Aircraft for one person. Personal aircraft: Jetpacks are on sale. Airplane with a steam engine

The dream of the conquest of air space by man is reflected in the legends and traditions of almost all peoples inhabiting the Earth. The first documentary evidence of human attempts to lift an aircraft into the air dates back to the first millennium BC. Thousands of years of attempts, work and reflection led to full-fledged aeronautics only at the end of the 18th century, or rather to its development. First came the hot air balloon, followed by the charlier. These are two types of aircraft lighter than air - aerostat; in the future, the development of aerostatic technology led to the creation of - airships. And these aerial leviathans were replaced by vehicles heavier than air.

Around 400 BC. e. in China, kites began to be used en masse not only for entertainment, but also for purely military purposes, as a means of signaling. This apparatus can already be described as a device heavier than air, having a rigid structure and using the aerodynamic lifting force of the incoming flow due to the jet air currents to maintain the aerodynamic lift in the air.

Aircraft classification

An aircraft is any technical device, which is intended for flights in air or outer space. In the general classification, lighter-than-air, heavier-than-air and space vehicles are distinguished. Recently, the directions of designing related vehicles, especially the creation of a hybrid of an air-space vehicle, have been developing more and more widely.

Aircraft can be classified differently, for example, according to the following criteria:

by the principle of action (flight);
on the principle of management;
by purpose and scope;
by the type of engines installed on the aircraft;
by design features concerning the fuselage, wings, empennage and landing gear.

Briefly about aircraft.

1. aeronautical aircraft. Are considered aircrafts lighter than air. The air envelope is filled with light gas. These include airships, balloons and hybrid aircraft. The entire design of this type of apparatus remains wholly heavier than air, but due to the difference in the densities of the gas masses in and outside the shell, a pressure difference is created and, as a result, a buoyant force, the so-called Archimedes force.

2. Aircraft using aerodynamic lifting strength. This type of apparatus is considered to be already heavier than air. Their lifting force is created already due to the geometric surfaces - the wings. The wings begin to support the aircraft in the air only after air currents begin to form around their surfaces. Thus, the wings begin to work after the aircraft reaches a certain minimum “actuation” speed of the wings. A lifting force begins to form on them. Therefore, for example, to get an airplane into the air or to descend from it to the ground, you need a mileage.

Gliders, airplanes, ground-effect aircraft and cruise missiles are vehicles in which lift is generated when flowing around a wing;
Helicopters and similar units, their lifting force is formed due to the flow around the rotor blades;
Aircraft with a load-bearing body, created according to the "flying wing" scheme;
Hybrid - these are vertical take-off and landing vehicles, both aircraft and rotorcraft, as well as devices that combine the qualities of aerodynamic and space aircraft;
Devices on a dynamic air cushion of the ekranoplan type;

3. tosmichesky aircrafts.These devices are specially designed to work without airspace with negligible gravity, as well as to overcome the gravitational force of celestial bodies, to exit into outer space. These include satellites spaceships, orbital stations, rockets. Displacement and lift is created by jet thrust, by throwing away part of the mass of the apparatus. The working fluid is also formed due to the transformation of the internal mass of the vehicle, which, before the start of the flight, still consists of an oxidizer and fuel.

The most common aircraft are airplanes. When classified, they are subdivided according to many criteria:

Helicopters are in second place in terms of prevalence. They are also classified according to various criteria, such as the number and location of rotors:

having single screw a scheme that assumes the presence of an additional tail rotor;
coaxial scheme - when two rotors are on the same axis above each other and rotate in different directions;
longitudinal - this is when the rotors are on the axis of movement one after the other;
transverse - the propellers are located on the sides of the helicopter fuselage.

1.5 - transverse diagram, 2 - longitudinal diagram, 3 - single-screw diagram, 4 - coaxial diagram

In addition, helicopters can be classified by purpose:

for passenger transportation;
for combat use;
for use as vehicle when transporting goods for various purposes;
for various agricultural needs;
for the needs of medical support and search and rescue operations;
for use as air-crane devices.

