Aircrafts. Rating of the most unusual aircraft Pancake-shaped aircraft

When they start classifying objects or phenomena, they look for the main, most common features, properties that serve as proof of their relationship. Along with this, they also study such signs that would sharply distinguish them from each other.

If, following this principle, we begin to classify modern aircrafts, then first of all the question will arise: what signs or properties of aircraft are considered the most important?

Maybe you can classify them based on the materials from which the devices are made? Yes, you can, but it will be a little visual. After all, the same thing can be done from different materials. Aluminium, steel, wood, linen, rubber, plastics in tone or to another extent are used in the manufacture of airplanes, and helicopters, airships, and balloons.

It may be the basis for the classification of aircraft to choose: when and by whom was the device made for the first time? It can be classified in historical terms - this is an important question, but then devices dissimilar in many respects, proposed at the same time and in the same country, will fall under one rubric.

Obviously, these signs for classification should not be considered the most important.

Due to the fact that aircraft are designed to move in the air, they are usually divided into devices lighter than air And apparatus heavier than air. So, the basis for the classification of aircraft is their weight in relation to the air.

We see that apparatuses lighter than air include airships, Balloons and stratostats. They rise and stay in the air by filling them with light gases. Heavier-than-air vehicles include airplanes, gliders, rockets, and rotorcraft.

The aircraft and glider are supported in the air by the lift generated by the wings; rockets are kept in the air by the thrust force developed by the rocket engine, and rotorcraft - by the lifting force of the main rotor. There are (so far in projects) devices that occupy an intermediate position between airplanes and rotorcraft, airplanes and missiles. These are the so-called convertible planes, or convertible planes, which should combine the positive properties of both of them and combine huge flight speeds with the ability to hover in the air, the ability to take off without a run and land without a run.

A helicopter, like an autogyro, belongs to the category of rotary-wing aircraft. Their difference lies in the fact that the main rotor of the gyroplane is not connected to the engine and can rotate freely.

The main rotor of a helicopter (or several main rotors), in contrast to the main rotor of an autogyro, is driven by an engine during takeoff, flight and landing and serves both to create lift and thrust. The aerodynamic force created by the propeller is used both to keep the helicopter in the air and to move it forward. In addition, the main rotor is also the control element of the helicopter.

If a propeller or a jet engine creates thrust in an aircraft, wings create lift, and rudders and ailerons serve as controls, then in a helicopter, all these functions are performed by the main rotor. From this it becomes clear how important the value of the main rotor in a helicopter is.

Helicopters differ from each other in the number of rotors, in their location, in the way the rotation is driven. In accordance with these signs, the helicopters depicted are divided.

9:14 29/10/2017

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Turboprop Spacecraft Rotary Rocket Roton ATV

It was in this exotic way that the Rotary Rocket company tried in the 90s of the last century to overcome the basic limitations by significantly increasing the efficiency of their propulsors. And then, directly, some kind of trouble: single-stage chemical-fueled rockets cannot reach ... A real ruin. But, as it was said in one good film: “he who hinders us will help us!”. And who's stopping us, except of course? Air!

They relied on the idea that turboprop engines have a significantly higher efficiency than purely jet and turbojet ones. And since one of the most energy-consuming areas is precisely piercing dense layers, is it possible to cheat at this stage?

The essence of the trick was that on the top of the pyramidal apparatus there was a screw, such as a helicopter (on the prototype, it was from a helicopter, for simplicity), which was driven (take a deep breath) from an annular rotating system of 72 liquid (kerosene + oxygen) engines, located in the traditional place for missiles - from below.

In a sense, a shaft passed through the entire apparatus from the propulsion system, spinning at 720 revolutions per minute (12 per second, for a moment) to the HB gearbox.

Well, apart from the HB drive, the designers decided in this way to drastically save on the mass of turbochargers (the supply of fuel components is carried out due to centrifugal force) and the stabilization system - the engine ring itself works as a gyroscope.

But that's not all - when landing, instead of traditional thermal protection, it was supposed to use a tricky scheme with water supply (!) Under the bottom of the ship, in order to significantly reduce the temperature due to the steam cushion and save on the mass of thermal protection (to be honest, I'm not sure about that this is a workable idea - it is not obvious which will be easier: traditional thermal protection or this entire water supply system along with its supply).

