1-EA

The 1‑EA was the first original aircraft designed and built by the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the early 1920s. Conceived by a team led by Nikolai Zhukovsky’s protégé, V. E. Polikarpov, the monoplane served as a testbed for the institute’s pioneering research on aerodynamic stability and control. First flown on 12 June 1923 at the Moscow‑Khodynka airfield, the 1‑EA featured a wooden fuselage with a rectangular wing of 10.2 m span, covered in fabric, and was powered by a 120 hp Anzani 6‑cylinder radial engine. Its innovative control system employed interchangeable ailerons and a variable‑incidence tailplane, allowing engineers to assess a range of longitudinal stability configurations in flight. Over the next two years the aircraft completed more than 150 test flights, providing data that directly influenced the design of subsequent TsAGI models such as the TB‑2 bomber and the I‑16 fighter. Although only a single prototype was built, the 1‑EA’s contribution to aerodynamic theory and to the Soviet Union’s emerging aircraft industry was profound, marking the transition from imported designs to indigenous, research‑driven development. The aircraft is now preserved in the TsAGI museum, where it continues to inspire new generations of aeronautical engineers.

Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification