Mi-8
Medium multipurpose two-engine helicopter of metal construction with non-retractable "tricycle" landing gear. At the end of the fifties, the designer Mikhail Mil proposed a new twin-engine helicopter to the leadership of the USSR, but the leadership was satisfied with existing helicopters such as the Mi-4 and Mi-6. Nikita Khrushchev was impressed during his visit to the USA in September 1959 with the Sikorsky S-58 presidential helicopter. He ordered the construction of a helicopter that would impress the American president on his return visit to the USSR. This gave rise to the designer Mil to continue working on a new helicopter with two engines.
After the first single-engine prototype took off in July 1961, and after four more prototypes, mass production in Kazan began in late 1965. It was originally used for civilian purposes and later for military purposes in almost 70 countries. It is one of the two most produced helicopters in history, and is still being produced today. The helicopter has evolved into several dozens of civilian and military variants. It was used in nearly 70 countries of the world, and about 17,000 copies were produced in all variants, which makes it one of the two most produced helicopters in history. It was used for all the tasks that modern helicopters fulfill in civil and military aviation.
It was introduced into the armament of the Yugoslav Air Force on April 24, 1968, under the designation HT-40. In the 119th regiment in Niš, a more modern variant under the designation Mi-17 is still used. Since the end of the sixties, it has been intensively used in wars around the world, in civil wars in the former Yugoslavia and during the NATO aggression in 1999. Out of about a hundred used examples (one is a salon version), a few of these helicopters were given by the Air Force to the Auto-Moto Association as a medical helicopters for the rescue of seriously injured people in traffic accidents, where they are equipped for immediate first aid and resuscitation during the flight to the hospital. As the decision was made to allocate one Mi-8 (ref.no.12208) to the Museum, it was flown directly from the unit on 15 June 2002 and landed in position for display on the outdoor exhibition.