They expected that the 180-ton transport system will output to low payloads from 2700 to 3200 kg - and return safe and sound. Yes, yes, it was all planned reusable.

The main rotor - worked, in addition to the role of a parachute, on the final leg of the flight also with a soft landing system “according to a helicopter”, in this mode, of course, the main jet engines were no longer working (fuel and oxidizer burned out during takeoff), and the spin-up of the blades was supposed to be provided by small hydrogen peroxide jet engines at the ends of the blades.

Planned by the designers competitive advantage before the “aircraft” reusable systems was that no special conditions, as shuttles capable of landing on only three (if memory serves) airfields in the world - the system was not required - any flat area on which the device was placed was suitable for landing.

By the way, for take-off too - no special tricky designs were supposed, because no support systems are needed (the device stands on its own supports) - you just need a pit to remove the exhaust (relatively small at separation, the main thrust is created by the main rotor) - and that's all, actually.

In total, Rotary Rocket built several mock-ups and one flying prototype, the Roton C-9. Moreover, the prototype was on a 1:1 scale - about 20 meters high and 6.6 meters in diameter at the base. The propeller, however, let us down - they took it from a broken S-58, but since the initial tests were planned in the “landing” mode, without refueling and without a payload, a four-blade propeller with peroxide engines on the blades should have been enough for the flight. But - 20 times cheaper than the estimated cost of a special "space" rotor. And the helicopter propeller was enough, I must say.

In total, three flights of the pepelats were carried out, which showed that (a) it can fly, but (b) it is bad. There is no view, so much so that it is simply unsafe to fly (the pilots were guided only by the altimeter in height) and the handling is below the plinth.

And then the company went bust... Investors decided that there were no prospects, and $33 million was written off as a loss. The Rotary Rocket Roton C-9 is currently on display at the Aviation Museum, but without the helicopter propeller.

Unusual aircraft

Man has long dreamed of learning to fly like a bird, and aircraft are exactly what this desire and the scientific and technical vector of human development led him to. Aircraft are a long branch of evolution and progress, starting with the first unsuccessful attempts to create a muscle plane (like the one that Icarus blundered with) and ending with modern Boeings, fighters, bombers, spacecraft - everything that allows us to move around land and sea. Despite the seemingly unimaginably complex technology behind them, aircraft are for the most part considered a relatively safe and fast means of transportation. Only tragedies that claim the lives of several hundred people at once cause a special resonance. However, a person’s desire is the law, and it can be said with confidence that he overfulfilled the plan to repeat the feat of the birds of this world.

A zeppelin, more commonly known as an airship, is a controlled balloon propelled by power plant, which works on the basis of lightweight hydrogen or helium. The surge in the operation of this vehicle occurred at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was considered not just a means of transportation, but also a luxurious way to show one's well-being to the wealthy segment of the population. Almost 80 years after the last one, huge flying giants may return to the sky and become part of our Everyday life. However, this time the airships will not be used to transport passengers, but as an environmentally friendly vehicle for delivering goods around the world.

The invention of aircraft that allows people to travel in the Earth's atmosphere is one of the greatest innovations of mankind. Aviation is pushing the limits and there are new ideas coming up all the time, but the aircraft listed below are not even remotely the norm.

(Total 22 photos + 5 videos)

Convair V2 Sea Dart

1. In addition to the standard aircraft, very interesting specimens of aircraft are sometimes available to pilots. The fighter, which will be discussed now, could land directly on the surface of the ocean. And he greatly expanded official duties pilots, temporarily turning them from ordinary pilots into ski gear operators.

2. The Convair V2 Sea Dart was an experimental American fighter built in 1951 as a prototype supersonic floatplane complete with a watertight hull and a pair of hydrofoils.

3. It was decided to abandon the production of this fighter after a disaster that ended in the death of the pilot. But nevertheless, he became the first (and at the moment - the only) seaplane that overcame sound barrier.

Goodyear Inflatoplane

4. When the manufacturing company car tires, enters the aircraft market, very unusual results should be expected. In 1959, Goodyear Tire tried to satisfy the market demand for a small, comfortable aircraft, and its response to these requests was very bizarre. open cockpit The Goodyear Inflatoplane was made entirely of rubber.

5. In fact, everything was made of rubber, except for the engine and wires. The aircraft could be stowed in a 1 meter long box and could be fully inflated with a conventional bicycle pump in just 15 minutes. From an aerodynamic point of view, the car was excellent, as it rose into the air with incredible ease. However, Goodyear Tire ran into serious problems. They could not convince the military to buy their brainchild after the military learned that the plane could be shot down with just one bullet or even a shot from a slingshot.

