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Manufacturer – Nikolay Prokopets

Model – Egorych

Country – USSR\Russia

Type - Ultralight multi-role aircraft

general information

Usually, amateur designers start by building a single-seat device: it is simpler, more affordable, requires less materials and time, and does not need a powerful motor. But now the first flights and successes are behind, and the homemade aviator comes to the conclusion that the capabilities of his small plane are limited. You can fly only in calm, windless weather; the reliability of the two-stroke engine leaves much to be desired and does not “let you go” from the airfield (in order to land in front of you “if something happens”). The firstborn is also, as a rule, unsuitable for training - you cannot take a second person on board. In the end, most true enthusiasts, having received initial design and flight training on single-seat aircraft, come to the idea of ​​two-seat aircraft. Nikolai Prokopets and Pavel Morozov from the Moscow region also went through all the stages along this path. They built model aircraft and simple gliders, and on the SLA-85 they brought the PMK-3 single-seat aircraft to Kyiv. The nondescript, braced, high-wing aircraft with an uncomfortable cramped cabin, painted gray, did not please the audience or the technical committee at first glance. However, despite the relatively large weight of the structure and the low power of a standard outboard motor, the machine suddenly flew superbly and as a result received the rally award. The engine with the pulling propeller on the PMK-3 was located somewhat unusually - above the nose of the fuselage in front of the wing. This was precisely the secret of the aircraft’s success: the unshaded pulling propeller developed maximum air thrust and intensively blew the wing, significantly increasing its load-bearing characteristics.

The layout of the PMK-3, which made it possible to create a well-flying aircraft with minimal thrust-to-weight ratio, turned out to be a good find. Using this scheme, the designers decided to build a new, this time a two-seater car. They no longer had any doubts about the location of the wing, cockpit and tail. They also quickly came to a twin-engine version. However, Pavel wanted to make the plane faster, limiting its use to initial training, and Nikolai tried to create a machine for the national economy. Unfortunately, everyone went their own way. Pavel Morozov, without further ado, took the wing, empennage, two previous engines from the PMK-3 - water-cooled "Whirlwind" boats and quickly "blinded" a new fuselage, in which he placed the two pilots side by side. A year after the SLA-85, a new aircraft, the Gnome, was already flying. Soon the two engines were replaced with one more powerful one - a Volkswagen with 75 hp. In this form, the “Gnome” appeared on the SLA-87 and caused... disappointment of test pilot 1st class Viktor Zabolotsky. And where did the excellent stability and ease of control of the PMK-3 go?! In addition, the car was clearly “put together” hastily: carelessly and sloppily, with numerous minor defects and shortcomings. During one of the flights on the plane, the throttle control cable of the engine broke, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing.

Nikolay Prokopets, an amateur designer and professional aerodynamicist, having analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the PMK-3, chose two RMZ-640 Buran engines of 33 hp each for his aircraft. each, providing them with silencers. Even without a gearbox, such an engine develops static thrust of 60 kg. Nikolay paid a lot of attention to the layout of the cockpit, placing the pilots side by side in a comfortable reclining position. Since the designer considered one of the main purposes of the aircraft to be patrolling forests, power lines, oil and gas pipelines, it was necessary to think about providing good review pilots. The result was a somewhat unexpected solution - an “invisible” fuselage. The layout of the cabin was completed by large transparent doors that slide back. The plane was built in the workshop of a vocational school and, what is very important, with the help of the “aircraft” guys. The “grinding in” of the new team and the creation of the machine took a lot of time - the plane was late for the start of SLA-87. But when he finally got to Tushino, he immediately attracted everyone’s attention. This was facilitated by the warm name of the car in Russian - “Egorych”. The technical committee noted the high quality and accuracy of the device’s manufacturing, and most importantly, the rationality and feasibility of its aerodynamic design and layout.

The successful location of the engines near the leading edge of the wing made it possible to fully realize the effect of its airflow, achieve maximum efficiency of unshaded tractor propellers, and good cooling of the engine cylinder heads. In addition, the slight separation of the engines from the longitudinal axis of the aircraft made it possible to significantly reduce the turning moment when one engine fails in flight. The aircraft's structure is made primarily of wood. The wing is single-spar; its tip, which absorbs aerodynamic torque, is covered with plywood. The spar is made of pine, the wing strut is made of duralumin pipe, the ribs are made of pine slats, the wing skin is linen. Profile - P-IIIA. The entire trailing edge of the wing is occupied by a hovering aileron, which deflects like a flap at takeoff by 20°, and at landing by 25°. The braced tail unit is made of wood. The keel and stabilizer are covered with plywood, the rudders are covered with canvas; The fuselage is made of wood and metal. Its tail section is covered with transparent lavsan film.

The correctness of the design solutions was fully confirmed during the flight tests in Tushino, which were conducted by the Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Vladimir Gordienko. The car took off easily, running only 50-60 meters, was stable in flight, and easy to control. Simulation of the failure of one engine in flight showed that the Egorych in this case is easily balanced using the rudders and confidently continues to fly on the second engine. However, one engine really stopped soon. The experienced pilot, of course, completed the flight without much difficulty. The cause of the failure was sand in the fuel filter. How he got there remains a mystery, but “Yegorych” passed even such a test with flying colors. The filters were washed, the gasoline was replaced, and the flights continued. The excellent assessment given to the aircraft by V. Gordienko was confirmed by all test pilots.

Following the results of the rally, “Egorych” was declared the best twin-engine aircraft, its creators received prizes and awards, including a special cash prize from the Ministry of Aviation Industry - 5,000 rubles. The news of this on the same day reached Radio Street at number seventeen - the N.E. Zhukovsky Scientific Memorial Museum, causing a violent reaction from all employees there. Nadezhda Matveevna Semenova, the permanent custodian of the scientific heritage of the famous professor, shed tears of joy. (By the way, this year it turns 90 years old.) Having received official approval, Nikolai Prokopets stopped being afraid of reproaches for “familiarity” and hiding the true origin of the name of his car - of course, the best SLA aircraft was created in honor of the “father of Russian aviation” Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky. 87. The rally ended long ago, but the flights continue. All of its creators have already completed initial flight training on the Yegorych. On the recommendation of the SLA-87 technical commission, Nikolai and his friends are preparing the aircraft for “real” tests at the Flight Research Institute, and everyone dreams that “Egorych” will find its place in the national economy and at pre-Saaf airfields.

"Egorych" was used for a long time in the Moscow region. Then the author, having decided to build a new device, parted with his brainchild, exchanging it for a passenger car. In unknown ways, fate threw the airplane thousands of kilometers away - to Krasnoyarsk, to a local businessman who hunted wolves from it.

Somehow, one of the rather worn-out Burans stalled in the air. The pilot, a third-year student at a local institute, became confused and stepped towards the failed engine. The plane dived steeply and crashed to the ground with all its might... The successful design of the device saved the student, who escaped with a slight fright, but the wing planes shattered into pieces, thereby extinguishing the energy of the impact.

Krasnoyarsk amateurs Sergey Perfilyev, Vyacheslav Seregin, Andrey Potapov and other members of the local flying club gathered the required amount(about $1000) and bought the crippled “Egorych” from a businessman. After which for short term The car was radically reconstructed.

They installed a new wooden wing, slightly increasing its span to accommodate the increased mass. They made a new plumage. The tail boom became all-metal. A complexly profiled “tunnel” slat made of plastic was installed above the center section to smooth out the turbulence coming off the engines in flight and improve the performance of the wing in stall modes. The motors received electric start and gearboxes with three-bladed control propellers. A “long-range” radio station was placed in the fuselage, and oversized headlights were figuratively fitted into the fuselage. In winter, the plane was “re-shoeed” into aluminum skis.

A little later, a local airline managed to purchase a relatively new “Walter-Minor-4” paired with a two-bladed tractor propeller to replace the previous RMZ-640, already worn out to the limit. Along the way, new wheels of increased diameter were installed (tail wheels from the An-2). The tail “bump” was strengthened on a titanium spring (previously, a piece of conveyor belt working in compression served as a shock absorber - Prokopets’ discovery).

The color has changed: from silver “metallic” “Egorych” became red and white.

The flight tests did not disappoint. The alignment has improved - it has become more forward, the speed has increased - up to 150 km/h, but the directional stability has deteriorated slightly. The first owner of “Egorych” N. Prokopets treated the “reanimation” of the car with understanding, but clarified that with the installation of a new engine, aerodynamic drag also increased, so there could not be a big gain in performance.

The Siberian "Egorych" continued to fly actively. Many representatives of local administration and business people received initial training there.

ModificationEgorych

Wingspan, m9.00

Length, m5.40

Height, m1.60

Wing area, m211.40

Weight, kg

empty311

maximum takeoff 450

Engine type 2 PD RMZ-640 “Buran”

Power, hp 2 x 33

Maximum speed, km/h130

Practical range, km

Maximum rate of climb, m/min 150

Crew, persons2

Our fellow Krasnoyarsk resident bought an original “Egorych”, completely wooden, on which either “Burans” or “Whirlwinds” stood (I don’t remember now...).

And since homemade pilots are a people whose “hands are not for boredom,” a gradual “improvement” and “modernization” of the aircraft began: wooden components and wooden structural elements began to be “changed” to more “advanced and more reliable” metal ones , the plane was “strengthened”, “improved”, and so on. etc.... There, in the end, probably only the “original” wooden wings remained from the original “Egorych”.

In 1990, I think, I flew with Prokopets on Yegorych. The impressions of the flights are the most pleasant. Regarding the fact that the original plane was entirely wooden, this is not entirely true. The fuselage was metal, duralumin + steel, the wing was wooden, the tail - I don’t know. Perhaps we are talking about two different aircraft. At one time I collaborated with Nikolai and I still have the drawings for Yegorych’s wing

I would like to ask those who flew on the Yegorych with Walter to return to the topic and talk about the features of operating the engine with such an installation.

Aircraft with a similar engine installation scheme (M14, M337) were designed at the Grunin Design Bureau (see section “Domestic production aircraft”). The layout caused criticism from operators regarding the possibility of oil spitting on the windshield and problems with maintenance of the control system.

What can you say about this in relation to this aircraft?

I also wanted to clarify: “Walter” was replaced by “Rotax”, or vice versa, and what was the reason for this?

In principle, this was already a serious aircraft. It's good that the photographs were preserved. This is the history of aircraft construction in the Region... Reminds me of my childhood... Everything would have been fine, but an accident occurred. The plane “lay down” on the slope of the hill. Photo of its renovation.

The plane was restored. The glider felt better. Became more graceful. We bought and installed two new Rotax 582s.

This was perhaps the most successful and beautiful modification of Yegorych.

But there was something like that. With me. Flying with empty tanks. Sergey Perfilyev and Sasha Pisman were flying.

