Sergey Ulyanin. Sergey Alekseevich Ulyanin (, ( 1871, Moscow — 13 October 1921, London) was a Russian aircraft designer and military pilot, a pioneer of military use of aerial photography and commander of the Russian Air Force in 1917-1918.

Life 
Born into a family of gentry of the Moscow Governorate. He spoke English, French, German, studied Spanish and Esperanto. Ulyanin graduated from the 2nd Moscow Cadet Corps named after Nicholas I. In 1894 he finished 3rd Alexander Military school becoming an infantry podporuchik.
In 1895 he started his aviation career after studying at the Aeronautical Training Park in St. Petersburg and appointment to the aeronautical detachment of the Warsaw fortress, which he went on to command in 1905. In the same year 1895 Ouilanine started designing man-lifting kites to be used for military observation. A “kite train” of 7 to 10 conjoined kites of his design could lift four people.
In 1904, Ulyanin started research in remote control of aircraft, ships and land vehicles (in 1910 he patented a technology of remote control and in October 1915 a radio-controlled boat of his construction sailed from Kronstadt to Peterhof).
In 1908, he was granted a patent for a photo camera for automatic recording of photogrammetric data (in use until 1920s). 
In 1909, Ulyanin designed a two-engine airplane with a combination of three planes. 
In 1910, Sergey Ulyanin became one of seven Russian officers sent to France to train as an airplane pilot. On 9 August 1910 he was fourth Russian soldier and eighth Russian to obtain a pilot’s license in France (number 181).
In early 1910, captain Sergey Ulyanin joins the brothers Vladimir and Alexander Lebedev to create PTA (St. Petersburg Aviation Partnership) which received a government contract to design a "foldable plane" that could be assembled within 2 hours. The reconnaissance plane PTA-1 was completed on 26 January 1911. It was based on Farman III but with a smaller wing area and a nacelle for the pilot and the observer. The aircraft received a prize at the St. Petersburg aeronautics exhibition of 1911.

 1911 — appointed chief of Aviation section of the Officers Aeronautics School.

In 1912, he elaborated the terms of a competition of devices for dropping bombs from airplanes and balloons.

 5 October 1913 — promoted to the rank of colonel.
 18 August 1914 — first director of the Military aviation school in Gatchina. 
 1915 — granted patent for the invention of a gyroscope.
 1915 — appointed head of Procurement Commission for aviation and aeronautics materiel.

 7 March 1916 — appointed to the position of Major general at the Military aviation school.
 1916 — granted UK patent for high sensibility electric relay.
 22 August 1916 — Deputy Head of the Directorate of Air Force.
 19 April 1917 — appointed first Chief of the Field Directorate of aviation and aeronautics at the Commander-in-Chief’s headquarters. 
 9 June 1917 — appointed Deputy Head of the Directorate of Air Force responsible for training.
 Autumn 1917 — Head of the Directorate of Air Force.
 March 1918 — sent abroad to liquidate the means of the Procurement Commission and organize a new Aviation Information Mission in UK, Italy and France. Emigration to Britain. His patents were assessed by the Royal Navy's D.C.B. Section.
He died on 13 October 1921 in London. Buried in Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries.

Awards 
Russian
 Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov) 3rd class in 1899
 Order of Saint Anna 3rd class in 1905, 2nd class in 1910
 Order of Saint Vladimir (4th class in 1913, 3rd class in 1915)
 His Imperial Majesty’s gratitude for exemplary service and performing special tasks in war circumstances (6 December 1916)
 Medal “In memory of the reign of the Emperor Alexander III”
 Medal “In memory of the 300th Anniversary of Romanov Dynasty, 1613-1913”
Foreign
 Legion of Honour Officer.

Family 
Son of a land owner in the village of Staraya Sitnya, Moscow Governorate Aleksey Ulyanin (1817—1879). One of his siblings was Nikolay Ulyanin (1850—1907), Engineer Major general, chief of the Central Asian Railway, killed in a terrorist attack during the revolution of 1905-1907.
Sergey Ulyanin was married twice. His first wife (1900) was Maria Mitrofanovna von Meyer (1878—1943), daughter of a nobleman, engineer Mitrofan von Meyer. Two children (Ludmila (1901—1977) and Irina (1906—1945) were born in this marriage. His second wife was Ludmila Mikhaylovna Martynova (1890—1970), daughter of the doctor Mikhail Martynov. The children born in this marriage were:
 Nina (1915—2008) — a designer, married to Henri G. Lejet.
 Marina (1919—2001) — a translator.
 Alexis (1920—2007) — British Army Major