NASA A1 Pivot-Wing

6. NASA A1 Pivot-Wing was able to take the concept of "weird aircraft" to a whole new level. It was developed in the early 80s in order to test the concept of a rotary wing. The long thin wing of this jet aircraft could turn at such an incredible angle that it turned out to be almost parallel to the cockpit. The idea behind this unorthodox and exceptionally innovative approach was to compensate for vortex disturbances in the airflow in this way.

7. The strange plane even made several flights, and it flew surprisingly well, but the results were still not considered convincing enough to justify the cost of its production. However, modern drones based on the design of this aircraft are currently under development.

Vought V-173

8. Vought V-173 was developed in 1942 as a prototype aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing, capable of intercepting enemy fighters, taking off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. For a strange design, test pilots nicknamed this aircraft "flying pancake."

9. Its fuselage had a rounded shape. A pair of engines drove huge propellers, which did not touch the ground during takeoff only thanks to the extended landing gear. Low demand and one accident decided the fate of this project, but it began the development in this direction, which in the end led to the appearance of the famous Harrier Jump Jet.

Bell P-39 Aircobra

10. Still sometimes better for experts only stick to what they are really familiar with. During World War II, Bell Helicopters produced a powerful and incredibly maneuverable fighter aircraft with excellent combat characteristics.

11. Most planes have engines in the front, but Bell, being a helicopter company, built a fighter jet with an engine that was centered behind the cockpit. The long shaft coming from this engine turned the propeller in front, but this design led to an unusual location of the center of gravity of the machine. This "sky serpent" during the war years shot down more enemy aircraft than any other US Air Force fighter. However, some "cobras" died not because they were shot down by the enemy, but because they fell themselves, easily falling into a "tailspin" even due to the smallest mistakes of the pilots.

SR71 Blackbird

12. SR 71 Blackbird was created before the era of universal satellite technology. It was the first reconnaissance aircraft of its kind, with unprecedented speed and range. He was able to climb to incredible heights, and he looked like a scary, almost alien spaceship.

13. However, there were serious flaws in the design of the SR 71 Blackbird. As soon as the plane climbed to a height of 7 km and accelerated to a speed of 3300 km / h, its outer skin heated up to 400 degrees and began to glow red. This hellish picture outside the cockpit did not please the pilots too much. And although the cockpit was insulated with asbestos, the pilots still had to sit in it for half an hour after landing in order not to burn their legs on exit. Even the transparent canopy of the cockpit was heated up to 300 degrees.

Convair Pogo

14. The Grumman X23, aka the Pogo, was a radical departure from all aircraft building norms. It wasn't even eccentric, it was full blown absurdity. By appearance Pogo slightly resembled an ordinary aircraft, if you do not pay attention to the jet engine mounted in the nose cone of the device. This engine allowed the Pogo to take off vertically. But unlike most vertical take-off and landing aircraft, Pogo's nose turned up at a right angle before takeoff, so that the pilot in the cockpit almost lay like an astronaut in a rocket. Only after such preliminary preparation could Pogo take off.

15. Several successful test flights were made, but like many other aerial failures, this project was never able to fly far from the ground.

McDonnell Douglas X-15

16. The X-15 is a very old project, but it was such a significant and anomalous leap forward that it remains unsurpassed in aviation history to this day. First tested in 1959, the Kh-15 experimental rocket plane was 2m long, with two tiny meter-long wing stubs on each side.

17. A series of tests showed that the rocket plane was capable of reaching an altitude of 107 km, so that the two missions completed were qualified as space flights. When this small plane passed through the dense layers of the atmosphere, its speed was six times the speed of sound. The skin of the X-15 was coated with a special nickel-based alloy that was similar to that found in meteorites. This alloy prevented the fastest aircraft on the planet from burning up in the atmosphere.

Blohm und Voss BV 141

18. In the ordinary world, symmetry is a rule that can be traced in almost everything, from the eyes to the wings and fins. Engineers, when creating their inventions, are also inspired by this principle, this rule is also true for aircraft engines. However, during the Second World War, German engineers from Dornier deviated noticeably from this norm and created a reconnaissance aircraft, in which the tail stabilizer was located only on one side, and the cockpit was located asymmetrically, on the opposite side.