We got pregnant and forgot about gasoline. Planting on a plowed field near Ustanovo. Since the landing angle of the aircraft is small (this often led to the breaking of the rear support), landing on the tail wheel, then “whip-whip” onto the front supports, they are blown away by the full hood. Fortunately, no one was injured, and there were few damages.

The Rotaxes have been sold. Expensive to maintain and voracious... Installed Walter again. For some reason, an anti-cap ski.

And they flew again. Until the wings and plumage burned.

The case is completely banal.

They cooked next to the disassembled apparatus, covered with a cover. We finished and left the room. Looks like scale or spark. We returned to the fire. It's a pity. There is no one to do it. There were attempts to look for those who could make wings and tails inexpensively, but they stalled.

Nikolai Prokopets, it’s true, started making another “Egorych” a long time ago. All metal, for two Rotax 503.

I saw the cockpit and empennage in Zhukovsky, and the projections in Aviagamma. But it seems the project is not moving forward.

— the airframe is alive and well, brought into proper condition, now the engines are being determined, the seller of the aircraft, Waldo, is working on it on the forum

— “Egorych” was built in Perm and flew.

— I didn’t fly, I once flew (or rather, jumped) from Chuvakov to Frol. And then I rotted there for three or four years...

The plane can be assembled from any paper rectangle. They can be: printing paper, a newspaper spread, or a notebook sheet. For suitable for work also cardboard, but if it is not very thick and without a corrugated layer inside.

The main requirement for the material is that it should not be too dense, otherwise more force will be required to make bends.

To make the airplanes brighter and more beautiful, you can use colored paper, or to decorate them after assembly - markers, felt-tip pens, pencils. Paints are completely unsuitable for these purposes, primarily because the paper will warp and the aircraft will lose its aerodynamic properties.

Classic assembly scheme

Before assembling complex circuits, you should learn how to make a basic model of a paper airplane.

To do this, the sheet is placed vertically. Then the top corners are folded towards the center. The resulting figure is folded with its sharp nose towards itself and the corners are again folded towards the center. The peeking triangle is folded away from you. The final touch remains - fold the figure in half and bend the wings.

We get the familiar airplane. This aircraft model does not have high performance, but it distinctive feature is the ease of assembly.

If you didn’t succeed in folding according to the diagram, we suggest watching a video with more detailed explanations.

We make long-flying planes

According to the law of physics, the greater the weight, the faster the object falls. Also, when a flying object falls, it is affected by air resistance. Therefore, for a smooth, and therefore long landing, the aircraft must have a wide wingspan. But at the same time they should be short. The plane will take longer to fall from a higher point. Therefore, it must be thrown not forward, but upward.

As you might think, long wings and lightness would help the plane fly longer, but throwing it high is not possible. This option is suitable for high-speed aircraft, described in the next chapter.

We make the fastest planes

To increase the speed characteristics of the future toy, be sure to follow the rules presented below:

1. The nose of a high-speed aircraft must be sharp. A wide nose impedes flight speed by creating air resistance against it. These are good to use only for constructing gliders.
2. Its wings should not impede its flight span. They should be long and narrow.
3. The paper sheet must be perfectly flat. Any flaws in the sheet can change its flight properties not in better side.
4. Bends should be made extremely clear. We suggest using an object with a smooth side, such as a ruler or eraser, to iron them.

If you decide to have a flight speed competition with friends, one of the schemes presented below should definitely suit you.

Making far-flying planes

The record for the flight range of this paper toy is only 69 meters. After listening to the advice, you should be able to assemble a similar plane. And who knows, maybe you will be the one to set a new record.

1. The model must be completely symmetrical.
2. To prevent the model from falling like a corkscrew, it needs to have the correct tail.
3. Airplane wings need to be folded in order for the airplane to be properly stabilized. If you bend the right wing, the figure will tilt and fall on this side. Same with the left wing. As mentioned earlier, it is also important to make the wings completely symmetrical.
4. The material must be sufficiently light. A regular A4 office sheet is suitable for printing.

We offer everyone who has already gotten good at using previous models to assemble circuits of toys with a long flight.

Collecting paper figures develops fine motor skills not only in children, but also in adults. We hope that the above diagrams will help you have fun. Also, the assembled models can be painted in bright colors or have competitions with friends.

If the diagrams seemed not enough to fill in the gaps in knowledge or you want to assemble other interesting models, then we suggest watching a selection of videos on assembling aircraft.

Building my own homemade airplane - a biplane - has been my dream since childhood. However, I was able to implement it not so long ago, although I paved the way to the sky in military aviation, and then on a hang-glider. Then he built an airplane. But the lack of experience and knowledge in this matter also produced a corresponding result - the plane never took off.

Failure didn’t exactly discourage the desire to build aircrafts, but cooled down the ardor thoroughly - a lot of time and effort was spent. And what helped revive this desire was, in general, an incident when the opportunity arose to inexpensively purchase some parts from a decommissioned An-2 aircraft, better known among the people as the “Corn Man”.

And I only purchased ailerons with trim tabs and flaps. But from them it was already possible to make wings for a light biplane aircraft. Well, the wing is almost half the plane! Why did you decide to build a biplane? Yes, because the aileron area was not enough for a monoplane. But for a biplane it was quite enough, and the wings from the An-2 ailerons were even shortened a little.

Ailerons are located only on the lower wing. They are made from twin aileron trimmers of the same An-2 aircraft and are suspended on the wing on ordinary piano hinges. To increase the efficiency of aircraft control, wooden (pine) triangular slats 10 mm high are glued along the trailing edge of the ailerons and covered with strips of covering fabric.

