Mikhail Iossifowitsch Gurevich

Mikhail Gurevich ( Russian Михаил Иосифович Гуревич , scientific. Transliteration Mikhail Iosifovič Gurevič ; December 31 * 1892 ^{. Jul} / 12. January  1893 ^greg. In Rubanschtschina at sudzha , Kursk ; † 25. November 1976 in Moscow ) was a Soviet aircraft designer .

Life

His father was a mechanic and brandy distiller. From 1902 to 1910 he attended high school in Akhtyrka near Kharkov and enrolled in the mathematics faculty of Kharkov University in the same year. In 1911 he was excluded from studying because of his involvement in student unrest. He therefore went to France and matriculated at the University of Montpellier . During a home leave in 1914, the First World War broke out and Gurevich had to interrupt his studies, but took it up again in 1917 in Kharkov. During this time, the “Aist” and “Boomerang” gliders designed by him were built in the local flying club . Both took part in the Soviet gliding championships in Koktebel in 1924 . In 1925 Gurewitsch published the first instructions for strength calculations and instructions for the construction of gliders. Also in 1925 he finished his studies with a diploma in "aircraft construction".

From 1926 to 1929, since he could not find a job in aircraft construction, he worked on the development of ventilation systems for the association "Wärme und Kraft". At the end of 1929 he finally went to Moscow and found a job in the development group OMOS (Seaplane Experimental Construction Department) of Paul Richard , a French designer who designed seaplanes for the "AWIAPROM". Well-known designers such as Georgi Beriev , Nikolai Kamow , Sergei Korolev , Vadim Shavrov and Igor Tschetwerikow worked in this team . In 1929 the group planned the ocean-going torpedo flying boat TOM-1, which was rejected by Tupolev in favor of the TB-1P . Paul Richard therefore went back to France and his office was taken over by his deputy André Laville. After a period of badly planned restructuring attempts, Gurevich came to the Moscow Aircraft Plant No. 39 in 1932 to the group of Sergei Kocherigin . There he was significantly involved in the construction of the attack aircraft TSch-3 , which, however, did not get beyond the test stage.

In 1936 Gurevich traveled with a group of designers under Boris Lissunow to the USA to acquire the license for the DC-3 for the Soviet Union . The team spent 1½ years translating American measurements into the metric system. In the autumn of 1938 the developers returned to the USSR and prepared the production of the DC-3 under the designation PS-84 (later Li-2) in the aircraft plant No. 84 in Khimki near Moscow.

Tombstone of Mikhail Gurevich in Saint Petersburg

In 1939 Gurevich moved to his OKB at the invitation of Nikolai Polikarpows , where he made suggestions for improving the production of the I-153 . It was there that he met his future team partner, Artyom Mikoyan . This marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration. On December 8, 1939, the well-known Mikoyan-Gurevich design office was founded . The first model was the MiG-1 fighter from 1940.

In 1946 he was appointed chairman of the State Examination Board of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI).

In 1958 Gurevich became chief designer of OKB Mikoyan-Gurevich and remained so until his retirement in 1964.

Gurevich, who was never a member of the Communist Party, received his doctorate in technical sciences in 1964. The last model he worked on was the MiG-25 interceptor .

Gurevich provided the mathematical basis for the success of the Mikoyan-Gurevich design office. In particular, high speed, good climbing performance and high summit height were chosen as the basis for the calculations.

Gurevich received high awards for his work, including the Order of Lenin in 1963 and the Order of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1957 . He was awarded the State Prize in 1941 (for work on the MiG-1 ), 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952 and 1953.

literature

• L. Egenburg / A. Saweljew: The G in the word "MiG": Michail Josifowitsch Gurjewitsch. In: Fliegerrevue . No. 5 , 1993, ISSN  0941-889X .

Web links

Commons : Michail Iossifowitsch Gurewitsch  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Biography (russian)