First Kudashev-1 aircraft flight

The first flight of the Kudashev-1, recognized as the first Russian-designed aircraft to take to the skies, occurred on May 23, 1910—not June 5, 1910—under the guidance of its creator, Prince Alexander Sergeevich Kudashev. This pioneering event marked a significant milestone in Russian aviation history, as it was the first time a domestically designed airplane flew in Russia, preceding flights that had relied solely on foreign-built aircraft.
Alexander Kudashev, born on January 28, 1872, in St. Petersburg, was a professor at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute (KPI) and a member of an old princely family with Tatar origins. His passion for aviation developed amidst the burgeoning aeronautical scene in Russia. After graduating with honors from the Petersburg Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers in 1895 and gaining experience in railway construction, Kudashev’s interest shifted toward flight. By 1909, he had joined the Kiev Society of Aeronautics, a group formed from a student aeronautical circle at KPI, where he honed his skills and knowledge in aircraft design.
Inspired by a flight with Russian aviator Mikhail Efimov in France in February 1910 and motivated by Efimov’s successful flights in a Farman IV earlier that year, Kudashev set out to build his own aircraft. Construction of the Kudashev-1 began in early 1910, with Kudashev funding the project himself. He requested and received permission from KPI to erect a temporary shed near the institute’s chemical building for assembly. The aircraft, completed by mid-May 1910, was a biplane with a pusher propeller, weighing approximately 320 kilograms (705 pounds). It featured a wooden frame covered with rubberized canvas, a 35-horsepower Anzani engine, a front elevator, a rudder, and a tail stabilizer. The wing area spanned 32 square meters, providing the lift needed for its brief but historic flight.
On May 23, 1910, the Kudashev-1 was transported to the Syretsky Hippodrome in Kiev. In the presence of reporters, members of the Kiev Society of Aeronautics, and other onlookers, Kudashev piloted the aircraft, achieving a flight of several dozen meters at a low altitude—likely around 1–2 meters (3–7 feet). While the flight was short and not officially registered due to its informal nature, it was widely reported in Kiev newspapers and later detailed in aviation journals like Journal of Aeronautics and Aero-Automobile and Life. This event is celebrated as the first flight of a Russian-designed airplane, distinguishing it from earlier Russian flights on imported machines.
However, it’s worth noting that June 1910 saw other significant aviation developments in Russia. For instance, Igor Sikorsky, a student at KPI, flew his own aircraft design shortly after Kudashev, on June 3, 1910, and another flight by engineer Yakov Gakkel occurred in St. Petersburg around May 24 or 25, 1910. The confusion might stem from these concurrent milestones, but Kudashev’s flight on May 23 remains the earliest documented success for a Russian-built plane.
Kudashev went on to design subsequent aircraft, including the Kudashev-2 later in 1910, but his work was overshadowed by other aviation pioneers like Sikorsky. He died in 1917, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer whose Kudashev-1 proved that Russian engineers could contribute to the global race for powered flight. His achievement, though modest in distance and duration, symbolized the dawn of Russia’s independent aviation efforts.