The biplane aircraft was conceived as a training aircraft, and according to the classification it belongs to ultra-light devices (ultralights). By design, the homemade biplane is a single-seat, single-strut biplane with a tricycle landing gear with a steerable tail wheel.

I couldn’t find any prototype, and therefore I decided to design and build according to the classical scheme and, as motorists say, without additional options, that is, in the simplest version with an open cockpit. The upper wing of the “Grasshopper” is raised above the fuselage (like a parasol) and fixed slightly in front of the pilot’s cabin on a support made of duralumin pipes (from the An-2 aileron rods) in the shape of an inclined pyramid.

The wing is detachable and consists of two consoles, the joint between which is covered with a cover. The wing set is metal (duralumin), the covering is linen impregnated with enamel. The wing tips and root parts of the wing consoles are also covered with a thin duralumin sheet. The upper wing consoles are additionally supported by struts running from the attachment points of the inter-wing struts to the lower fuselage spars.

The air pressure receiver is fixed at a distance of 650 mm from the end of the left upper wing console. The lower wing consoles are also detachable and are attached to the lower fuselage spars (on the sides of the cabin). The gaps between the root part and the fuselage are covered with linen (impregnated with enamel) fairings, which are attached to the consoles with adhesive tapes - burdocks.

The installation angle of the upper wing is 2 degrees, the lower one is 0 degrees. The transverse V at the upper wing is 0, and at the lower one it is 2 degrees. The sweep angle of the upper wing is 4 degrees, and that of the lower wing is 5 degrees.

The lower and upper consoles of each wing are connected to each other by struts made, like the struts, from duralumin pipes from the control rods of the An-2 aircraft. The fuselage frame of a homemade biplane is a truss, welded from steel thin-walled (1.2 mm) pipes with an outer diameter of 18 mm.

Its basis is four spars: two upper and two lower. Along the sides, pairs of spars (one upper and one lower) are connected by an equal number and equally spaced posts and struts and form two symmetrical trusses.

Pairs of upper and lower spars are connected by cross members and jibs, but their number and location at the top and bottom often do not coincide. Where the location of the crossbars and posts coincide, they form frames. Form-forming arcs are welded on top of the front rectangular frames.

The remaining (rear) fuselage frames are triangular, isosceles. The frame is covered with unbleached calico, which is then impregnated with homemade “enamelite” - celluloid dissolved in acetone. This coating has proven itself well among amateur aircraft designers.

The front part of the biplane fuselage (up to the cockpit) on the left side in flight is covered with panels of thin plastic. The panels are removable for easy ground access to controls in the cab and under the engine. The fuselage bottom is made of 1 mm thick duralumin sheet. The tail of an airplane - a biplane - is classic. All its elements are flat.

The frames of the fin, stabilizer, rudders and elevators are welded from thin-walled steel pipes with a diameter of 16 mm. The linen covering is sewn to the frame parts, and the seams are additionally taped with strips of the same calico fabric impregnated with enamel. The stabilizer consists of two halves that are attached to the keel.

To do this, an M10 pin is passed over the fuselage through the keel near the leading edge, and a tubular axis with a diameter of 14 mm is passed at the trailing edge. Ears with sector grooves are welded to the root rods of the stabilizer halves, which serve to install the horizontal tail at the required angle, depending on the mass of the pilot.

Each half is placed with an eye on a stud and secured with a nut, and the trailing edge tube is placed on the axle and pulled to the keel by a brace made of steel wire with a diameter of 4 mm. From the editor. To prevent spontaneous rotation of the stabilizer in flight, it is advisable to make several holes for a pin instead of a sector groove in the ears.

Now the biplane aircraft has a propeller-driven installation with an engine from the Ufa Motor Plant UMZ 440-02 (the plant equips the Lynx snowmobiles with such engines) with a planetary gearbox and a two-bladed propeller.

Engine with a volume of 431 cm3 and a power of 40 hp. with a speed of up to 6000 per minute, air-cooled, two-cylinder, two-stroke, with separate lubrication, runs on gasoline, starting with AI-76. Carburetor - K68R Air cooling system - although homemade, it is effective.

It is made in the same way as the Walter-Minor aircraft engines: with an air intake in the shape of a truncated cone and deflectors on the cylinders. Previously, the biplane aircraft had a modernized engine from the Whirlwind outboard motor with a power of only 30 hp. and V-belt transmission (gear ratio 2.5). But even with them the plane flew confidently.

But the homemade two-bladed monoblock (from pine plywood) pulling propeller with a diameter of 1400 mm and a pitch of 800 mm has not yet been changed, although I plan to replace it with a more suitable one. The planetary gearbox with a gear ratio of 2.22... the new engine came from some foreign car.

The engine muffler is made from a ten-liter foam fire extinguisher cylinder. The fuel tank with a capacity of 17 liters is from an old tank washing machine- it is made of stainless steel. Installed behind the dashboard. The hood is made of thin sheet duralumin.

It has grilles on the sides for the outlet of heated air and on the right there is also a hatch with a cover for exiting the cord with a handle - they start the engine. The propeller-engine installation on a homemade biplane is suspended on a simple motor mount in the form of two consoles with struts, the rear ends of which are fixed to the struts of the front frame-frame of the fuselage frame. The aircraft's electrical equipment is 12-volt.

