Well, first it was a trio Lavotchkin, Gorbunov and Gudkov... the first aircraft in the Line was the LaGG-3, the pilots talking about this aircraft as Лакированный, гарантированный гроб ... Varnished guaranteed coffin. The LaGG-3 was a underpowered and sluggish aircraft, aerodynamicly a compromise, far from good. In around 1941/42 Gorbunov and Gudkov leave the OKB, the reason is unknown for me.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...GG-3_Moscow.jpgYakovlev, as deputy minister of aircraft production in the war years told the OKB LaGG "The tree Musketeers", after the roman by Alexandre Dumas. The La 5 (end of 1942, first flown in combat over Stalingrad) ,
http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acimages/la5_nesvetaev.jpgand especcialy the La-5FN (1943, modified engine, better around vision)) are far superior
, the La 7 (1944) all metall and better streamlined aircraft and modified weapons,
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...8238008376).jpgThe La 9 and 11 are developments from the La 7...
Lavotchkin went on to construct fighters, but after the La 11, they never entered production. His last aircraft was the La 250 from 1958. The pilots called them "Anakonda", a good, interesting looking interceptor aircraft, but... not easy to fly.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Monino_2008.jpgSemyon Alekseyevich Lavochkin died June 9, 1960. He was at this time Major General (honorary) and deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He also became an Academician of USSR Academy of Sciences in 1958. He died in was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semyon_Lavochkin