19. At first glance, this design looks unbalanced. However, due to the fact that the cockpit is located on the right side, and the main propeller is on the left side, during the flight there is a moment of force, which helps the aircraft to fly smoothly. As a result, this bizarre device not only successfully lifted off the ground, but subsequently inspired many creators of modern sports aircraft to create devices with a similar design.

20. Consider a house on the water crossed with an airplane. It was this idea that underlay the Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano. This machine has set the bar of strangeness for aircraft so high that even Richthofen's Red Fokker looks pale in comparison. The length of this aircraft was 23 m. Weight - a whopping 26 tons. This floating and flying machine was built to be the first transatlantic liner in the history of aviation.

21. Based on the theory that with enough wings you can get anything in the air, the engineers created a stack of three wings in the front and three in the middle. Instead of a tail, another, third set of wings was used. This monstrous machine could probably be classified as a triple triplane, and nothing like it was built either before or after it.

22. Getting off the ground was not a problem, but immediately after takeoff, at a height of 18 meters, the device began to fall apart, and then fell into the water. Both pilots were killed. After that, the aircraft was repaired, but later it burned down. This happened at night, and the details of this incident have not yet been fully clarified.


People have been obsessed with the idea of ​​taking to the air for centuries. In the myths of almost all peoples there are legends about flying animals and people with wings. The earliest known flying machines were bird-like wings. With them, people jumped from towers or tried to soar by falling off a cliff. And although such attempts ended, as a rule, tragically, people came up with more and more complex aircraft designs. Iconic aircraft will be discussed in our today's review.

1. Bamboo helicopter


One of the world's oldest flying machines, the bamboo helicopter (also known as the bamboo dragonfly or Chinese spinner) is a toy that flies upwards when its main shaft is quickly spun. Invented in China around 400 B.C., the bamboo helicopter consisted of feather blades attached to the end of a bamboo stick.

2. Flying flashlight


A flying lantern is a small balloon made of paper and a wooden frame with a hole in the bottom, under which a small fire is kindled. It is believed that the Chinese experimented with flying lanterns as early as the 3rd century BC, but traditionally, their invention is attributed to the sage and commander Zhuge Liang (181-234 AD).

3. Balloon


The hot air balloon is the first successful technology of human flight on a supporting structure. The first manned flight was carried out by Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d "Arlande in 1783 in Paris in a balloon (on a leash) created by the Montgolfier brothers. Modern balloons can fly thousands of kilometers (the longest balloon flight is 7672 km from Japan to North Canada).

4. Solar balloon


Technically, this type of balloon flies by heating the air in it with solar radiation. As a rule, such balloons are made of black or dark material. While they are primarily used in the toy market, some solar balloons are large enough to lift a person into the air.

5 Ornithopter


The ornithopter, which was inspired by the flight of birds, bats and insects, is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Most ornithopters are unmanned, but a few manned ornithopters have also been built. One of the earliest concepts for such a flying machine was developed by Leonardo da Vinci back in the 15th century. In 1894, Otto Lilienthal, a German aviation pioneer, made the first manned flight in an ornithopter.

6. Parachute


Made from lightweight and durable fabric (similar to nylon), a parachute is a device used to slow an object through the atmosphere. A description of the oldest parachute was found in an anonymous Italian manuscript dating back to 1470. In modern days, parachutes are used to lower a variety of cargo, including people, food, equipment, space capsules, and even bombs.

7. Kite


Originally built by stretching silk over a split bamboo frame, the kite was invented in China in the 5th century BC. Over a long period of time, many other cultures adopted this device, and some of them even continued to further improve this simple flying machine. For example, kites capable of carrying a person are believed to have existed in ancient China and Japan.

8. Airship


The airship became the first aircraft capable of controlled takeoff and landing. In the beginning airships used hydrogen, but due to the high explosiveness of this gas, most airships built after the 1960s began to use helium. The airship may also be powered and the crew and/or payload located in one or more "nacelles" suspended below the gas cylinder.

9. Glider


Glider - an aircraft heavier than air, which is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of air on its bearing surfaces, i.e. it is independent of the engine. Thus, most gliders do not have an engine, although some paragliders can be equipped with one to extend the flight if necessary.

