The Sh-1 multipurpose flying boat was structurally a strut-braced one and a half-glider with cantilever lower wing-floats, which gave the aircraft additional lateral stability on the water. The aircraft had an 85 hp Walther air-cooled engine. from. with a pulling propeller.

June 21, 1929 - the first flight, and August 31, 1929 pilot B.V. Glagolev and mechanic N.N. Funtikov made a flight to Moscow on it, taking off from the Neva and 5 hours later. 30 minutes after landing at the Central Airfield. According to the results of state tests carried out in September 1929, it was concluded that it was necessary to install a more powerful domestic engine.

A year and a half later, on November 11, 1930, a prototype Sh-2 with a domestic M-11 engine made its first flight. Flight tests of the Sh-2 were carried out by the same B.V. Glagolev.

Sh-2 design. Amphibian, flying boat-one-and-a-half-plane with an M-11 100 hp engine. from. on the upper wing, with a three-seater cab and with a lifting chassis, on the axles of which wheels or skis could be installed. The lifting and lowering of the chassis was carried out by means of a cable drive from the cab. The upper wing is strut-braced, its consoles could be folded back for easy storage of the aircraft. The plane could be suspended from a hook.

By type, scheme and design, this was the development of the Sh-1 amphibian, with slightly increased dimensions, but with the same dimensions of the cabin, in which two seats were placed side by side, and behind them there was still a significant volume where a seat could fit for one - two passengers.

The engine frame is welded from steel soft tubes. Gas tank capacity 330 l (for 11 hours of flight). The entire design of the aircraft was extremely simple and cheap.

The Sh-2 aircraft found wide application in flight schools and aero clubs as a training boat and amphibious, on the air lines of the North, Siberia and the Far East, was used in the Arctic, was on the ships "Chelyuskin", "Litke", "Krasin" and others for ice exploration. Used for fisheries, exploration and other expeditions, forestry and communications. The Sh-2 aircraft turned out to be one of the most durable in the world, it was used for more than thirty years - until 1964, not inferior to the U-2 (Po-2) aircraft, which had a record in durability.

In 1934, the production of Sh-2 at the plant was discontinued, but from 1939 it began to be produced in the GVF system, at repair bases. The total number of aircraft re-released since 1940 is several hundred. So the plane continued to live.

For such a long life, the plane has not remained unchanged. More powerful engines were installed on it (up to M-11L in 115 hp), the petrol system and its fittings were changed, the duralumin center section was replaced by a wooden one. A number of aircraft were equipped with a transparent canopy over the cockpit (1952) and a compressed air engine starting system was included in the aircraft equipment.

Photo	Description
	Drawing Sh-2
	Sh-2 A2707 in flight

Bibliography

• "The history of designs of planes in USSR 1938-1950" /Vadim Shavrov/