Aircraft for one person. Personal Aircraft: Jetpacks are on sale. Steam powered aircraft

The dream of the conquest of the airspace by man is displayed 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, labor and thought led to a full-fledged aeronautics only at the end of the 18th century, or rather, to its development. First came the hot air balloon, and then the charlier. These are two types of aircraft lighter than air - a balloon, in the future, the development of balloon technology led to the creation - airships. And these air leviathans were replaced by devices heavier than air.

Around 400 B.C. e. in China, kites began to be massively used not only for entertainment, but also for purely military purposes, as a means of signaling. This apparatus can already be characterized as a device heavier than air, having a rigid structure and using the aerodynamic lifting force of the oncoming flow due to jet air currents to maintain 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, devices are lighter than air, heavier than air and space. Recently, the direction of designing related vehicles has been developing more and more widely, especially the creation of a hybrid air-space vehicle.

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

according to the principle of action (flight);
according to the principle of management;
by purpose and scope;
by type of engines installed on the aircraft;
on design features relating to the fuselage, wings, plumage 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 structure of this type of apparatus remains completely 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 lift strength. This type of apparatus is already considered heavier than air. The lifting force they create 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 speed of "operation" of the wings. Lifting force begins to form on them. Therefore, for example, in order to take an airplane into the air or descend from it to the ground, a run is needed.

Gliders, airplanes, ekranolet and cruise missiles- these are vehicles in which the lifting force is formed when the wing flows around;
Helicopters and similar units, their lifting force is formed due to the flow around the rotor blades;
Aircraft having a load-bearing body created according to the “flying wing” scheme;
Hybrid are devices vertical takeoff and landing, both aircraft and rotorcraft, as well as devices that combine the qualities of aerodynamic and space aircraft;
Vehicles on a dynamic air cushion such as ekranoplan;

3. to smic LA. These devices are designed specifically to work in an airless space with negligible gravity, as well as to overcome the force of attraction of celestial bodies, to enter outer space. These include satellites spaceships, orbital stations, rockets. Movement and lifting force is created due to jet thrust, by discarding part of the mass of the apparatus. The working fluid is also formed due to the transformation of the internal mass of the apparatus, which before the start of the flight still consists of an oxidizer and fuel.

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

Helicopters are the second most common. They are also classified according to various criteria, for example, by the number and location of rotors:

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

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

In addition, helicopters can be classified according to their purpose:

for passenger traffic;
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.

Brief history of aviation and aeronautics

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

The very first known flight in history dates back to 559 AD. In one of the states in China, a man 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 "carrying wing" 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, stay in the air for about ten minutes and return to the starting point.

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

1783 - the first flight with people on the Montgolfier 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 made a successful flight with a return 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 airplane with steam engines.

1900 - The first rigid Zeppelin airship was built.

1903 - The Wright brothers make the first truly controlled flights in piston-engined aircraft.

1905 - The International Aeronautical Federation (FAI) is created.

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 the bomber aircraft "Ilya Muromets" was created in Russia.

December 1918 - TsAGI was organized, 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 is born, carrying passengers on Ilya Muromets aircraft.

1925 - ANT-4, a twin-engine all-metal bomber, flies.

1928 - the legendary U-2 training aircraft was accepted 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 autogyro, 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, Soviet jet aviation was born - the MiG-15 and Il-28 aircraft, in the same year the first turboprop aircraft appeared. A year later in mass production MiG-17 is launched.

Until the mid-1940s, the main building material for LA 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 design

All aircraft have similar structural elements. For aircraft lighter than air - one, for devices heavier than air - others, for spacecraft - still others. The most developed and 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 design scheme - the scheme of an airplane, an airplane in a different way.

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

Airplane glider.

This term refers to a one-piece structure consisting of the fuselage, wings and tail unit. In fact, they are separate elements with different functions.

a) Fuselage - this is the main power structure of the aircraft, to which the wings, tail, engines and take-off and landing devices are attached.

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

In the bow of this structure, as a rule, radar and electronic aircraft equipment and the cockpit are located.

The central part carries the main power load, the wings of the aircraft are attached to it. In addition, the main fuel tanks are located in it, the central electrical, fuel, hydraulic and mechanical lines are laid. Depending on the purpose of the aircraft, inside the central part of the fuselage there may be a cabin for transporting passengers, a transport compartment for accommodating transported goods, or a compartment for accommodating bombs and missile weapons. Options for tankers, reconnaissance aircraft or other special aircraft are also possible.