A Brief History of Aviation and Aeronautics

People who are seriously involved in the history of the creation of aircraft, determine that some device is an aircraft, primarily based on the ability of such a unit to lift a person into the air.

The earliest known flight in history dates back to 559 AD. In one of the states on the territory of China, a person sentenced to death was fixed on a kite and after launching he was able to fly over the city walls. This kite was most likely the first glider of the "wing-type" design.

At the end of the first millennium AD, on the territory of Muslim Spain, the Arab scientist Abbas ibn Farnas designed and built a wooden frame with wings, which had a semblance of flight controls. He was able to take off on this prototype of a hang glider from the top of a small hill, hold out in the air for about ten minutes and return to the starting point.

1475 - The first scientifically serious drawings of aircraft and parachutes are those made by Leonardo da Vinci.

1783 - the first flight with people in the Montgolfier air balloon was made, in the same year a helium-filled balloon rises into the air and the first parachute jump is performed.

1852 - The first steam powered airship successfully flew back to the starting point.

1853 - a glider with a man on board took off.

1881 - 1885 - Professor Mozhaisky receives a patent, builds and tests an aircraft with steam engines.

1900 - the first rigid Zeppelin airship is built.

1903 - The Wright Brothers perform the first truly controlled flights in piston-powered aircraft.

1905 - The International Aeronautical Federation (FAI) was established.

1909 - the All-Russian Aero Club, created a year ago, joins the FAI.

1910 - the first seaplane rose from the water surface, in 1915 the Russian designer Grigorovich launches the M-5 flying boat.

1913 - the founder of bomber aviation "Ilya Muromets" was created in Russia.

1918, December - organized by TsAGI, headed by Professor Zhukovsky. This institute will determine the directions of development of Russian and world aviation technology for many decades.

1921 - Russian civil aviation was born, carrying passengers on the Ilya Muromets aircraft.

1925 - ANT-4, a twin-engine all-metal bomber aircraft, is in flight.

1928 - the legendary U-2 trainer was adopted for serial production, on which more than one generation of outstanding Soviet pilots will be trained.

At the end of the twenties, the first Soviet gyroplane, a rotary-wing aircraft, was designed and successfully tested.

The thirties of the last century is a period of various world records set on aircraft of various types.

1946 - the first helicopters appear in civil aviation.

In 1948, the Soviet jet aviation was born - the MiG-15 and Il-28 aircraft, in the same year the first turboprop aircraft appeared. A year later, the MiG-17 was launched into serial production.

Until the mid-forties of the XX century, the main building material for the aircraft there were wood and fabric. But already in the first years of the Second World War, wooden structures were replaced by all-metal structures made of duralumin.

Aircraft structure

All aircraft have similar structural elements. For aircraft lighter than air - some, for vehicles heavier than air - others, for space - still others. The most developed and most numerous branch of aircraft are devices heavier than air for flights in the Earth's atmosphere. For all aircraft heavier than air, there are basic common features, since all aerodynamic aeronautics and further flights into space proceeded from the very first structural scheme - the airplane, aircraft in a different way.

The design of such an aircraft as an airplane, regardless of its type or purpose, has a number of common elements that are necessary for this device to fly. The classic scheme looks like this.

Airplane glider.

This term is called a one-piece structure consisting of a fuselage, wings and tail. In fact, these are separate elements with different functions.

and) Fuselage -it is the main power structure of the aircraft, to which the wings, empennage, engines and takeoff and landing devices are attached.

The fuselage body assembled according to the classical scheme consists of:
- the bow;
- central or bearing part;
- the tail section.

In the bow of this design, as a rule, there is a radar and electronic aircraft equipment and a cockpit.

The central part carries the main power load, the wings of the aircraft are attached to it. In addition, it houses the main fuel tanks, central electrical, fuel, hydraulic and mechanical lines. Depending on the purpose of the aircraft, inside the central part of the fuselage, there may be a cabin for the carriage of passengers, a transport compartment for storing transported cargo, or a compartment for placing a bomb and missile weapons... There are also options for tankers, reconnaissance aircraft or other special aircraft.

