Polikarpov PM-1

The Polikarpov PM‑1 was one of the first Soviet‑designed civil aircraft, emerging from the experimental workshops of Nikolai Polikarpov in the early 1920s. Conceived as a light transport and mail‑carrier, the PM‑1 first flew in 1923, shortly after the Russian Civil War when the fledgling Soviet aviation industry sought reliable, low‑cost machines to connect remote regions. The airframe was a high‑wing monoplane of wooden construction, covered with fabric, and powered by a single 120 hp Shvetsov M‑11 radial engine mounted at the nose. Its spacious cabin could accommodate two passengers or a modest cargo load, while the fixed, split‑axle undercarriage provided rugged ground handling on unprepared fields. Aerodynamic simplicity and ease of maintenance made the PM‑1 popular with regional airmail services and the early Soviet Air Force, which used it for liaison duties. Although only a handful were built, the type demonstrated the practicality of small, domestically produced aircraft and set a precedent for later Polikarpov designs such as the R‑5 and I‑16. The PM‑1 therefore occupies an important place in Soviet aviation history as a bridge between wartime trainers and the commercial fleet that would later expand across the USSR.

Nikolai Polikarpov

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Design & Classification