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

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

Taking into account 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 rigidity in the longitudinal relation;
- spars - providing structural rigidity in a transverse relationship;
- frames - metal elements of the channel type, having the form of a closed frame of different sections, fastening stringers and ailerons into a given shape of the fuselage;
- outer skin - metal sheets of duralumin or composite materials prepared in advance according to the shape of the fuselage, which are mounted on stringers, spars or frames, depending on the design of the aircraft.

Depending on the shape given by the designers, the fuselage can create lift from twenty to forty percent of the entire aircraft lift.

The lifting force, due to which an aircraft heavier than air is kept in the atmosphere, is a real physical force that is formed when the wing, fuselage and other structural elements of the aircraft are flowed around by the oncoming air flow.

The lifting force 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 relative to the oncoming flow. It is also proportional to the area of the LA.

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) aircraft wing- a structure having a bearing surface for the formation of lifting force. Depending on the type of aircraft, the wing can be:
- direct;
- swept;
- 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 bearing surface, like that of a Su-27 aircraft, then there are only left and right half-planes.

According to 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 location relative to the fuselage, the wings are classified as low-lying, medium-lying, upper-lying, "parasol" (that is, the wing is located above the fuselage). The main power elements of the wing structure are spars and ribs, as well as metal skin.

Mechanization is attached to the wing, providing control of the aircraft - these are ailerons with trimmers, and also related to take-off and landing devices - these are flaps and slats. 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 during takeoff and landing. Slats are devices for leveling the air flow and preventing turbulence and jet separation at high angles of attack and low speeds. In addition, aileron spoilers can be on the wing - to improve the controllability of the aircraft and spoiler spoilers - as additional mechanization that reduces lift and slows down 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 wingtips.

in) Tail plumage.

Two horizontal stabilizers are attached to the tail section of the aircraft fuselage - this is the horizontal tail and the vertical fin - this 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 are much smaller. Elevators are attached to the horizontal stabilizers, and the rudder is attached to the keel.

Take-off and landing devices.

a) Chassis - main unit belonging to this category .

Chassis rack. Rear bogie

The landing gear of an aircraft is a special support designed for takeoff, landing, taxiing and parking of an aircraft.

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. There are also wheels, floats or skis depending on the type of aircraft and the runway.

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

The most common layout for modern aircraft is a landing gear with a front strut and two main ones. On very heavy machines, the main racks have multi-wheel carts.

b) Brake system. The braking of the aircraft after landing is carried out with the help of brakes in the wheels, spoilers-interceptors, braking parachutes and engine reverse.

Propulsion power plants.

Aircraft engines can be located in the fuselage, suspended from the wings with pylons, or placed in the tail section of the aircraft.

Design features of other aircraft

Helicopter. The ability to take off vertically and spin 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 lift - this is a propeller that has an aerodynamic plane. The propeller is constantly in motion, regardless of how fast and in what direction the helicopter is flying directly.
Rotorcraft. A feature of this aircraft is that the takeoff of the device is carried out due to the main rotor, and the acceleration and horizontal flight are due to the classically located propeller mounted on the theater, like an aircraft.
Convertiplane. This aircraft model can be attributed to vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, which are provided with rotary theaters. They are fixed at the ends of the wings and, after takeoff, turn into an airplane position, in which thrust is created for horizontal flight. Lift is provided by the wings.
Autogyro. The peculiarity of this aircraft is that during the flight it relies on the air mass due to a freely rotating propeller in the autorotation mode. In this case, the propellers replace the static wing. But to maintain the flight, it is necessary to constantly rotate the screw, and it rotates from the incoming air flow, so the device, despite the screw, requires a minimum speed for flight.
VTOL aircraft. Takes off and lands at zero horizontal speed using jet thrust, which is directed in the vertical direction. In world aviation practice, these are such aircraft as the Harrier and the Yak-38.
Ekranoplan. It is a vehicle capable of moving at high speed, while using the effect of an aerodynamic screen, which allows this aircraft to stay at a height of several meters above the surface. At the same time, the wing area of this device is less than that of a similar aircraft. An aircraft using this principle, but capable of climbing to a height of several thousand meters, is called ekranolet. A feature of its design is a wider fuselage and wing. Such a device has a large carrying capacity and a flight range of up to a thousand kilometers.
Glider, hang glider, paraglider. These are heavier-than-air aircraft, usually non-motorized, which use lift for flight due to the air flow around the wing or the bearing surface.
Airship. This is an apparatus lighter than air, using an engine with a propeller for controlled movement. It can be with a soft, semi-rigid and hard shell. It is currently used for military and special purposes. However, a number of advantages, such as low cost, large carrying capacity and a number of others, give rise to discussions about the return of this mode 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 layman knows how the era of conquering the sky began and to what level they reached modern technologies. Therefore, there is every reason to pay more attention to the technology that moves in the atmosphere.

