Hero of Socialist Labor (1966), Doctor of Technical Sciences (1945), winner of the Lenin Prize (1958) and the USSR State Prize (1968).
He was born on November 22 (9 O.S.), 1909 in the city of Irkutsk in a family of employees. Jew. From a young age, he became interested in aircraft modeling. He participated in competitions where his aircraft models won prizes.
In 1925, after graduating from the commercial school, he entered the Siberian Institute of Technology (now the National Research University of Resource-Efficient Technologies “TPU”) in Tomsk. He took an active part in the work of the glider section. Together with his comrades, he built a lightweight single-seat glider and made his first flight on it.
In 1927, due to his background and denunciations, he was forced to leave school. He moved to Novosibirsk. For about a year he was a worker in a leather laboratory.
In 1928, he entered the mechanical faculty of the Don Polytechnic Institute in Novocherkassk (now the South Russian State Technical University (Novocherkassk Polytechnic Institute) for an aviation specialty. He devoted all his free time to aircraft modeling. In 1929, he became the head of the aerodynamics team at the Institute.
In 1931, after graduating from the Institute, on the recommendation of N.I.Kamov, he was hired at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) named after N.E.Zhukovsky. He worked as an engineer, head of the aerodynamics and experimental calculations team of the Special Structures Department. He participated in the development of autogyros A-7, A-12 and A-15.
In early March 1940, he was Deputy Chief Designer (N.I.Kamova) at the Screw Aircraft Factory No. 290.
In the autumn of 1941, he was sent to the First Correction Squadron of gyroplanes. As an engineer of this squadron, he takes part in the battles on the Western Front, where heavy artillery fire was adjusted from A-7 gyroplanes.
In the period from 1941 to 1943, he was evacuated to the village of Bilimbai (Pervouralsk city district, Sverdlovsk region). He was engaged in the improvement of combat aircraft, improving their stability and controllability. He traveled to front-line airfields to conduct tests. During the test flights, I was personally on the plane. Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1943.
In 1943, he returned with his family to Moscow. In the period from 1943 to 1947, he held the position of researcher, head of Laboratory No. 5 at TsAGI. He dealt with issues of aircraft stability, corkscrew and helicopter topics, and improving the combat properties of aircraft for more accurate destruction of ground targets. He upgraded domestic and Allied-supplied aircraft. He defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences. He led the design and creation of the GM-1 helicopter (prototype of the first domestic Mi-1 helicopter). The work was very difficult. The helicopter suffered a number of accidents, and a test pilot was killed in one of them. Nevertheless, M.L.Miles found the strength to continue his work. The shortcomings have been eliminated, the original ideas that are still used in helicopter construction have been implemented.
Since 1947, he has been the chief designer of the experimental Design Bureau for helicopter construction. In 1951, under his leadership, the first Soviet serial 3-seater Mi-1 helicopter was created. Since 1964, he has been the General Designer of the experimental Design Bureau for helicopter construction.
His team created the Mi-2, Mi-4 helicopters (awarded the gold medal at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958), Mi-6, Mi-8, Mi-10, V-12 (the world’s largest transport helicopter), Mi-14, Mi-24 and others. 60 world records have been set on helicopters of his design.
In 1962, M.L.Mil was awarded the prize “For achievements in the field of helicopter art” by the famous aircraft designer I.V.Sikorsky for achieving the speed record with the world’s most lifting helicopter Mi-6.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 22, 1966, for outstanding services to the development of Soviet aviation, M.L.Mil was awarded the title Hero of Socialist Labor with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal. He developed the fundamental principles of the aerodynamics of rotorcraft. He was a very gifted man. He spoke several languages brilliantly. He was fond of music and painting. In the last years of his life, he devoted a lot of effort and energy to refining and testing helicopters for the army, in particular the Mi-24, whose first flight took place in the fall of 1969.
He died on January 31, 1970 in Moscow after a serious long-term illness. He was buried in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region at the cemetery of the village of Yudino.
Laureate of the Lenin (1958) and State (1968) Prizes, Doctor of Technical Sciences (1945), Professor (1967).
Awarded 3 Orders of Lenin (07/12/1957, 07/22/1966, 11/21/1969), Orders of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree (09/16/1945), the Red Banner of Labor (11/21/1959), the Red Star (11/16/1944), medals.
The Moscow Helicopter Plant, streets in Moscow and Kazan, and Moscow Secondary School No. 1738 are named after M.L.Mil.
In 2009, a bust of M.L.Mil was installed at the intersection of Aviakonstruktor Mil Street and Zhulebinsky Boulevard in Moscow. In Moscow, memorial plaques have been installed on the houses in which he lived and worked, as well as in the city of Zhukovsky, Moscow region, on the territory of TsAGI.