The tail section also has a powerful load-bearing structure, since it is designed to attach the tail unit to it. In some aircraft modifications, engines are located on it, and for bombers such as IL-28, TU-16 or TU-95, this part may have an air gunner's cabin with cannons.

In order to reduce the friction resistance of the fuselage against the incoming air flow, the optimal shape of the fuselage with a pointed nose and tail is selected.

Considering the heavy loads on this part of the structure during the flight, it is made of all-metal metal elements according to a rigid scheme. The main material in the manufacture of these elements is duralumin.

The main structural elements of the fuselage are:
- stringers - providing longitudinal rigidity;
- spars - ensuring the rigidity of the structure in the transverse relation;
- frames - metal elements of the channel type, having the form of a closed frame of different sections, fastening stringers and ailerons in a given shape of the fuselage;
- outer skin - pre-prepared in the shape of the fuselage metal sheets made of duralumin or composite materials, which are attached to stringers, spars or frames, depending on the aircraft design.

Depending on the shape set by the designers, the fuselage can create a lift from twenty to forty percent of the total lift of the aircraft.

The lifting force, due to which the aircraft is heavier than air, is kept in the atmosphere - this is a real physical force generated when the incoming air stream flows around the wing, fuselage and other structural elements of the aircraft.

The lift is directly proportional to the density of the medium in which the air flow is formed, the square of the speed with which the aircraft moves and the angle of attack that the wing and other elements form with respect to the incoming flow. It is also proportional to the area of \u200b\u200bthe aircraft.

The simplest and most popular explanation for the occurrence of lift is the formation of a pressure difference in the lower and upper parts of the surface.

b) Airplane wing is a structure that has a bearing surface for generating a lifting force. Depending on the type of aircraft, the wing can be:
- direct;
- arrow-shaped;
- triangular;
- trapezoidal;
- with reverse sweep;
- with variable sweep.

The wing has a center section, as well as left and right half-planes, they can also be called consoles. If the fuselage is made in the form of a load-bearing surface like that of an aircraft of the Su-27 type, then there are only left and right half-planes.

By the number of wings, there can be monoplanes (this is the main design of modern aircraft) and biplanes (An-2 can serve as an example) or triplanes.

By their location relative to the fuselage, the wings are classified as low-lying, mid-lying, overhead, "parasol" (that is, the wing is located above the fuselage). The main structural elements of the wing structure are spars and ribs, as well as metal sheathing.

Attached to the wing is a mechanization that provides control of the aircraft - these are ailerons with trim tabs, and also related to takeoff and landing devices - these are flaps and slats. The flaps, after their release, increase the wing area, change its shape, increasing the possible angle of attack at low speed and provide an increase in lift in takeoff and landing modes. Slats are devices for leveling the air flow and preventing turbulence and jet stalling at high angles of attack and low speeds. In addition, aileron spoilers can be installed on the wing - to improve the controllability of the aircraft and spoiler spoilers - as additional mechanization that reduces the lift and brakes the aircraft in flight.

Fuel tanks can be placed inside the wing, for example, as in the MiG-25 aircraft. Signal lights are located at the wing tips.

in) Tail unit.

Two horizontal stabilizers are attached to the tail of the aircraft fuselage - this is the horizontal tail and the vertical keel is the vertical tail. These structural elements of the aircraft provide stabilization of the aircraft in flight. Structurally, they are made in the same way as the wings, only they have a much smaller size. Elevators are attached to the horizontal stabilizers, and the rudder is attached to the keel.

Takeoff and landing devices.

and) Chassis - main device related to this category .

The landing gear. Rear bogie

Aircraft landing gear is a special support designed for takeoff, landing, taxiing and aircraft parking.

Their design is quite simple and includes a strut with or without shock absorbers, a system of supports and levers that ensure a stable position of the strut in the extended position and its quick cleaning after takeoff. Wheels, floats or skis are also available depending on the type of aircraft and the landing surface.

