Designed to transport people, weapons and their use. They have serious armor, high speed. But they are not suitable for civilian purposes: they are too large, expensive and difficult to manage and operate. Even during the Cold War, foreign manufacturers began to create light helicopters, in Russia this business went with some lag.
Development of light helicopters in Russia
Domestic companies are inferior to foreigners in the field of light helicopters. But Russian Helicopters does not agree with this position and is taking active steps to change it. The Ka-226 military light helicopter, which was developed for India, has been converted into a civilian one, and the first orders for the Ka-226T have already been completed. The takeoff weight of such a machine is 3600 kg. Gazpromavia ordered 18 vehicles to patrol the gas network. They requested a separate modification of the Ka-226TG for flights in difficult climatic conditions. The Ka-226TG can fly in the dark and in fog, which increases the flight range without refueling.
In Tomilino there is a plant with a capacity of up to 20 cars per year. Set to release the AW139, a 6.4 ton passenger-carrying helicopter. In the future, it is planned to supply such helicopters throughout Russia and the CIS countries.
Also, Russian Helicopters continues active cooperation with AgustaWestland, which contributes to the development of the helicopter industry. Light helicopters of the world will not be left without the flag of Russia in their ranks.
Ansat
Partnership with foreign companies is good, but I would like to have my own light Russian helicopters. One of them is "Ansat" (translated from Tatar as "simple"). This is a light multi-purpose helicopter designed and assembled at OJSC Kazan Helicopter Plant.
The first Ansat was launched in 1999. Despite the name, the history of its development is not so simple. This is the first helicopter in Russia equipped with an electric remote control system. After being released into the series, the car was delivered to the Ministry of Defense and to South Korea, it was there that the accident occurred, which led to the death of the pilot. The cause was recognized as EDSU. After that, the designers carried out work to improve this system, a civilian version was released with a hydromechanical control system - Ansat-1M. The police and forest services continue to use the Ansat for their needs. And for Korea, a special modification of Ansat-K was released, that is, Korean.
The helicopter has two turboshaft engines and a maximum takeoff weight of 3.3 tons, with a dead weight of 1-1.3 tons, and can carry 9 people. To facilitate the design, modern technologies and materials, including composite ones, were used. Despite all the difficulties, by 2018 the Ministry of Defense plans to purchase up to 40 of these helicopters with an average cost of 101.4 million rubles.
However, there is not only a military, but also a passenger, transport, administrative version, for rescuers, doctors and training flights. This is a full-fledged light multi-purpose helicopter.
"Golden eagle"
In recent years, the American company Robinson Helicopter has been the leader among suppliers, but the domestic company Berkut Aero LLC is going to move the leader with its brainchild. Due to the use of modern technologies and materials, other design solutions, the Berkut light multi-purpose helicopter is 2 times cheaper than foreign analogues. The plant in Togliatti has the capacity to produce 15 helicopters per month.
It is available in two trim levels with different engines of 147 hp. and 150 hp, has two rotors. This solution allows to reduce the diameter of the propellers and the overall length of the machine due to the absence of a tail propeller. Although a coaxial helicopter is easier to control and more resistant to bad weather, its center of gravity is shifted upwards and the height of the machine is increased.
The flight range of the Russian Berkut VL is 600 km, while that of the Berkut VL-M is 850 km. It takes off at a speed. The flight ceiling of the machine is 3000 m. The mass of an empty helicopter is below half a ton (it is the lightest helicopter in Russia), and the developed speed is up to 170 km/h. It can be used for both civilian and rescue purposes and for patrolling territories.
Helicopter for extreme entertainment
There are helicopters that seem to have been created only for entertainment. These are the lightest helicopters in the world. This is exactly the idea that the creators of AirScooter II had. This is the lightest single-seat helicopter made of high-strength materials.
They tried to make it as simple and understandable as possible to manage. It has two coaxial screws that spin in different directions and are responsible for lifting and maneuvering. Instead of a chassis or skids, two floats are used, which allow you to make a safe landing on water and on land.
A four-stroke engine was developed specifically for the AirScooter II. To the right of the pilot is a fuel tank of 18.9 liters, which allows you to fly up to 2 hours at 15 meters above the ground. Despite the fact that this helicopter was created for extreme sports, it can be used to deliver express mail, patrol and surveillance, and will also be of interest to hunters.
The lightest helicopter
It is worth mentioning the Japanese GEN-H-4. This is a civilian helicopter that made its first flight back in 2000. Has the most simple design and management. In design decisions, a coaxial propeller scheme was used, which are launched by four small engines. According to the creators, according to the instructions, you can assemble it yourself in half an hour.
This flying baby has a modest, but sufficient performance for its size. Its carrying capacity is only 86 kg, the official height ceiling is 3000 m. Although it is simply scary to climb on it to such a height. A person weighing 79 kg will be able to fly on it for about an hour at a speed of 88 km / h, then refueling will be required. The design itself weighs 70 kg - this is the lightest helicopter!
The GEN-H-4 is jokingly referred to as the "flying stool". It is essentially a chair with wheels, to which four two-stroke engines and 4-meter blades are attached to the top. All engines operate autonomously from each other, and failure of all at once is unlikely. This lightest helicopter can hold on to three, and land on two. Just in case, a parachute is included.
Helicopter for the price of a car
In our age of high technology, there is an idea to create a flying vehicle that will cost no more than a car, and learning on it will be simple. So far, only two devices have approached this line. An American AirScooter costs $50,000, and the lightest Japanese GEN-H-4 helicopter costs $30,000, and you can train a pilot in a few days.
Light multi-purpose helicopter "Aktai".
Developer:KB KVZ
Country Russia
First flight: 2006
The development of light and small helicopters was interrupted in our country in the 60s with the removal of the Mi-1 from production. A very successful helicopter for its time was built from 1950 to 1965. In total, over 2.5 thousand "ones" were issued. Mi-1 became the first domestic mass-produced helicopter. It was with him that the formation of helicopter aviation in the country began. The successive modernization of the helicopter turned it first from a three-seater to a four-seater, and then to a five-seater. Simultaneously with the Milevites, small helicopters were also created at the Design Bureau of N.I. Kamov, but the passion for gas turbine engines, alas, stopped the development of light helicopters at this company. All projects remained on paper. No one showed interest in light-engine rotorcraft in a country with a planned economy. The main consumer of such machines - an amateur athlete - was absent in the USSR, and the DOSAAF flying clubs also coped with the training of military reservists on bulky Mi-2s. Fuel and resources were not spared.
The only one in dire need of a light aerobatic vehicle was the USSR national helicopter team. For her, 20 years ago, an aerobatic Mi-34 was created at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. Unfortunately, due to objective and subjective problems, it has not yet become widespread. The promising Mi-60MAI did not leave the design stage either. The Ka-115 also remained an elegantly executed model. So there is nothing to counter the impending expansion of "Robinsons", "Enstroms" and "Schweitzers" to the Russian helicopter industry. However, a "ray of hope" flashed from Kazan. They started building the first flight model of the Aktai small helicopter.
The Kazan Helicopter Plant (KVZ), headed by General Director A.P. Lavrentyev, is considered one of the leaders in the world serial helicopter industry. The mass-produced Mi-8 "workhorses" built there are operated in more than 80 countries, and they will bring a stable income to builders for many years to come. Despite this, in the early 90s, Kazan helicopter builders thought about expanding the range of products and created their own design bureau. They made the main bet on the development of a light multi-purpose Ansat with a take-off weight of 3.5 tons, but they also thought about creating a cheap machine of an even lighter class.
The simultaneous development of two new vehicles at once was beyond the power of the emerging design team and the deputy general director of the KVZ V.B. Kartashev at the end of 1996 offered to head the design of a small two-seater helicopter to the honored Moscow engineer N.A. His assistant was G.Yu. Shatsky, also with extensive experience in design work at the "Milevsky firm". The design of a number of helicopter systems was undertaken by Kazan engineers, headed by the chief designer of the Kazan Helicopter Plant A.I. Stepanov.
The new Kazan machine was originally intended to meet the steadily growing demand in the world for small and inexpensive rotorcraft for individual use. Many prominent founders of the helicopter industry, such as I.I. Sikorsky and N.I. Kamov, dreamed of creating and introducing into wide use this kind of "people's helicopters", believing that such machines could take a place in the garages of private owners along with the usual cars and other modes of transport.
Kazan customers assigned the name "Aktai" to a small helicopter (translated from Tatar - "White foal"). Due to the moderate price typical for our products, the Kazan "rotorcraft Pegasus" will find wide demand not only among the domestic consumer, but also among foreign enthusiasts of light-engine rotorcraft, will press out the "Robinsons" and "Schweitzers" that have filled the market and will contribute to the further development of small private aviation both in our country and abroad.
Particularly relevant and economically justified is the creation of a large “herd” of Aktai helicopters and its subsequent modifications in Russia due to the low density and poor quality of the road network.
As the experience of the global helicopter industry shows, the most crucial moment in the design is the development of the initial concept of the device. An error at this stage can affect the entire fate of the helicopter. The designer first of all dissuaded the customer from the seemingly very attractive concept of a two-seat helicopter of the smallest possible dimensions. Marketing analysis shows that due to the small payload, helicopters of this type are of relatively limited use - only as a means of initial training and "near-aerodrome training". Of the variety of double devices, only the famous Robinson R-22 is in real demand. And even then, after the R-44 went on sale, it was more like a cheap addition to its four-seater “brother”. The vast majority of buyers prefer to purchase 3-4-seat helicopters (over 25% of the fleet of small and light civil helicopters). They are capable of a much more diverse range of tasks. "Flying car" is always preferable to "flying motorcycle".
Since the arrangement of four seats forced a significant increase in the dimensions of the cabin and the helicopter itself, the customer and the developer agreed on the design of a compact three-seat version. The pilot and passengers are placed in a row, the pilot is in the leftmost seat. At the same time, for the first time for helicopters of this class, certified energy-absorbing safety seats from Fischer were installed at Aktai, which increased the rating of the helicopter in the world market. For the first time for machines of this class, Aktai met the FAR / JAR requirements for the survival of the crew and passengers during an emergency (fall from a height of 15 m) landing.
For aerobatics or long-term monitoring, two or one seat is left in the cockpit. Lightweight (in the aerobatic version up to 850 kg) "Aktai" will allow you to perform aerobatics with an overload of up to 3.2 or perform patrols lasting at least 6 hours. When used for training purposes, two sets of command control levers are installed in the cockpit. Cadets on the right seats can change places in flight. Rich experience in the use of three-seat helicopters Bell B-47, Hiller H-12, Shweizer-300C, etc. confirms the feasibility of such an arrangement on training and training machines.
In addition to sports flights, a private owner of a three-seat helicopter will be able to use it for recreational trips with two passengers on board or an urgent flight, for example, to a place of work in traffic jams during peak hours. To accommodate the luggage of the owner and passengers, Aktai has a trunk for 80 kg of cargo. This compartment is so impressive in size that in extreme situations it can carry one more passenger. The area for cargo placement increases significantly when the passenger seats are dismantled. Then, inside the helicopter, a single vast cargo compartment is formed, which occupies almost the entire area of the cargo floor, in which up to 240 kg of cargo can be placed. The cargo compartment along the entire length of the fuselage is one of the highlights of the new helicopter.
Oversized loads weighing up to 300 kg can be transported on an external sling. In the latter case, the estimated flight range of Aktai is reduced from 400 to 100-150 km. The helicopter can also be equipped with containers for chemicals weighing up to 290 kg, spray booms and other equipment for aerial agricultural work. In this version, "Aktai" is extremely attractive to farmers and collective farms. Another important, according to its developers, the direction of application of "Aktai", which is mandatory for a helicopter of any type, is a machine for medical care. "Aktai" can transport a stretcher patient or injured at a distance of 300 km to the hospital. For the convenience of loading the stretcher, a relatively wide cargo hatch is provided in the rear of the fuselage, which is closed by a flap. At the same time, one of the passenger seats is dismantled, and an accompanying medical worker is placed on the other. The helicopter is of great value as a flying ambulance for hospitals in remote areas, as well as in large metropolitan areas with busy traffic conditions. The landing weight of the machine is quite acceptable for the existing helipads on the roofs of the capital's hospitals.