The main landing gear legs are welded from sections of steel pipe with a diameter of 30 mm, and their struts are welded from pipes with a diameter of 22 mm. The shock absorber is a rubber cord wound around the front pipes of the struts and the trapezoid of the fuselage frame. The wheels of the main landing gear are non-braking with a diameter of 360 mm - from a mini-mokie, they have reinforced hubs. The rear support has a spring-type shock absorber and a steerable wheel with a diameter of 80 mm (from an aircraft stepladder).

Control of the ailerons and elevator is rigid, from the aircraft control stick through rods made of duralumin tubes; The rudder and tail wheel are cable driven, from the pedals. Construction of the aircraft was completed in 2004, and it was tested by pilot E.V. Yakovlev.

The biplane aircraft passed the technical commission. He made quite long flights in a circle near the airfield. A fuel supply of 17 liters is enough for about an hour and a half of flight, taking into account the aeronautical reserve. Very useful tips and consultations during the construction of the aircraft were given to me by two Evgenii: Sherstnev and Yakovlev, for which I am very grateful to them.

Homemade biplane "Grasshopper": 1 -air propeller(two-blade, monoblock, diameter 1400.1 = 800); 2- muffler; 3 - cockpit fairing; 4- hood; 5 - upper wing console strut (2 pcs.); 6- rack (2 pcs.); 7 - upper wing pylon; 8- transparent visor; 9 - fuselage; 10-keel; 11 - steering wheel; 12 - tail support; 13 - tail steering wheel; 14-main landing gear (2 pcs.); 15 - main wheel (2 pcs.); 16 - right console of the upper wing; 17-left upper wing console; 18 - right console of the lower wing; 19-left lower wing console; 20-air pressure receiver; 21 - lining for the joint of the upper wing consoles; 22 - stabilizer and keel brace (2 pcs.); 23 - engine hood with air intake; 24 - gas flap; 25 - stabilizer (2 pcs.); 26 - elevator (2 pcs.); 27-aileron (2 pcs.)

Steel welded frame of the biplane fuselage: 1 - upper spar (pipe with a diameter of 18x1, 2 pcs.); 2- lower spars (pipe with a diameter of 18x1, 2 pcs.); 3 - aircraft control stick support; 4 - spinal beam (2 pcs.); 5-quadrangular frame (pipe with a diameter of 18, 3 pcs.); 6- forming arc of the first and third frames (pipe with a diameter of 18x1, 2 pcs.); 7 - struts and braces (pipe with a diameter of 18x1, according to the drawing); 8- lugs and lugs for fastening and hanging structural elements (as needed); 9 - trapezoid for fastening the rubber cord shock absorber of the main landing gear (pipe with a diameter of 18x1); 10-triangle tail frames (18x1 diameter tube, 4 pcs.)

Angles of installation of the wing consoles (a - upper wing; b - lower wing): 1 - transverse V; 2-swept wings; 3 - installation angle

Motor frame of a homemade biplane: I - spar (steel pipe 30x30x2.2 pcs.); 2-spar extension (pipe with a diameter of 22.2 pcs.); 3 - cross member (steel sheet s4); 4 - silent blocks (4 pcs.); 5-lug for fastening the strut (steel sheet s4.2 pcs.); 6 - hood support bow (steel wire with a diameter of 8); 7 strut (pipe diameter 22, 2 pcs.)

The main landing gear of the biplane: 1 - wheel (360 in diameter, from a mini-mokie); 2- wheel hub; .3 - main stand (steel pipe with a diameter of 30); 4 - main strut (steel pipe with a diameter of 22); 5 - shock absorber (rubber band with a diameter of 12); 6 - travel limiter of the main rack (cable with a diameter of 3); 7 - shock absorber mounting trapezoid (fuselage truss element); 8- fuselage truss; 9 additional landing gear (steel coarse with a diameter of 22); 10- shock absorber grip (pipe with a diameter of 22); 11 - additional strut (steel pipe with a diameter of 22); 12 rack connection (steel pipe with a diameter of 22)

Instrument gloss (at the bottom you can clearly see the rudder and tail wheel control pedals on the trapezoid and the rubber shock absorber of the main landing gear): 1 - carburetor throttle control handle; 2 - horizontal speed indicator; 3 - variometer; 4 - instrument panel mounting screw (3 pcs.); 5—turn and slide indicator; 6-light engine failure alarm; 7 - ignition switch; 8-cylinder head temperature sensor; 9 - rudder control pedals

On the right side of the hood there is a window for the carburetor air filter, engines and engine starting device

The UM Z 440-02 engine from the Lynx snowmobile fit well into the contours of the fuselage and provided the aircraft with good flight performance

Flying on your own plane is not a cheap pleasure. Few people can afford to buy a factory light-engine aircraft with their own money. As for used factory aircraft, they also require a number of additional investments from their new owners: despite previous technical revisions, the new owner inevitably faces other people's problems. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. Home-built aircraft that have an EEBC certificate in the experimental category have become increasingly popular at gatherings of aviation enthusiasts.

Apart from the additional time spent on construction, amateur-built aircraft RV, Sonexes, Velocity and many others received well-deserved high marks for a low cost with excellent flight performance that is not inferior to their factory counterparts. But, as often happens, there is a downside to home-made: For every completed amateur project, there are several abandoned. So, in order for a project to become successful, you need to take the right steps, have certain knowledge and be able to apply it.

Step 1. Selecting an aircraft model

Perhaps the goal of the project is the main factor influencing the success of the entire event before construction begins.

