Michael Stroukoff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1883-01-29)29 January 1883 Dnipro, Russian Empire |
| Died | 22 December 1973(1973-12-22) (aged 90) Trenton, New Jersey |
| Spouse(s) | Larissa Stroukoff, Lorraine Wolff Stroukoff |
| Engineering career | |
| Significant design | Fairchild C-123 Provider |
Michael Stroukoff (29 January 1883 - 22 December 1973) was a RussianWhite Guard soldier and an American architect andaircraft designer. He served in the White Army during theRussian Revolution before emigrating to theUnited States in 1922. After spending some time as anarchitect, he joined theChase Aircraft Company and designed a number of transport aircraft for theUnited States Army Air Forces and theUnited States Air Force, later starting his own company to perform furtheraeronautical work.
Born 29 January 1883 inYekaterinoslav (Dnipro), a city in theRussian Empire (now part ofUkraine), Stroukoff attended theKiev Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1908[1] with a degree in civic engineering.[2] Joining theRussian Army, he saw service duringWorld War I, then after the war he served in theWhite Army during theRussian Revolution, attaining the rank of Major and being awarded theOrder of St. George of the Fourth Degree.[3] With the defeat of the Whites by theBolsheviks, he fled Russia and emigrated to the United States in 1922.[2][4]
Following his emigration, Stroukoff started a career inarchitecture andinterior design,[3] before being appointed chief engineer and president ofChase Aircraft upon its foundation.[5] His first design was theXCG-14, a wooden troop-carryingassault glider, which was developed into the largerCG-18 andCG-20 gliders, the latter being the largest glider ever constructed in the United States.[1][5]
Following World War II, the assault glider fell out of favour, replaced by powered transports, and Stroukoff modified a YG-18 into the prototypeYC-122, and a small number of the aircraft were built.[5] More important was the conversion of the G-20 into theC-123, described as a "Winged Truck" by Stroukoff.[4] While one version of the aircraft was the firstjet-powered transport built in America,[5] it was the piston-engined 'assault transport' version of the C-123 that won a contract from theUnited States Air Force for production; due to limited capacity at Chase, this was subcontracted to theKaiser Manufacturing Company, which purchased a 49% interest in Chase Aircraft.[5] However, following a procurement scandal and political issues,[6] the C-123 contract was awarded toFairchild Aircraft, and Kaiser bought out Chase Aircraft.[5]
Setting up a new company, theStroukoff Aircraft Corporation, Stroukoff continued work on improved versions of the C-123, most notably theYC-134, however none of them would go into production, and in 1959 the company closed down.[5]
Stroukoff died at the age of 90 inSt. Francis Hospital inTrenton, New Jersey on December 22, 1973.[2][7]
The Larissa Stroukoff Memorial Trophy, awarded by theSoaring Society of America for the highest speed recorded on a closed course in aglider during theU.S. National Open Class Soaring Championships, was designed by Stroukoff.[8]