The above lists only the main directions for the prospective use of the Aktai helicopter, which were taken into account when choosing the parameters, general appearance and layout in the design. After the start of serial production, the device will undoubtedly expand a number of economically justified areas of application and become a unique, unparalleled in its class, small multi-purpose helicopter. Its cost will be available to the widest range of rotorcraft operators.
The modern helicopter industry is characterized by the constant modernization of existing types of helicopters in order to create on their basis new basic models using ready-made and field-tested units and systems. To this end, the developers of "Aktai" chose the parameters of the helicopter with some margin to create on its basis a number of machines with increased payload and passenger capacity. The basic concept of the Aktai developers was to design a helicopter in strict accordance with the latest international airworthiness standards FAR / JAR-27, which will give the promising machine significant advantages over competitors. According to the designers' estimates, a helicopter of this type can be highly competitive in the market only by keeping its price in the range of $200-300 thousand, direct operating costs $80-100/h and fuel consumption 30-40 kg/h. At Aktai, a minimum of resource units was used, and the overhaul life of the units and the engine will be 1500-2000 hours. The calculated calendar service life of the helicopter is 15 years. The weight return was laid during the design - not less than 0.39 - 0.43.
Units and parts of Aktai were developed in accordance with the main serial technologies adopted or being introduced at Kazan Helicopter Plant, according to the principle of balanced use of innovative and traditional technical solutions, structural materials and technological processes. This will also ensure the machine is competitive in terms of performance and price. For example, instead of the composite construction recommended by many experts, a simple all-metal construction was chosen for the helicopter airframe in order to ensure the cheapness of the product and the possibility of its rapid adaptation to large-scale production. It is also more maintainable in the field. The machine was designed with a moderate weight margin, taking into account the inevitable overweight of some units and systems during the subsequent refinement of the helicopter.
In addition, marketing analysis indicated the need to provide the helicopter with good flight and autorotation characteristics, an acceptable level of noise on the ground, sufficient comfort in the cockpit, attractive design and finish. As such, by the beginning of 1997, the main package of design concepts for the design of the Aktai helicopter was formed, and its creators began to develop a preliminary design for a promising helicopter.
The work of the designers went smoothly and already in the first three months of 1997 the working draft design was completed, and in the summer of the same year a full-scale model was built, which was first presented to the aviation community at MAKS-1997. In 1998, important additions were made to the preliminary design, and the general appearance of the promising machine could be considered formed. The design of the main units and systems as a whole was determined.
The characteristics of a helicopter and its success in the market are largely determined by the right choice of engine. An analysis of customer requirements and experience in operating helicopters have convincingly shown the feasibility of using only internal combustion engines in Aktai-class helicopters. It is this type of helicopters that is most in demand in the world today.
A prerequisite for maintaining an acceptable cost of a helicopter both in the domestic and foreign markets may be the use of a domestically produced power plant on it. Unfortunately, since the end of the 40s, internal combustion aircraft engines have practically not been created in our country. Light-engine aviation was content with the 9-cylinder star-shaped M-14 created in 1948, which is bulky, heavy and low-resource by modern standards. The M-14 uses expensive grades of gasoline and oil, and is also difficult to start.
The designers of "Aktai" found a way out in the use of an engine of a fundamentally new scheme - a rotary piston. Since the 60s, SKB RPD AvtoVAZ in Togliatti has been developing them, which created a number of successful automotors of this type under the guidance of the chief designer N.M. Budnikov. At the beginning of the last decade of the last century, the Togliatti people began to create rotary-piston engines (RPD) for aircraft, having received a certificate in 1996 as an aircraft designer.
N.A. Nazarov had a long-standing partnership with SKB RPD. For his new helicopter, he ordered in 1997 the VAZ-426 engine, consisting of three sections of a rotary piston engine, tested on Lada cars. Each section at that time developed 80 hp. Total power of 240 hp more than enough for Aktai. To date, Togliatti has already raised sectional power to 90 hp. and are successfully working on a modification of 100 hp. At MAKS-2003, SKB RPD demonstrated already certified samples of one-, two- and three-section aircraft engines, including a specialized helicopter VAZ-4265 for Aktai. Currently, SKB RPD is conducting research on the transfer of the engine from gasoline to jet fuel, which will allow it to “fit” into the supply and operation systems of both civil and military aviation in the future.
