BI-1

a rocket plane; first Soviet plane with a liquid rocket engine. A monoplane with a low wing and a take-off mass of 1.5 tons with a fuel reserve (nitric acid and kerosene) of 500 kg. The wing span was 7.5 meters. It was developed by A. Ia. Berezniak and A. M. Isaev in 1941–42 under the guidance of the chief designer V. F. Bolkhovitinov. On May 13, 1942, pilot G. Ia. Bakhchivandzhi made the first test runs of the BI-1, and on May 15, 1942, he made the first flight in this plane. In 1942–43 a number of flights were carried out in the BI-1 with a velocity of up to 800 kilometers per hour. The flights of the BI-1 marked the birth of Soviet jet aviation.