Starting an airplane project can be ranked in importance with a marriage proposal, the conclusion of an important deal, and even the choice of a pet. As in all previous cases, here you need to think through all the details before making a final decision.

Most of those who don't reach the finish line burn out over trifles. The grace of the Falco aircraft, the aerial acrobatics of the Pitts 12 and the mischievous flight of the Glastar: all can whet the interest of the future builder to make a decision based only on appearance. The simplicity of this solution can be deceiving. The essence of the right decision is not in external attributes, but in the purpose of construction.

The right decision requires completely honest and sincere self-examination. Of course, many people dream of flying like Viktor Chmal or Svetlana Kapanina, but is this true or not? Each person has his own personality and his own style of piloting, and it is impossible to live by someone else's experience. You can build an airplane for air tourism and long cross-country flights, but then discover that you would rather have a country picnic on a green lawn with friends 60 kilometers from the flying club. It is important to resolve all your doubts and sincerely think through the dream of having a “home plane”. After all, the main thing is to improve your life and do more of what you really like.

Once you decide on your dream, choosing a plane will not be difficult. After selecting the aircraft model, it will be time to conduct an examination. A quick glance at the 15th summer issue of Modelist - Constructor magazine will have a slightly sobering effect - perhaps because most of the aircraft models offered there have already gone out of fashion. The world of home cockpit builders has its own niche in the market, but even with a strong motivation, doing business in such a territory will not be an easy task from the economic side, because the market is very individualized, and trends replace each other, like swimsuit fashion. Before you start building, you should do some preparatory work: analyze the design of the aircraft in detail, call people who have already been involved in this project and look at the list of accidents. Starting work on an outdated project, in which parts and components are difficult to obtain, is, in principle, an expensive and costly undertaking.

Step 2: Planning your time

There are hardly a few people who have handled a project that requires as much attention, effort and time as building an airplane from scratch. This activity is not for amateurs. It requires constant and measured effort over a long period of time.

To ensure that there are fewer delays along the way and that progress on the project does not stand still, you can break down all the work into many small tasks. Working on each task will not seem so difficult, and success will come gradually as you complete each task. On average, a builder will need 15 to 20 hours per week to complete a simple airplane project in a reasonable amount of time.

For keen builders, most aeronautical projects take between two and four years to complete. On average, building an aircraft can take five or even ten years. This is why experienced aircraft builders will never prescribe the exact date first flight, despite the constant questioning glances of friends. As an excuse, you can say “it’s not worth it” or “as soon as possible.”

There is no place for idealists here

Not all builders realize the importance of proper time management. Aircraft building is not a social endeavor, and in fact it can get pretty damn lonely while working. Sociable people may find this activity more difficult than one might imagine. Therefore, everyone who devotes himself to this work should find pleasure in working alone.

The next plane to be built without any gaps in the holes will be the first of all time. Robert Piercing, in his cult novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, talks about mistakes when drilling holes. These mistakes can discourage a builder from working on a project for a long time. Such mistakes often accompany aviation projects, and if the builder does not have the personal qualities that would push him to cope with such difficulties, the project may be abandoned.

Perfectionists who strive for perfection in everything should look for another occupation. If all airplanes had to perfectly comply with the laws of aerodynamics, hardly anyone would dare to take off. Perfectionism is often mistaken for craft, but they are very different things. It doesn’t matter how good a thing is: you can always improve something, make it brighter and better. The goal is not to make the best airplane - the goal is to make a practical airplane so that the builder would not be ashamed of it and would not be afraid to fly it.

Step 3. Workshop equipment

The next important point is the construction site. Not everyone can afford to have a workshop like the Cessna hangars. Size, in fact, does not play a decisive role in this case.

Light aircraft are built in basements, trailers, shipping containers, country sheds, and adobe huts. In most cases, a two-car garage is sufficient. A single garage may also suffice if you have a dedicated storage area for winged units.

Most people assume that the best place to build an airplane is in a city airport hangar. In reality, hangars are the least suitable for aviation projects. Most often, hangars are much warmer in the summer and colder in the winter than outside. They are poorly lit everywhere and are rarely near your home.

Regardless of where the aircraft is assembled, you should think about amenities. Investing in comfort, some semblance of climate control, good lighting and a desk at a comfortable height, rubber mats on a concrete floor will more than pay for itself.

Here's how Martin and Claudia Sutter describe their experience building an RV-6 in their living room: “In Texas, where there are always extreme temperature changes, air conditioning in the hangar would have cost us more than building the airplane itself. We thought about working in a garage, but as it turned out, our cars couldn't stand being exposed to the open sun for long. Therefore, breakfast in the bar, housing in the bedroom, and construction in the living room - this is how our work was organized. Amenities included domestic air conditioning, heating and large sliding doors that allowed the plane to be rolled out. The most important thing was that everything was always at hand"

Step 4. Where can I get money for the plane?

Second only to time is the issue of money. How much will it cost to build an airplane? There is no one-size-fits-all answer here: on average, such projects cost between $50,000 and $65,000, and the actual cost can be lower or much higher. The construction of an aircraft is like a phased repayment of a loan; it is important to correctly assess the entire volume of required resources, both financial and time, before the start of the active investment phase.

Allocation of project costs begins with determining the tasks that the aircraft will solve. Modern aircraft manufacturers are ready to install everything you could possibly want on their products. Home aircraft builders, in turn, know exactly what they want. If the aircraft will not fly by instruments, then there is no need to install instrument flight equipment on it. There is no need to fly at night - why install runway lights for $1000. A constant pitch propeller costs three times less than a constant speed propeller, and in most cases is not much inferior to a constant speed propeller in terms of flight efficiency.