Depending on the location on the glider, different schemes are possible:
- landing gear with a front strut (basic scheme for modern aircraft);
- a chassis with two main struts and a tail support (an example is the Li-2 and An-2, which are practically not used at present);
- bicycle chassis (such a chassis is installed on the Yak-28 aircraft);
- a chassis with a front strut and a rear bar with a wheel extending upon landing.

The most common design for modern aircraft is a front strut and two main landing gear. On very heavy machines, the main legs are multi-wheeled bogies.

b) Brake system.After landing, the aircraft is decelerated with the help of wheel brakes, spoilers-spoilers, brake parachutes and engine reverse.

Propulsion power plants.

Aircraft engines can be located in the fuselage, suspended from the wings using pylons, or placed in the rear of the aircraft.

Design features of other aircraft

Helicopter.The ability to take off vertically and rotate around its axis, hover in place and fly sideways and backwards. All these are the characteristics of a helicopter and all this is provided thanks to a movable plane that creates a lift - this is a propeller that has an aerodynamic plane. The propeller is constantly in motion, regardless of the speed and in which direction the helicopter is flying directly.
Rotary wing.The peculiarity of this aircraft is that the aircraft take off due to the main rotor, and the speed gain and horizontal flight - due to the classically located propeller installed on the theater, like an aircraft.
Tiltrotor.This aircraft model can be classified as a vehicle with vertical takeoff and landing, which are provided by rotary TVD. They are fixed at the ends of the wings and, after take-off, rotate into an airplane position, in which thrust is created for level flight. The lift is provided by the wings.
Autogyro. The peculiarity of this aircraft lies in the fact that during the flight it relies on the air mass due to the freely rotating propeller in the autorotation mode. In this case, the propellers replace the static wing. But to maintain flight, it is necessary to constantly rotate the propeller, and it rotates from the oncoming air flow, therefore, the device, despite the propeller, needs a minimum speed for flight.
The aircraft is vertical takeoff and landing. Take off and land at zero horizontal speed using the thrust of the jet engines, which is directed in the vertical direction. In world aviation practice, these are aircraft such as Harrier and Yak-38.
WIG craft. It is a vehicle capable of traveling at high speed, while using the effect of an aerodynamic screen, which allows this aircraft to stay several meters above the surface. Moreover, the wing area of \u200b\u200bthis aircraft is less than that of a similar aircraft. An aircraft using this principle, but capable of rising to a height of several thousand meters, is called ekranolet.Its design features a wider fuselage and wing. Such a device has a large carrying capacity and a flight range of up to thousands of kilometers.
Glider, hang glider, paraglider.This aircraft is heavier than air, as a rule, non-motorized, which use lift for flight due to the air flow around the wing or the bearing surface.
Airship.It is a lighter-than-air apparatus using a propeller-driven engine for controlled movement. It can be with a soft, semi-rigid and hard shell. Currently used for military and special purposes. However, a number of advantages, such as low cost, high carrying capacity and a number of others, give rise to discussions about the return of this type of transport to the real sector of the economy.

With the current technological progress, you will not surprise anyone with such a phenomenon as an aircraft. But not every man in the street knows how the era of conquering the sky began and what level they reached modern technologies... Therefore, there is every reason to pay more attention to technology that moves in the atmosphere.

What can be defined as a device capable of flying?

Before moving on to more detailed information, it is worth finding out the meaning of key terms. An aircraft is a device designed to fly in the atmosphere of our planet and even in space. This technique is usually divided into three main types: models that are lighter than air, heavier and space.

In order for each type of apparatus to be able to fly successfully, the aerodynamic, aerostatic and gas-dynamic principle of lift is used. For example, an airship rises into the air due to the difference in the density of the gas inside it and the atmosphere itself.

The aircraft is controlled by the use of thrust and lift. This principle is vividly implemented in jet aircraft and modern helicopters.

How did it all begin?

