To the 120th anniversary of the genius of aviation! The most complete creative biography of the great aircraft designer, whose legendary Il-2, according to Stalin, “our Red Army needed air, like bread.” The true history of all projects of S.V. Ilyushin - both military and civilian, from the first experimental models of the 1930s. to modern airliners. Few designers manage to create more than one truly legendary aircraft worthy of entering the “major league” of world aviation. The Ilyushin Design Bureau has more than a dozen such masterpieces. The unsurpassed Il-2 is rightfully considered the best attack aircraft of World War II, the Il-4 is an outstanding bomber, the Il-28 is “the pride of the Soviet aviation industry,” and the military transport Il-76 has been in service for 40 years! No less impressive are the triumphs of the well-deserved Design Bureau in the civil aircraft industry - the IL-96 successfully competed with the best foreign airliners, four aircraft bearing the name of Ilyushin were chosen by Soviet leaders, and the Il-96 is still “Air Force No. 1” of Russian presidents.