The right question is where to get the money? Rich Aunt Praskovya will not leave a will in time to finance the construction, so you will have to postpone your trip to the south, or increase your income.

Van's Air Force website owner Doug Reeves suggests the first approach. His book, "Ten Steps to Getting a Jet," includes putting off buying a new car, quitting cable TV, eating light, healthy meals of vegetables and fruits, and giving up unlimited phone plans in favor of economy plans. Overall, Doug estimates that adopting and following these steps allowed him to save about $570 each month. He faithfully put this amount into his piggy bank every month and now flies an RV-6.

Bob Collins, an RV builder, took a different route (not everyone who builds an airplane builds an RV). His job as an editor for public radio supported him and his family, but it wasn't enough to buy a plane. In general, he became “the oldest newspaper delivery man.” Seven days a week, from two to six in the afternoon, he delivered the local press. This activity, combined with his regular work, family life and his plans for the plane didn't leave him much time to sleep, but in the end he became the proud owner of an RV-7A.

Step 5. Where to get smart?

“I’ve never riveted, welded, or painted anything, and in general I’m not a master of gold,” an inexperienced builder may object. Am I even capable of building something as complex as an airplane?

In reality, it's not that difficult. Home-built airplanes are ordinary mechanical devices. Mechanical control units, simple and easy-to-understand electrics, almost no hydraulics - you can study and assemble everything yourself. A standard aircraft engine, for example, consists of four hoses, three cables and two wires. Well, if your knowledge is not enough, you can always find out the missing gaps from textbooks and manuals.

The aircraft construction technique is simple and obvious. Riveting can be mastered in one day, welding will require more time, but it is fun and almost free. In everyday life, many things are made from wood, wood processing techniques and tools have been brought to perfection, and everything can be mastered via the Internet and Youtube.

If when studying new information If a structured presentation of the material suits you best, you can take lessons in aircraft manufacturing. Similar events are held by kit kit manufacturers and some private builders.

Comprehensive support needed

If the dream of flying your own plane does not leave you, and enthusiasm fills you to the very top, then support from like-minded pilots will help speed up work on the project.

• The first step is to enlist the support of your family. Working hours in the workshop can be long and tiring, including for the rest of your family. Spousal and family support in such cases is simply necessary. Any aircraft projects that interfere with the relationship are doomed: “He spends all his time on this damn plane. She nags me all the time about my project,” whether it’s worth starting a project in this state of affairs. Mitch Locke adheres to a simple tactic: “Before I start building a new airplane, I go to my wife and ask her for a list of all the benefits that she wants her life to be better while I spend less time on her.” And it works: Mitch built seven airplanes on his own. At the same time, there are many projects that are carried out by family teams: parents with children, spouses. When shared teamwork brings people together, building an airplane becomes an additional opportunity to spend time with loved ones.
• Support outside the family circle is also important.
  When choosing a decision in favor of a particular project, it is also important to take into account the service support and experience of previous builders. Is it possible to change the thickness of the ribs without compromising the safety of the structure? Will the aircraft model company be able to answer this question? How quickly will the answers come? Is there a forum for aircraft builders that can help newbies?

Tips on how to speed up work on a project - help from professionals and kits

One of the reasons for the growth in the number of home aircraft builders is the emergence of KIT kits. Most aircraft in the past were built from scratch. The builders purchased a set of drawings for the aircraft of their choice (or designed it themselves at their own peril and risk), and then ordered materials for the manufacture of parts and assemblies.

Here are some tips for those who decide to go this route:

• You can use virtual design programs, such as X-Plane: Aircraft designer David Rose uses this program to design his models, supplementing it with the Airplane PDQ package (total cost: $198). The cost of the package is low, and the capabilities are at the level industrial systems for $30,000.
• The structure can be designed: To do this, you can study Martin Hollman’s book “Modern Aircraft Design” or K. S. Gorbenko’s “We Build Airplanes Ourselves.”

If you are not ready to make an airplane from scratch, then it makes sense to think about buying a KIT kit. The kit manufacturer can provide accurate and ready-to-assemble aircraft parts with significant savings in resources and materials compared to building from scratch. Assembly instructions, as opposed to engineering drawings, can save you countless hours of thinking about how parts fit together. This time saving will lead to the fact that you will be able to assemble more complex and high-tech aircraft. Today's KIT kits cover an astonishingly wide range of models, from wood and fabric models like the Piper Cub to composite models with prices comparable to the Citation.

Here is a list of kit manufacturers that aircraft manufacturers may find useful:

KIT – sets of Piper Cub PA-18 and its replicas

SKB "Vulkan-Avia"

CJSC Interavia

KIT – RV airplane kits

KIT – airplane sets C.C.C.P.

Your plane.ru

KIT – Ultra Pup airplane sets

KIT - CH-701 aircraft sets, as well as Zenit, Zodiac and Bearhawk

Avia-Comp Company

In order to legalize flights on a home-built aircraft, you will have to go through the procedure of obtaining a certificate of a single aircraft (EEVS, more details).