Thus, the prospective light machine of the Kazan Helicopter Plant is reliably provided with a finished and certified domestic power plant with a solid power reserve. The family of aviation rotary piston engines is the most important domestic priority in the field of engineering technology and a reliable support for the export policy of SKB RPD for the next decade.
Equipped with a water cooling system, the RPD VAZ-4265 weighs only 162 kg (for the M-14V - 254 kg, for the Lycoming 540 - 202 kg). Its small dimensions make it easy to place the motor above the aircraft fuselage on the ceiling panel of the central part. The entire fuselage is thus freed to accommodate the payload. The electric start provides a cold start of the engine at temperatures down to -25°C, which reduces the cost of operation in the northern regions and reduces the time for preparing for the flight. The engine runs on relatively inexpensive gasolines and oils, has a high throttle response, is not afraid of overrevving, allows power boost, torque at low speeds, economical and lightweight. The installation of a turbocharger will significantly increase the high-altitude characteristics of the VAZ-4265 when modifying the helicopter for high-altitude or hot operating conditions.
The decision to install the VAZ-4265 on the Aktai was truly revolutionary and has no analogues in the serial world helicopter industry, but, making it, the designers were guided by the real state of affairs in the domestic aircraft engine-building and a critical assessment of the prospects for its development. In the official conclusion of the main center of domestic aircraft engine building - CIAM, in particular, it is said: "Aircraft rotary piston engines VAZ-416 and VAZ-426, according to their declared data, are quite comparable with four-stroke piston gasoline engines, somewhat inferior to them in terms of specific cruising fuel consumption, and can be used as an engine for light aircraft and helicopters."
The RPD drives the main and tail rotors, the fan and the helicopter generator through the transmission. It consists of: main gearbox with drives and couplings, tail gearbox and transmission shaft. The main gearbox is mounted on a sub-frame to the ceiling panel of the central part of the fuselage. A compact and lightweight main gearbox of a classic two-stage planetary scheme was created in the St. Petersburg OJSC Krasny Oktyabr under the leadership of the chief designer G.P. Smirnov. The weight of the gearbox is only 56 kg. With its creation, Gennady Petrovich proved that he can make excellent gearboxes not only for a multi-threaded circuit. The gearbox takes incoming revolutions from the engine with a frequency of 6000 rpm and reduces them to a rotor speed of 344 rpm. Gearbox lubrication - bubbling. The spring serves to transmit torque from the engine to the main gearbox.
The main rotor of the Aktai helicopter is of an original design. The aerodynamic arrangement of the blades is chosen from the condition of minimizing the hinge moment. They are designed according to the technology already used on the Ansat blades, they have a trapezoidal shape and are made of composites. The blade spar is made by laying out a high-modulus cord fabric on an epoxyphenol binder. The tail section of the blade is of a continuous design, made of organo-textolite skins with a filler of polymer-isotoplast - Nomex. Nickel fittings protect the tip of the blade from abrasive wear. For the first time on helicopters of this class, an anti-icing system is provided on the blades. The main rotor hub is designed using modern solutions that ensure the absence of routine maintenance on it and operation as it is. The sleeve has a fiberglass hub with three consoles, on which the blade sleeves are suspended with the help of fabric and rubber-metal bearings. The flywheel movement of the blade in the plane of rotation is compensated by elastomeric dampers.
Two-blade tail rotor - 1.48 m in diameter with a common horizontal oblique hinge. Rectangular blades are structurally similar to rotor blades. Their mass production is also planned to be mastered at Kazan Helicopter Plant. Self-lubricating fabric-metal bearings ensure the rotation of the blade in the axial hinge. Low angular speeds of rotation of the main and tail rotors, as well as the installation of a silencer in the engine exhaust system, significantly reduce the noise level on the ground and in the cockpit.
The swashplate is designed according to the classical scheme with a cardan suspension of the plates on the slider and has only one lubrication point. Helicopter control system - boosterless, rigid type, with trim mechanism. A hydraulic lock is installed in the cyclic step control circuit, which prevents the transfer of variable loads from the propeller to the control handle. The control channel mixer is of original design. The control system "Aktai", in addition, includes control systems for the engine and rotor brake.