Patents and articles 
 Привилегия № 16266 Россия. Фотографический аппарат для автоматической записи фотограмметрических данных // С. А. Ульянин (Россия). — № 35392. Заявл. 31.03.08; Опубл. 30.11.09. 3 с.: илл. Группа V1;
 Привилегия № 19222 Россия. Прибор для вычерчивания кривой линии / С. А. Ульянин (Россия). № 42622; Заявл. 19.02.10; Опубл. 27.09.11. — 5 с.: илл. — Группа V/VI;
 Охранительное свидетельство № 42800 Россия. Складной разборный змей // С. А. Ульянин (Россия). Заявл. 04.03.10;
 Охранительное свидетельство № 42806 Россия. Парусная каретка, служащая для управления с земли или автоматического подъёма и спуска фотографических аппаратов и иных приборов / С. А. Ульянин (Россия). Заявл. 04.03.10;
 Привилегия № 29425 Россия. Гироскоп / С. А. Ульянин (Россия). — № 68091; Заявл. 30.11.15; Опубл. 20.07.17. — 3 с.: илл. — Класс 42с;
 Привилегия № 29275 Россия. Разборная палатка для аэропланов / С. А. Ульянин (Россия). — № 57239; Заявл. 26.03.13; Опубл. 29.04.17. — 2 с.: илл. — Класс 62с;
 Patent 110569. England. MKI. Improvements in or relating to Electric Relays / Serge Ulyanin (Russia);
 HASELNINE Co (England, USA) № 14957/16; Заявл. 20.10.16; Опубл. 22.10.17. — 3 л.: илл;
 Прибор для воображаемой стрельбы при пособии тиражных чисел // Артиллерийский журнал. — 1899. № 7. — СПб. — С. 663—672.: илл. 9.
 Описание фотограмметрического аппарата и таблиц Ульянина — Изд. ГИУ, 1909; Новости по авиации // Записки Императорского Русского Технического Общества. —1912, вып. 10. — С. 344;
 Проект способа оценки аэропланов на военном конкурсе // Техника воздухоплавания. — 1912. № 4. — С. 213—216, 232;
 Метод оценки аэропланов // Записки Императорского Русского Технического Общества. 1913. № 8-9. — С.235 — 236;
 Современный военный флот. — Пг. — Изд. Семёнова, 1914. — 26 с.: илл.

References 

 Изобретатель Сергей Ульянин // Естественные и технические Науки, № 4 (7), 2003. — С. 118—123, (История науки и техники).
 
 
 Турьян В. А. О возможных лётно-технических характеристиках двухмоторного самолёта, изобретённого С. А. Ульяниным в 1909 году // Доклад на заседании секции История авиации и космонавтики Национального комитета РАН по истории науки и техники 21.12.1992.
 Турьян В. А. Полёты полковника Ульянина // Воздушный флот, 07/2004 (154).
 Турьян В. А. У истоков практической аэродинамики // Актуальные проблемы современной науки, № 5, 2003.
 Ульянин  Анализ конструкторской деятельности С. А. Ульянина // Из истории авиации и космонавтики. Национальное объединение историков естествознания и техники. АН СССР. Вып. 60, 1990.
 Ульянин Ю. А. Организаторская, популяризаторская и просветительская деятельность пионера русской авиации С. А. Ульянина // Из истории авиации и космонавтики. Вып. 65, 1994; Ульянин Ю. А. Ульянин С. А. // Авиация. Энциклопедия. , 1994.
  Секция «История авиации».
 Ульянин Ю. А. Потомки Московских бояр Ульяниных // Материалы Юбилейной научно-общественной конференции «Первые московские градоначальники и московское боярство: традиции и современность». : «Пресс-Соло», 1998.
 Ульянин Ю. А. Сергей Алексеевич Ульянин. Труды о жизни и деятельности. : Компания Спутник +, 2005.
 Ульянин Ю. А. С. А. Ульянин — пионер русской авиации // Труды научных чтений, посвящённых памяти И. И. Сикорского — Moscow-, 25—29 мая 1999. Секция «История авиации».
 Ученики С. А. Ульянина // Труды научных чтений, посвящённых памяти И. И. Сикорского — Moscow—, 25—29 мая 1999. Секция «История авиации».
  Секция «История авиации».

External links 

 The day Tsar Nicholas II met Brockley aviator
 Let's go fly a kite - and put a camera on it, too
 Grave in Ladywell Cemetery
 Visual Dictionary (in Russian)
 
 Conquerors of the Russian skies (in Russian)
 Sergey Oulianine and his contribution to the development of Russian aviation in (Russian)
 

1871 births
1921 deaths
Engineers from the Russian Empire
People from Moskovsky Uyezd
Nobility from the Russian Empire
Imperial Russian Air Service personnel
Aircraft designers
Aviation inventors
Aerial reconnaissance pioneers
Russian military personnel of World War I
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class
Officers of the Legion of Honour
Military personnel from Moscow