This book is the most complete creative biography of Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin, restoring the history of all projects of his famous design bureau, 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 the Second World War, 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 “silts” successfully competed with the best foreign airliners, four aircraft bearing the name of S.V. Ilyushin was chosen by Soviet leaders, and the Il-96 is still “Air Force No. 1” of Russian presidents.