10 Biplane


Biplane - an aircraft with two fixed wings, which are located one above the other. Biplanes have a number of advantages over conventional wing designs (monoplanes): they allow for more wing area and lift with a smaller wingspan. The Wright brothers' biplane in 1903 became the first aircraft to successfully take off.

11. Helicopter


A helicopter is a rotary-wing aircraft that can take off and land vertically, hover and fly in any direction. There have been many concepts similar to today's helicopters over the past centuries, but it wasn't until 1936 that the first operational Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter was built.

12. Aerocycle


In the 1950s, Lackner Helicopters came up with an unusual flying machine. The HZ-1 Aerocycle was intended to be operated by inexperienced pilots as the standard reconnaissance vehicle in the US Army. Although early testing indicated that the vehicle could provide sufficient mobility on the battlefield, more extensive evaluations indicated that it was too difficult to control for untrained infantrymen. As a result, after a couple of accidents, the project was frozen.

13. Kaitun


Kaitun is a hybrid of a kite and a hot air balloon. Its main advantage is that the kaitoon can remain in a fairly stable position above the anchor point of the cable, regardless of the strength of the wind, while conventional balloons and kites are less stable.

14. Hang glider


A hang glider is a non-motorized, heavier-than-air aircraft that lacks a tail. Modern hang gliders are made from aluminum alloy or composite materials, and the wing is made of synthetic canvas. These craft have a high lift-to-lift ratio, allowing pilots to fly for hours at thousands of meters above sea level in updrafts warm air and perform aerobatics.

15. Hybrid airship


A hybrid airship is an aircraft that combines the characteristics of a lighter-than-air vehicle (i.e. airship technology) with a heavier-than-air vehicle technology (either a fixed wing or a rotary propeller). Such designs were not put into mass production, but several manned and unmanned prototypes appeared, including lockheed martin The P-791 is an experimental hybrid airship developed by Lockheed Martin.

16. Airliner


Also known as a jet airliner, a jet airliner is a type of aircraft designed to carry passengers and cargo through the air that is propelled by jet engines. These engines allow the aircraft to reach high speeds and generate sufficient thrust to propel a large aircraft. Currently, the Airbus A380 is the world's largest jet airliner with a capacity of up to 853 people.

17. Rocket plane


A rocket plane is an aircraft that uses a rocket engine. Rocket planes can achieve much higher speeds than similarly sized jet aircraft. As a rule, their engine runs for no more than a few minutes, after which the plane glides. The rocket plane is suitable for flying at very high altitudes, and it is also capable of developing much higher acceleration and has a shorter takeoff run.

18. Float plane


It is a type of fixed wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. The buoyancy of the seaplane is provided by pontoons or floats, which are installed instead of the landing gear under the fuselage. Float planes were widely used until the Second World War, but then they were replaced by helicopters and aircraft used from aircraft carriers.

19. Flying boat


Another type of seaplane, the flying boat, is a fixed-wing aircraft with a hull shaped to allow it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that it uses a specially designed fuselage that can float. Flying boats were very common in the first half of the 20th century. Like floatplanes, they subsequently fell into disuse after World War II.



Also known by other names (for example, cargo aircraft, freighter, transport aircraft, or cargo aircraft), a cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted to carry goods rather than passengers. At the moment, the An-225 built in 1988 is the largest and most lifting in the world.

21. Bomber


Bomber - a combat aircraft designed to attack land and sea targets by dropping bombs, launching torpedoes or launching cruise missiles"air-ground". There are two types of bombers. Strategic bombers primarily intended for long-range bombing missions - i.e. to attack strategic targets such as supply bases, bridges, factories, shipyards, etc. Tactical bombers are aimed at countering enemy military activities and supporting offensive operations.

22. Spaceplane


A spaceplane is an aerospace vehicle that is used in the Earth's atmosphere. They can use both rockets alone and auxiliary conventional jet engines. Today there are five such vehicles that have been successfully used: X-15, Space Shuttle, Buran, SpaceShipOne and Boeing X-37.

23. Spaceship


Spaceship represents vehicle designed for flights in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of people and goods.


A space capsule is a special type of spacecraft that has been used in most manned space programs. A manned space capsule must have everything you need for daily life, including air, water and food. The space capsule also protects astronauts from the cold and cosmic radiation.

25. Drone

Officially known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the drone is often used for missions that are too "dangerous" or simply impossible for humans. Initially, they were used mainly for military purposes, but today they can be found literally everywhere.

 

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