L&M Resin Kits

Rogozarski Ik-3 production 1/72

The IK-3 prototype is finished in the Spring of 1938. and the first test flight was made on April 14.th 1938. The plane was flown by Captain Milan Bjelanovic and the other pilots from the Test Group. On January 19th 1939. the aircraft crashed which resulted in the death of the test pilot, Captain Milan Pokorni. The Testing Commission investigated the wreckage and concluded that the cause of the crash is the shed of the windscreen in the steep dive which resulted with the pilot confusion and puling the commands too sharply, causing the breaking of half of the starboard wing. The loss of the prototype, did not delay the production of 12 IK-3, which was orederd from Rogožarski A.D. factory. By request of the command, next changes were made: The wing and fuselage construction were strenghtened, the landing gear is improved with one piece u/c doors, the cockpit layout and instrument panell were changed, the middle flaps section was modified to serve as aerodynamical brake, armor was improved. First serial plane, which was also a second prototype was flown by factory test pilot Milos Gagaic on December 24th 1939. All 12 serial IK-3 were delivered to the 51st Independent group of the 6th Regiment in Zemun on July 8th 1940. 161. and 162. Squadron were wquiped by 6 IK-3 each. During the ffirst year in service one IK-3 was lost, on September 3rd 1940., when the plane, piloted by the Captain Anton Ercigoj fell into a spin at low altitude and dived into the Dunav and Sava river mouth, beneath the Belgrade Kalemegdan fortress. The engine group modifications was intented by mounting the DB-601A, Rols Royce Merlin II and Hispano Suiza 12 Y 51 engines on the IK-3 Airframe. Only the DB-601A modification was made, but Rogožarski factory workers destrroyed the unfinished aircraft and another 25 IK-3 airframes when the German units closed in on Belgrade. The IK-3, two seat-trainer version is also projected, but never realised. Only six from 12+1 IK-3 were in service in the morning of April 6th 1941. Structural data: Stell tube fuselage structure with wooden stringers, covered with metal (forward) and fabric (rear). Sliding plexiglas canopy. Wing and tailplane, wooden structure covered with Bakelite glued plywood, protected withsynthetic resin varnish. Fully retractable undercarriage, with Messier shock absorber units. Three blade, Hispano Suiza built Hamilton Standard, right shaft, constant speed propeller (prototype and first six production aircrafts) and ratier units on the next six aircrafts. Ventral engine cooling radiator system, developed from ik-2.