Perhaps you’ve already caught a glimpse of its tail fin over the trees. Here we are face to face with the Iljuschin IL-62. This particular IL-62 has a fascinating story. It is not soaring through the skies but is grounded near the Völkerschlachtdenkmal in Leipzig.
The Iljuschin IL-62 first took flight in January 1963. It became the Soviet Union’s first long-range jet airliner. The first one entered service on March 10 1967 with Aeroflot. Production continued until 1999. A total of 292 of these planes were built. As of October 2015 only 14 were still in active service.
This Il-62 is a classic example of Soviet engineering. The Il-62’s design includes a low-wing configuration and a full-metal construction. The fuselage has an oval shape and a pressurized cabin. Up front five crew members managed this beast of a plane.
Navigator and radio operators sat behind the pilots facing sideways. The passenger cabin was divided into two sections. A galley sat between these sections at the wing level.
Two doors were on each side of the front fuselage. Two emergency exit doors sat over the wings. Toilets luggage compartments and radio equipment filled the tail section.
The Il-62 has four engines mounted at the rear. This design choice had advantages. It allowed for a cleaner wing design. Simpler construction reduced vibration. It also made the plane easier to control if an engine failed. The rear engine placement shifted the center of gravity backward. This required a ballast tank for balance.
The tail is a T-shape because of the engine placement. The landing gear includes a tail strut. When extended this strut prevents the plane from tipping backward during loading. The strut also allows the plane to reverse using thrust reversers. It could even turn on a narrow runway.
The Il-62 included advanced navigation equipment. This allowed long-distance flights even without ground-based systems. By 1985 all Il-62s in service were modernized. This included updated navigation and noise reduction.
The Il-62M variant came out in 1971. It featured stronger more efficient engines. These Solowjow D-30 engines improved fuel economy and thrust reversal. The payload capacity also increased by six tons.
Interflug the airline of East Germany operated 15 Il-62s by 1990. After Germany’s reunification many Il-62s were sold on the used market.
This particular Il-62 once served Interflug with the registration DDR-SEF. The aircraft here in Leipzig was converted into a restaurant. Sadly the restaurant closed in 2022. It is now planned to repurpose it for childcare. This is for a nearby refugee accommodation center.
So the Iljuschin IL-62 stands as a symbol of aviation history. It reminds us of its past life and the promise of a new chapter.