NIAI LK

The LK was a two-seat cabin aircraft designed and built in the USSR from April 1936.

Development

In 1930 the LIIPS formed a UK GVF, in turn the UK GVF formed the NIAI which became the focus of several good design engineers who were given command of individual OKB.
One of the most prolific designers at NIAI was Grigorii Ivanovich Bakshayev, who was assigned the lead in the design of the LK two-seat sport aircraft in 1936. Constructed from welded steel truss fuselage and wooden wings, the low-wing LK had a fixed tail-wheel undercarriage, a tandem two-seat greenhouse cockpit, and was powered by a single M-11 radial engine. Innovations on the LK included relatively large end-plates on the wings and interceptor spoiler type roll controls extending over the top surface of the wings.
The sole prototype LK was completed in July 1936, flight tests began in August 1936, and the LK also carried out a long-range flight to Moscow.

Variants

LIG-8 – The LIG-8 was derived from the LK with a re-stressed structure, a 300 hp MG-31 engine and a five-seat cabin. Flight testing began in 1937, and a small number were produced. Specifications for the LIG-8 were very similar to the LK but showed a marked increase in maximum speed,.