Humanity began to take bold steps to overcome attraction a long time ago. But the world saw the first aircraft only after 1647. It was then that an airplane with a motor took off into the air, which made a full flight. In order for this device to be able to move, the Italian developer Titu Livio Burattini equipped his creation with two pairs of fixed wings, and equipped the other four (in the front and rear of the hull) with springs, which made it possible to use the principle of an ornithopter for flight.

Englishman Robert Hooke was also able to assemble a similar mechanism. His ornithopter successfully took off 7 years after the success of the Italian inventor.

In 1763, Melchior Bauer presented to the public a project according to which his apparatus had fixed wings and moved with the help of a propeller.

Significant is the fact that it was the Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov who was the first to develop and build a model that was heavier than air and worked on the principle of a helicopter equipped with coaxial propellers.

Almost a hundred years later, in 1857, the airplane of the Frenchman Felix du Temple made a full flight. This apparatus was set in motion thanks to an electric motor and a twelve-blade propeller.

Types of aircraft

As mentioned above, there are several types of devices that can overcome gravity: those that are lighter and heavier than air, as well as models that are designed to fly into space.

The devices that are considered to be heavy include such equipment as helicopters, airplanes, rotorcraft, ekranoplanes, gyroplanes, gliders and others. In this case, the lift required for flight is provided mainly by fixed wings and only partially by the tail assembly, as well as by the fuselage. Since the body of such devices is heavy, in order for the lift to exceed the mass of an aircraft or glider, it is necessary to develop a certain speed. It is for this reason that runways are needed.

In the case of helicopters, gyroplanes and rotorcraft, lift is generated by the rotation of the rotor blades. In this regard, such devices do not need a runway for lifting into the air, as well as for landing.

It is worth noting that, unlike helicopters, rotorcraft are lifted into the atmosphere by rotating both the main rotor and the propellers. Now there are many models of various designs. For example, some vehicles use a jet engine.

Light aviation

The desire to conquer the air space led to the development of technologies that allowed everyone to take off into the air. We are talking about ultralight aircraft (ultralight aircraft). This type of equipment differs in that its maximum take-off weight does not exceed 495 kg.

Moreover, such devices are divided into two main types:

Motor (gyroplanes, airshutes, ultralight helicopters, motor hang-gliders, parolet, amphibious-SLA, hydro-ultralight aircraft, motor-paragliders, hang-gliders and micro-planes);
- non-motorized (paragliders, hang gliders).

It is important to understand that balloons, balloons and parachutes do not fall into the category of "ultralight aircraft".

Such a direction of aviation as the ALS is very popular, in connection with which new models and types of this technology are constantly being developed.

Amateur projects

The passion of many inhabitants for free movement in the air is so strong that many enthusiasts independently assemble devices that can fly.

Of course, if anyone makes the details of equipment designed for daring flights in a garage, then it is extremely rare. The overwhelming majority of ordinary people, focused on home-made aircraft, order components from reliable manufacturers and, following the instructions, assemble their own heavenly brainchild.

If you carefully follow all the instructions, and besides, consult a live instructor, then there is every chance of getting a high-quality structure on which you can safely climb into the sky.

Homemade aircraft usually look like a glider. Moreover, there are models with and without a motor. In order to use the glider, in principle, no documentation is needed. But in the event that there is a motor, control of the device is possible only with the appropriate permission.

Process automation

Progress does not stand still, and with the development of the scientific and technical base, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) appeared.

For the first time, such devices began to be used in Israel (1973) to collect intelligence. These days, similar technologies are used in a variety of areas of life. modern society, and their popularity is constantly growing.

It is not difficult to explain the increased demand for UAVs: they eliminate the need for the presence of a crew and are quite economical both in production and in operation. Moreover, they can easily perform those maneuvers that are inaccessible to conventional aircraft due to the strong physical overload of the pilots. In addition, such a factor as crew fatigue becomes irrelevant, which significantly increases the potential duration of the flight.

At the moment there are more than 50 manufacturers unmanned vehicles... The number of UAV types they produce exceeds 150 models.

Basically, such aircraft are used for military purposes (reconnaissance, destruction of ground elements).