What can be defined as a device that can fly?

Before moving on to more detailed information, it is worthwhile to find out the meaning of key terms. An aircraft is a device designed to fly in the atmosphere of our planet and even in space. Such equipment, as a rule, is 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 density between the gas inside it and the atmosphere itself.

The aircraft is steered through the use of thrust and lift. This principle is vividly implemented in jet-powered aircraft and modern helicopters.

Where did it all begin?

Humanity began to take bold steps to overcome gravity a very 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 body) with springs that made it possible to use the ornithopter principle for flight.

The Englishman Robert Hooke was also able to assemble a similar mechanism. His ornithopter successfully flew into the air 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.

It is significant 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-bladed propeller.

Types of aircraft

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

Those devices that are considered to be heavy include such equipment as helicopters, airplanes, rotorcraft, ekranoplans, gyroplanes, gliders and others. At the same time, the lifting force necessary for flight is provided mainly by fixed wings and only partially by the tail unit, as well as the fuselage. Since the body of such devices is heavy, in order for the lift force to exceed the mass of the 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 main 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 rise into the atmosphere by rotating both the main and propellers. Now there are many models of various designs. For example, some vehicles use a jet engine.

Light aviation

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

In this case, such devices are divided into two main types:

Motorized (gyroplanes, aeroshooters, ultralight helicopters, motorized hang gliders, parolets, amphibians-SLA, hydro-SLA, motor paragliders, hang gliders and microplanes);
- 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 branch of aviation as ALS is very popular, in connection with which new models and types of this equipment 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 details of equipment designed for bold flights in a garage, then it is extremely rare. The vast majority of ordinary people, focused on homemade aircraft, order components from reliable manufacturers and, following the instructions, assemble their own heavenly offspring.

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

Homemade aircraft, as a rule, have the form of a glider. And 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, the 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) have appeared.

For the first time such devices began to be used in Israel (1973) for intelligence gathering. Today, such technologies are used in various spheres of life. modern society and their popularity continues to grow.

It is not difficult to explain the increased demand for UAVs: they eliminate the need for the presence of the 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 aerial vehicles. The number of types of UAVs they produce exceeds the mark of 150 models.

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

Video filming from the air

Because the various ways Capturing beautiful views has long been a passion of thousands of people around the planet, aircraft 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, documentary filmmaking, 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 terrain and shoot copyrighted videos.

Aircraft control systems

In order to engage various mechanisms of the aircraft during the 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 electrically remote (EDSU). It uses electrical signals to transmit control commands.

At the same time, the electric remote 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 crewed aircraft use an autopilot that collects information about angular movements and corrects the position of the aircraft, as well as its heading.

In the case of helicopters automatic system piloting partially facilitates the work of the pilot. For example, it removes the need to monitor angular movements.

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

Results

Based on the above information, it can be concluded that aircraft, helicopters, drones and different kinds drones have taken a strong 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 major areas 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 was 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 Air Force Base. Each aircraft was about half the size of the F-16, but had almost twice the 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, the F-16 fighter at the same heights can withstand an overload of only 4.5 g. At the end of the research, both devices were saved:

Tailless. The McDonell Douglas X-36 prototype aircraft, built for one purpose: 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:

Crooked. 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. Tests were carried out until the beginning of 1982. During this time, AD-1 mastered 17 pilots. After the closure of the program, the aircraft 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 using the concept of a rotary wing, vertical/short takeoff and landing. The first vertical takeoff/hover flight was made by the 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. M. L. Mil in 1959 began research on a super-heavy helicopter. On August 6, 1969, an absolute world record for lifting cargo was set on the 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 B-12 helicopter. In 1971, the B-12 helicopter was successfully demonstrated at the 29th International Air Show in Paris, where it was recognized as the "star" of the salon, and then in Copenhagen and Berlin. B-12 is the heaviest and most lifting helicopter ever built in the world:

Flying saucer. The VZ-9-AV Avrocar is a VTOL aircraft developed by the Canadian company Avro Aircraft Ltd. The development of the aircraft began in 1952 in Canada. November 12, 1959 made the first flight. In 1961, the project was closed, as officially stated due to the inability of the "plate" to get off the ground above 1.5 meters. In total, two Avrocar devices 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 on enemy bombers and break them, chopping off the tail section. On September 12, 1945, the aircraft made its only flight, which ended in disaster after 15 minutes of flight:

The plane is a spaceship. The 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. July 20, 2007 he first rose to a height of 2300 meters and landed after 31 minutes of flight. The X-48B was the best invention of 2007 according to the Times.