Construction may not be for everyone. If you love working with your hands and your head, know who to turn to for support, have enough money to buy a pickup truck, and have space to store it, you should be able to make your own airplane. Of course, this activity is not for everyone, but those who do it consider this experience one of the most exciting and joyful moments in their lives.

useful links

Websites dedicated to aircraft construction:

• www.stroimsamolet.ru
• www.reaa.ru
• www.avia-master.ru
• vk.com/club4449615 - VKontakte group with a lot of useful information
• www.avialibrary.com - library of aircraft designers

In this publication I want to talk about one of the most popular designs among DIYers around the world. The design of this aircraft will celebrate its 85th anniversary next year, but these devices continue to fly, and many amateur designers continue to choose this aircraft for their own construction.
So, Pietenpol Air Camper, the plane and its designer.

Many who have visited the EAA Museum in Oshkosh probably haven’t even noticed this small wooden hangar overlooking the playground. Even during air shows it is often closed, and even in open form attracts a little attention. In this photo, the entrance to the hangar is blocked by a French Sirocco aircraft.

Nevertheless, one of the outstanding amateur designers, Bernard H. Pietenpol, who is called in America only as “Father Of Home built Aircraft,” worked in this hangar.

In 1928, self-taught Minnesota engineer Bernard H. Pietenpol (born 1902) built and flew an airplane of his own design. It was an all-wood single-seat monoplane with plywood skins and fabric-covered wings. The chassis wheels were taken from a motorcycle, the frame was welded from water pipes. The designer personally cut the propeller from black walnut and was driven by a four-cylinder water-cooled Ace engine. The plane flew and flew very well, during the first two months they flew more than fifty hours.
Bernard Ptenpoel was no stranger to flying; he began learning to fly in the early 1920s, first on a Curtiss Jenny, and in 1923 he designed and built his first Sky Scout airplane, powered by a Sky Scout Ford T engine. Ptenpoel studied the design of the Curtiss aircraft Jenny, it seemed to him too complicated, and he set himself the task of designing and building an aircraft that would have acceptable flight characteristics, using a standard automobile engine, could be built from cheap and accessible materials, with a minimum of metalworking and welding. Pietenpole's new aircraft underwent several modifications over the course of five years, it became a two-seater, the landing gear changed, the Ace engine gave way to a reliable and affordable Ford A car engine with a standard 78" x 42" propeller.

1. The final design of the aircraft, which by that time had received the name Air Camper, was completed in 1934. Since 1933, Pietenpole had been trying to produce his aircraft as kits, in a small factory in Cherry Grove, Minnesota, producing metal parts and reworking engines, and in another factory, turning and milling work was done, as well as wooden parts.

An Air Camper with a Ford A engine in the Pietenpole hangar. You can get a good look at the design of the engine mount, center section and chassis.

2. Ford engine A close-up.

Pitenpol made no secret of his developments; in 1932, he published drawings of his aircraft (Air Camper and Sky Scout) in the magazine Modern Mechanics. Aviation enthusiasts around the world appreciated the ease of manufacture and reliability of these successful machines. Air Camper aircraft have been and continue to be built by amateur designers all over the world to this day.

3. An airplane built by Pitenpol himself in the main building of the EAA Museum. 1933

4. And the aircraft builder managed to install a turbocharger on this Ford A engine. The plane was built in 2000.

During the war, Pietenpole worked as a flight instructor and also repaired televisions (!). After the war, the designer returned to the aviation business and continued to build aircraft. In the early sixties, he adapted a lightweight and reliable air-cooled engine from a Chevrolet Corvair for the Air Camper. With this engine, the aircraft received a new lease of life, despite the emergence of new types and designs, aviation enthusiasts continued to build Pitenpole's aircraft. From 1928 to 1966, Pietenpoel himself built more than twenty aircraft.

Pietenpole was an active participant in the EAA air shows in Oshkosh, which began in 1953. He had his own wooden hangar in Oshkosh, which his heirs donated to the EAA Museum after his death in 1984.

5. An airplane with a Chevrolet Corvair engine in the Pietenpole hangar. You can consider a simple frame made of pipes, which was covered with plywood.

6. A Corvair 100 engine modernized for aviation needs in the main building of the EAA Museum.

7. A plywood stand with stages of the life of Bernard Pietenpole, installed in a hangar named after him.

8. Airplane built in 1967 at the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland. This aircraft is equipped aircraft engine Continental A65.

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10. The builder of this plane even put a mascot figurehead on it.

11. An interesting Air Camper with an A65 engine on Sun"n-fun 2009.

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14. It turns out that it is also for sale.

15. Very low price for rides on this type.

16. The device was built in 2004 on spoked wheels.

17. Aircraft built in 2002.

18. Pitenpol built in 2004.

19. 2008, with Continental engine.

20. Airplane with Corvair engine.

21. And this is an almost authentic device, but with the latest Rotec radial engine.

22. Air Camper aircraft were also built in our country. It is not known whether the designers of the two parasols from Zlatoust, located in Monino, used American drawings, but the authors of this aircraft claim that they built their aircraft strictly according to Pitenpol’s drawings. But from Soviet materials and with a Soviet level of finishing.
I managed to photograph this aircraft during testing in Vatulino in the winter of 2009.

23. The plane is equipped with a Suzuki car engine and a three-blade propeller from a trike.

24. It can be seen that the device is very light.

25. Instrument panels in both cabins.

26. That evening, unfortunately, the plane did not fly, there was not enough propeller thrust, it was later taken away from Vatulino, I do not know the further fate of this aircraft.

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Currently, the design of the Air Camper aircraft, of course, looks like a distant anachronism, but for those who like to have a vintage aircraft for reasonable money, this is just the thing, and I think that this aircraft will live to see its centenary.