Aerial video filming

Insofar as different ways capturing beautiful views has long been a hobby of thousands of people all over the planet, flying vehicles did not have to wait long for such an upgrade as a digital video camera. Now there are a lot of multicopters and quadrocopters (they are also drones), which are actively used to get the original video and not only.

In fact, an aircraft with a camera, which is controlled remotely, can be used for any private purposes or professional tasks (aerial photography of the area, aerial surveillance, the creation of documentaries, etc.). For this reason, this technique is very popular. In addition, the purchase of a multicopter does not require large expenses.

The civilian population often uses drones to survey hard-to-reach areas and shoot copyright videos.

Aircraft control systems

In order to activate various mechanisms of the aircraft during flight, signals are transmitted directly from the controls themselves, which are located in the cockpit, to various drives of the aerodynamic surfaces.

Such a system is called fly-by-wire (EDSU). It uses electrical signals to transmit control commands.

In this case, the fly-by-wire control system can be divided into two main types: with mechanical reserve and full responsibility. Mechanical wiring is used if the EDSU fails.

At the same time, in modern models of aircraft with a crew, an autopilot is used, which collects information about angular displacements and corrects the position of the aircraft, as well as its course.

In the case of helicopters, the automatic piloting system partially makes the pilot's job easier. For example, it removes the need to monitor angular movements.

Concerning remote controlsay by drones, then in this case a special remote control can be used. Often, such an aircraft is controlled using smartphones.

Outcomes

Based on the above information, it can be concluded that airplanes, helicopters, drones and different kinds drones have taken a firm place both in the private life of ordinary citizens and in the military industry of many countries. Therefore, there is every reason to expect that the future level of everyday comfort and tactical superiority of states will invariably be associated with technological development the main directions of aviation.

It's amazing what kind of aircraft can be assembled with a lot of effort, creativity and a lot of money. I bring to your attention a selection of unusual and sometimes rather strange aircraft.

NASA's M2-F1 project has been nicknamed the "flying bath". The developers saw its main purpose in use as a capsule for landing astronauts. The first flight of this wingless aircraft took place on August 16, 1963, and exactly three years later on the same day, the last one took place:

Remote controlled. From mid-1979 to January 1983, two remotely piloted HiMAT vehicles were tested at NASA airbase. Each aircraft was approximately half the size of the F-16, but had almost double the superiority in maneuverability. At a transonic speed of sound at an altitude of 7500 m, the device could make a turn with an overload of 8 g, for comparison, an F-16 fighter at the same altitudes withstands an overload of only 4.5 g. At the end of the research, both devices were retained:

Tailless. A prototype McDonell Douglas X-36 aircraft built with one goal in mind: to test the flying abilities of tailless aircraft. It was built in 1997 and, as conceived by the developers, could be controlled remotely from the ground:

Kosoboky. Ames AD-1 (Ames AD-1) - experimental and the world's first oblique-wing aircraft Ames Research Center and Burt Rutan. It was built in 1979 and made its first flight on December 29 of the same year. The tests were carried out until the beginning of 1982. During this time, 17 pilots have mastered the AD-1. After the closure of the program, the plane was placed in the museum of the city of San Carlos, where it is still located:

With rotating wings. The Boeing Vertol VZ-2 is the world's first aircraft to use a rotary wing concept with vertical / short takeoff and landing. The first flight with vertical takeoff and hovering in the air was performed by VZ-2 in the summer of 1957. After a series of successful tests, the VZ-2 was transferred to the NASA research center in the early 60s:

The largest helicopter. In connection with the needs of the Soviet national economy and the armed forces in the design bureau. ML Mil in 1959 began researching a super-heavy helicopter. On August 6, 1969, an absolute world record for lifting cargo was set on a MI V-12 helicopter - 40 tons to a height of 2,250 meters, which has not been surpassed to date; in total, 8 world records were set on the V-12 helicopter. In 1971, the B-12 helicopter was successfully demonstrated at the 29th International Aviation and Space Show in Paris, where it was recognized as the "star" of the show, and then in Copenhagen and Berlin. B-12 is the heaviest and most lifting helicopter ever built in the world:

