SAM-11 and SAM-11bis, A.S.Moskalev

Light amphibian, built as 3-passenger liaison aircraft for VMF. It used wing, tail and some other parts of SAM-10, with added fixed floats and wells for wheels retracting upwards. Landing gear was one of the SAM-5bis, but could be raised pneumatically. Single experimental MM-1 engine was installed on a single thick strut above the fuselage.

Fuselage - wooden, covered with sealant and fabric. Use of wood and accent on reliability resulted in some excessive weight (empty SAM-11 was 200kg heavier than SAM-10, but it was not a concern for liaison aircraft. Passenger cabin access was through the hatch aft the wing, pilots cabin was accessible through the canopy and port side cutout.

Trials proved poor overall performance. SAM-11 refused to climb above 100m and had dangerous handling, which resulted in a minor flight accident. Test of a scaled model in a wind tunnel revealed destructive impact of the thick engine strut. Changes in the engine mounting cured the problem, and resulting performance was quite good. But for production version mass-built engine was a necessity, and experimental MM-1 was replaced by MV-6.

After necessary modifications were introduced (together with some weight saving efforts), aircraft was presented to joint factory/State trials in September 1940 (pilots P.V.Yakovlev and A.N.Gousarov). performance was similar to the predecessor, but military lost interest to the project, while low payload (22%) provided SAM-11bis no chances with civil GVF.

Abandoned.

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