his analytical and research work. He tries to predict the future of aviation. He is a member of various scientific and technical councils of the country. Until very late days, Georgy Mikhailovich Beriev remains in the ranks. The Major-General left this world on July 12, 1979.

Heritage

A native of Tbilisi, the son of a simple laborer, a great dreamer and an indefatigable toiler has gone an interesting way. After himself left not only the legendary models of aircraft, which even put monuments (among such, for example, Be-6), but also a unique school. In the design bureau named after Beriev, the designs and models of airplanes that are navigating between the two elements - air and water - are being developed to this day. The school of Georgy Mikhailovich is the world leader in the field of hydroaviation.

The teacher managed to throw good grains. And the soil turned out to be fertile ...