Flying saucer. VZ-9-AV Avrocar is a vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed by the Canadian company Avro Aircraft Ltd. The development of the aircraft began in 1952 in Canada. It made its first flight on November 12, 1959. In 1961, the project was closed, as officially announced due to the impossibility of the "saucer" to get off the ground above 1.5 meters. In total, two Avrocar vehicles were built:

Fighter in the form of a flying wing Northrop XP-79B, equipped with two jet engines, was built in 1945 by the American company Northrop. It was assumed that he would dive at enemy bombers and smash them, chopping off the tail. On September 12, 1945, the plane made a single flight, which ended in disaster after 15 minutes of flight:

Airplane-spaceship. Boeing X-48 (Boeing X-48) is an American experimental unmanned aerial vehicle, created jointly by Boeing and NASA. The device uses one of the varieties of the flying wing. On July 20, 2007, he first ascended to an altitude of 2,300 meters and landed after 31 minutes of flight. The X-48B was the Times Best Invention of 2007.

Futuristic. Another NASA project - NASA Hyper III - an aircraft created in 1969:

Experimental aircraft Vought V-173. In the 1940s, the American engineer Charles Zimmerman created an aircraft with a unique aerodynamic design, which still continues to amaze not only with its unusual appearance, but also with its flight characteristics. For his unique appearance, he was awarded many nicknames, among which was "Flying Pancake". He became one of the first vertical / short take-off and landing vehicles:

Descended from heaven The HL-10 is one of five aircraft at the NASA Flight Research Center used to study and test the possibility of safe maneuvering and landing on a low-aerodynamic aircraft after its return from space:

Backward sweep. Su-47 "Berkut" - a project of the Russian carrier-based fighter, developed at the OKB im. Sukhoi. The fighter has a forward-swept wing; composite materials are widely used in the airframe design. In 1997, the first flying copy of the Su-47 was built, now it is experimental:

Striped. The Grumman X-29 is a reverse-swept prototype aircraft developed in 1984 by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now Northrop Grumman). In total, two copies were built by order of the Agency for Advanced Defense Research and Development of the United States:

Taking off vertically. The LTV XC-142 is an American experimental vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft with a rotary wing. It made its first flight on September 29, 1964. Five aircraft were built. The program ended in 1970. The only surviving copy of the aircraft is on display at the US Air Force Museum:

Caspian Monster. "KM" (Model Ship), also known abroad as "Caspian Monster" - an experimental ekranoplan, developed in the design bureau of R. Ye. Alekseev. The ekranoplan had a wingspan of 37.6 m, a length of 92 m, a maximum take-off weight of 544 tons. Before the appearance of the An-225 Mriya aircraft, it was the heaviest aircraft in the world. The tests of the "Caspian Monster" took place in the Caspian for 15 years until 1980. In 1980, due to a piloting error, the KM crashed, there were no casualties. After that, operations to restore or build a new copy of the CM were not carried out:

Air whale. Super Guppy is a transport aircraft for the transportation of oversized cargo. Developer - Aero Spacelines. Released in the amount of five copies in two modifications. The first flight was in August 1965. The only flying "air whale" belongs to NASA and is used to deliver large-sized items for the ISS:

Sharp-nosed. The Douglas X-3 Stiletto is an American experimental Douglas monoplane aircraft. In October 1952, the first flight of the Douglas X-З took place:

For flights to the moon. This lander, built in 1963, was part of the Apollo project, which aimed at the first manned landing on the moon. The module was equipped with one jet engine:

Rotary wing. Sikorsky S-72 - experimental helicopter. The first flight of the S-72 took place on October 12, 1976. The flight of the upgraded S-72 took place on December 2, 1987, but after the following three flights, funding was terminated:

Rocket plane. Ryan X-13A-RY Vertijet is an experimental vertical take-off and landing jet aircraft created in the USA in the 1950s. Developed by Ryan. The customer is the US Air Force. In total, two such aircraft were built:

Lunar module. Another VTOL lander, built in 1964, was part of the Apollo project, which aimed at the first manned landing on the moon.

