Emelyanov KIM-3 Stakanovets
The Emelyanov KIM-3 Stakanovets was a Soviet two-seat glider from the 1930s. It was one of the first high‑performance sailplanes to use forward‑swept wings and became famous for setting several distance records.
Designed by V. Emelyanov and named after the celebrated miner Alexey Stakhanov, the Stakanovets flew for the first time in 1936. It was a tandem, wood‑and‑fabric aircraft with a shoulder wing. The rear cockpit was placed near the aircraft’s center of gravity but in front of the wing to give the pilot a clear downward view. The forward sweep helped prevent tip stalls and made handling easier for a two‑seat glider.
The wing used a flat‑bottom CAGI RII airfoil and was built around a single main spar. It tapered strongly in plan form, with a taper ratio of 0.18. Near the roots, plywood covered the wing ahead of a diagonal sub‑spar, and further out the plywood ran around the leading edge to form a D‑shaped torsion box. The rest of the wing and the half‑span ailerons were fabric covered. Wing tips were elliptical and down‑turned to protect the wing on the ground.
The fuselage had an elliptical cross section and was plywood covered. Both cockpits were ahead of the wing, each with its own canopy under a continuous roof. The tail was also ply covered, with a narrow, straight-edged tailplane and broad fabric‑covered elevators. The fin was ply covered with a semi‑circular, fabric rudder. Landing was on a shallow skid rather than a wheel.
The Stakanovets helped popularize forward‑swept wings in two‑seat gliders. It set several international distance records in the late 1930s and early 1940s, including 619 km in 1938, and notable goals and distance records for women in 1939–1940. One glider was even displayed at the 1936 Paris Aero Show, underscoring its significance as a high‑performance two‑seater of its day.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:28 (CET).