Two simple rules for life: Know Thyself, take nothing in Excess - Socrates
KNOWLEDGE CENTER
Amazing country. Amazing people
By Dr. Volodymyr SENCHENKO
I would like to tell about one event that at first glance was of minor significance, an event that didn't draw a lot of attention from the world's mass media. Even Ukraine's mass media gave only short reports about it.
In the early spring of this year the assembly of the fuselage of a new passenger jet, the AN-148, was completed at Kyiv Aviation Plant ANTK "Antonov". This plant is usually a manufacturing operation. While, the operation is usual this production aroused unusual interest. The executives of many air transportation companies of Ukraine and Russia were present at the ceremony of the completion of the fuselage. These were the directors of the airline companies that are capable of purchasing minimum 200-300 new jets of this series. Among the guests was Mr. Oleksiy Isaikin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of a large air transportation company "Volga-Dnipro". Such potential customers' attention to the production process of this jet is a sensation and is a subject of jealousy among competitors of the Kyiv Aviation Plant ANTK "Antonov" - manufacturers of world-known types of jets. Why such unusual attention to a usual production operation? How is it to be explained? First of all, due to the normal depreciation of airplanes manufactured during Soviet times, the time is coming when they will need to be exchanged for new planes. Air transportation companies are looking beforehand for substitutes for the "veterans" - old airplanes. Airplane An-140 that is already in mass production and meets the new needs of air transportation companies. This jet is capable of carrying 70-80 passengers onboard, it is a comfortable plane for its passengers, and the jet can fly up to 5,100 kilometers at a speed of 820 km per hour. Secondly, this machine is one of the "AN" series of airplanes that are already being manufactured (AN-140 and AN-74 are already being mass manufactured). All these airplanes satisfy pretty well the needs of modern aviation. Finally, the authority of Ukrainian airplane constructors played an important role here. After all, only Kyiv airplane constructors created and are building the super cargo plane AN-70. A similar model of this plane is now being designed in Europe. Therefore, potential buyers came to observe the regular production operation at the Kyiv Aviation Plant ANTK "Antonov" in order to witness for themselves the real production capabilities of the plant and to consider purchasing the airplanes taking into account their price and time necessary for fulfillment of purchase orders. However, in my opinion, this event arouses interest not only just for the above mentioned reasons. The reason is that Ukrainian airplane manufacturers produce brand-new airplanes within extremely short periods of time and use almost only their own resources, without outside financing. The terms for completion of construction can impress any engineer. Just consider this: the designing of this airplane - AN-148 - was started in 2001, and already by the end of this year plans call for complete manufacturing of an experimental series of these planes. In spring of the next year their flight tests will begin. And this is all being done under the severe economic conditions existing in the country. The state managed to finance only 22% of the cost of the project. The rest was covered by resources of the enterprise itself and some Russian investors who took a risk by investing their money in this prospective project. It's worth remembering that lack of finances is compensated by enthusiasm, the strive to survive in this highly technological sector of the economy, and a desire not to become a retail trader of foreign second-hand "airplane" parts and materials in the market of Ukraine. Threat of unemployment and poverty has become for Ukrainians a rather powerful drive for creativity and efficiency. Professionals from high-technology sectors of military equipment production told me that they use their own resources for creation of new models of equipment and pass them to the Ministry of Defense for symbolic payment so that the latter will approve production of new equipment. In most cases the Ministry refuses to approve production of such equipment because it hasn't ordered to the creation of it! But if one wants to sell some equipment in foreign markets, it is necessary to manufacture and demonstrate it. The companies that don't need permission (production of military goods requires permission) are in a much better position. The "Antonov" plant is such a company and can form its range of products itself. Today such enterprises amaze the world with their developments. It's not unusual that while commenting about the employees of the "Antonov" plant, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of "Volga-Dnipro" said that in the territory of the former Soviet Union there is only one design bureau that is capable of creating airplanes under present existing complicated economic conditions. In my opinion, this is the only plant in the whole world that is capable of creating a whole new series of new airplanes under severe economic conditions in a country that has been independent for only 12 years. At least, I have never heard about such other similar examples.