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

Experimental aircraft Vought V-173. In the 1940s, 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". It became one of the first vertical/short takeoff and landing vehicles:

Descended from heaven. The HL-10 is one of five NASA Flight Research Center aircraft used to study and test the ability to safely maneuver and land on a low lift-to-drag craft after it returned from space:

Reverse sweep. Su-47 "Berkut" - a project of the Russian carrier-based fighter, developed in OKB im. Sukhoi. The fighter has a reverse 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 forward-swept prototype aircraft developed in 1984 by Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now Northrop Grumman). In total, two copies were built by order of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency:

Take off vertically. The LTV XC-142 is an American experimental tilt-wing VTOL transport aircraft. He made his first flight on September 29, 1964. Five aircraft built. The program was discontinued in 1970. The only surviving copy of the aircraft is on display at the US Air Force Museum:

Caspian Monster. "KM" (Layout Ship), also known abroad as the "Caspian Monster" - an experimental ekranoplan developed in the design bureau of R. E. Alekseev. The ekranoplan had a wingspan of 37.6 m, a length of 92 m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 544 tons. Before the appearance of the An-225 Mriya aircraft, it was the heaviest aircraft in the world. Tests of the "Caspian Monster" took place in the Caspian for 15 years until 1980. In 1980, due to a pilot 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 transporting oversized cargo. Developer - Aero Spacelines. Issued in the amount of five copies in two modifications. First flight - August 1965. The only flying "air whale" belongs to NASA and is operated to deliver large-sized products for the ISS:

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

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

Rotorcraft. Sikorsky S-72 - experimental helicopter. The first flight of the S-72 was made 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 discontinued:

Airplane-rocket. The Ryan X-13A-RY Vertijet is an experimental VTOL jet aircraft developed in the United States in the 1950s. The developer is Ryan. The customer is the US Air Force. In total, two such aircraft were built:

Lunar module. Another VTOL descent module, built in 1964, was part of the Apollo project, the goal of which was 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:

Reverse sweep. Su-47 "Berkut" - a project of the Russian carrier-based fighter, developed in the OKB. Sukhoi. The fighter has a reverse 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 was 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 a weight of 113 kg. Carbon composites are used to make the starting material.

The device is lifted into the air by a 200 hp engine (more than the Honda Accord, for example), which drives two propellers. The pilot with the help of two levers can control the climb and acceleration of the device. The jetpack is able to fly non-stop for about 30 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 100 km/h. However, such a unit 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 security system and a parachute, which is necessary in the event of an impact during landing or a failure of the main engine.

The idea of creating 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, Thomas Moore's jet vest ("jet vest"), appeared after the Second World War and allowed the pilot to be lifted off the ground for a few seconds. After that, many years of development began on the order of the American armed forces. In April 1961, a week after Yuri Gagarin's flight, pilot Harold Graham made the first-ever flight with a personal jet device and spent 13 seconds in the air.

The most successful jetpack model, the Bell Rocket Belt, was also 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 general delight.

The popularity of the Bell Rocket Belt reached its peak in 1965, when the new Bond movie Thunderball was released, in which the famous special agent managed to elude his pursuers from the roof of the castle with the help of such a device. Since that time, all sorts of variations of jetpack models have appeared. Soon they created the first gadget with a real turbojet engine- Jet Flying Belt, which extended the flight to several minutes, but proved to be extremely cumbersome and unsafe to use.

New Zealander Glenn Martin came up with the idea to create his own jetpack back in 1981. He also involved his family in the process of creating the apparatus: his wife and two sons. It was they who acted as pilots on the first test runs of the device in their family garage. In 1998, specifically for the development new version apparatus was formed 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 trial 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 release of the first 500 models, each of which will cost the buyer $100,000. As the company believes, 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 the Martin Jetpack one of the best inventions of 2010. Starting sales have already begun - according to the developers, the company has already received more than 2,500 requests.

Due to the low weight of the device, the jetpack pilot does not require a license to fly in the US (conditions may vary in other countries). However, there is a mandatory training course from Martin Aircraft prior to launch.

“If someone thinks they won't buy a jetpack until it's the size of a school backpack, 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 system for regulating such air transport not yet in the United States, however, according to the creators, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing a project to introduce 3D highways in the sky based on GPS signals.

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