It's amazing what kind of aircraft can be assembled with a lot of effort, creativity and a lot of money. I bring to your attention a selection of unusual and sometimes rather strange aircraft.

Futuristic. Another NASA project - NASA Hyper III - an aircraft created in 1969:

Backward sweep. Su-47 "Berkut" - a project of a Russian carrier-based fighter, developed in the OKB im. Sukhoi. The fighter has a forward-swept wing; composite materials are widely used in the airframe design. In 1997, the first flying copy of the Su-47 was built, now it is experimental:

The Martin Jetpack jetpack is the result of many years of work by Martin Aircraft led by its founder, engineer Glenn Martin. Jetpack is a device with a height and width of about one and a half meters and weighing 113 kg. Carbon composites are used to manufacture the starting material.

The device is lifted into the air using a 200 hp engine (more than a Honda Accord, for example), which drives two propellers. The pilot can use two levers to control the climb and acceleration of the aircraft. The jetpack is able to fly without stopping for about 30 minutes, developing a speed of up to 100 km / h. However, such an aggregate also consumes much more fuel than a car - about 38 liters per hour. The creators of the device especially emphasize its reliability: the jetpack is equipped with a safety system and a parachute, which is necessary in case of an impact during landing or a malfunction of the main engine.

The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a personal jet device appeared about 80 years ago. The predecessor of the jetpack can be considered the rocket pack, which was fueled by hydrogen peroxide.

The first devices of this kind, for example, the jet vest ("jet vest") by Thomas Moore, appeared after the Second World War and allowed to raise the pilot off the ground for a few seconds. After that, many years of development began at the request of the American armed forces. In April 1961, a week after Yuri Gagarin's flight, pilot Harold Graham made the first ever flight using a personal jet device and spent 13 seconds in the air.

The most successful jetpack model, the Bell Rocket Belt, was invented in 1961. It was assumed that with the help of this device, military commanders would be able to move around the battlefield, spending up to 26 seconds in flight. Later, the military considered the development unprofitable due to high fuel consumption and operational difficulties. Therefore, the main application of the device was in filming films and staging shows, in which unusual flights have always caused universal delight.

The popularity of the Bell Rocket Belt reached its peak in 1965, when the new Bond film "Fireball" was released, in which the famous special agent was able to escape from pursuers from the roof of the castle with the help of such a device. Since that time, all kinds of variations of jetpack models have appeared. Soon, the first gadget with a real turbojet engine, the Jet Flying Belt, was created, which extended the flight to several minutes, but turned out to be extremely bulky and unsafe to use.

New Zealander Glenn Martin came up with the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating his own jetpack back in 1981. In the process of creating the apparatus, he also involved his family: his wife and two sons. It was they who acted as pilots in the first test launches of the device in their family garage. In 1998, specifically for the development of a new version of the apparatus, martin company Aircraft. Its employees, as well as researchers from the University of Canterbury, helped the inventor achieve the desired result. In 2005, after the release of several test models, the developers were able to achieve the stability of the device during the flight - and after 3 years, they successfully conducted the first demonstration flight at an air show in the American city of Oshkosh.

In early 2010, Martin Aircraft announced the first 500 models, each costing $ 100,000. According to the company, with the growth of production and sales, the jetpack will cost about the same as the average car. In the same year, Time magazine named Martin Jetpack one of the best inventions of 2010. Initial sales have already begun - according to the developers, the company has already received more than 2,500 requests.

Due to the light weight of the device, the jetpack pilot does not need a license to fly in the United States (conditions may vary in other countries). However, there is a mandatory training course from Martin Aircraft before launch.

“If someone thinks they won't buy a jetpack until it's the size of a schoolbag, that's their right,” says Martin. "But you need to understand that then he will not be able to buy a jetpack throughout his life."

A special regulation system like air transport in the US yet, however, according to the creators, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing a project for the introduction of 3D highways in the sky based on GPS signals.

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