The all-metal airframe of the Aktai helicopter includes the nose and central parts of the fuselage, the tail boom with the fin and stabilizer. The forward part of the fuselage houses the cockpit, helicopter controls, electrical and radio equipment compartment, as well as engine start and cabin heating equipment. The cabin has doors on the right and left sides, equipped with an emergency reset mechanism. The large canopy glass area provides good visibility. Formed by two power frames, the central part of the fuselage is located behind the cockpit and contains a cargo compartment of considerable volume with access from the cockpit, through the cargo door on the starboard side, and also through the flap-stairway on the port side in the rear of the fuselage. Such access to the cargo compartment is another feature of the new Kazan helicopter. The ladder flap also facilitates access to the power plant compartment when servicing the helicopter. In the central part of the fuselage to the left of the main rotor axis is a fuel tank. For the convenience of inspection and maintenance of units and systems, special hatches are provided.
Behind the cab, above the cargo compartment, there is a power plant compartment, in which there is an engine with a starter, a main gearbox with a gearbox, a generator, a fan, an engine cooling radiator and an oil cooler. The compartment is closed with folding hoods. In accordance with FAR / JAR requirements, the strength of the structural elements of the fuselage, the carrier system and the engine prevents them from falling into the cabin during an emergency landing. A tail boom with a keel and a stabilizer is attached to the rear of the fuselage, and a tail gearbox is attached to its end. In the fairing of the beam there is a transmission shaft between the main and tail gears. The helicopter is equipped with an all-duralumin skid landing gear, consisting of front and rear springs and two skids. When based in seaside and lake areas, the skid chassis can be replaced with a float chassis. A safety support-crutch is installed in the lower part of the keel.
The fuel system provides uninterrupted power in all flight modes, including aerobatics. It consists of a tank with a capacity of 300 liters, an electric pump, an anti-drainage chamber, etc. The tank shell is double: the outer one is rigid duralumin, and the inner one is rubber. Thanks to this, Aktai, for the first time for helicopters of this class, met the certification requirements for maintaining the tightness of the tank when the helicopter falls from a height of 15 m. The tank volumes provide uninterrupted power to the engines for 6 hours of flight in normal cruising mode.
The Aktai oil system includes an air-oil cooler, a pump, and other elements. The main element of the engine cooling system is an axial-type fan located on the axis of the transmission shaft, which supplies outside air to cool the liquid in the radiator. Coolant - antifreeze. In addition, Aktai has fire extinguishing, heating and ventilation systems, power supply systems (with a generator and a battery), as well as external and internal lighting and signaling equipment. A landing light is installed in the nose of the helicopter. The generator ensures the operation of anti-icing systems for propellers and electrical heating of the cabin, as well as other energy-intensive special equipment.
The Aktai helicopter can be equipped with a set of instrumentation that allows piloting both according to the rules of visual flight and according to instruments. It includes devices for monitoring the operation of the power plant, transmission and control of the helicopter, a speed indicator, a barometric altimeter, a magnetic compass, as well as a variometer, a radio altimeter, an artificial horizon, a clock and a thermometer. An emergency flight data recorder BUR-Sl is installed on board. Radio equipment "Aktai" includes a radio station "Yurok" mv-range, an intercom and a warning buzzer.
The design of the Ansat makes it possible to carry out its maintenance and repair during operation with high quality at minimal labor costs. This is achieved by accessibility to units and assemblies, ease of removal and interchangeability. For the convenience of inspection and maintenance of units and assemblies, extensive hoods are used, and on the fuselage steps, a sash-ladder and special hatches are made. The helicopter provides for the possibility of replacing the engine, gearboxes, transmission units of the carrier system in the field. When replacing the engine and units, a convenient approach to their attachment points, lines and connectors is provided. The tail transmission shaft and tail rotor control rods are covered with an easily removable sectional casing. Inspection and lubrication of hinged joints is carried out without removal from the helicopter. The number of required lubrication points is reduced to a minimum. To facilitate the approach when installing the equipment located on the central console and dashboard, all panels and guards open easily. Units of electrical, radio and instrumental equipment are concentrated in a special instrument compartment, which facilitates their maintenance and replacement.
Aktai can be operated in the temperature range from -50°C to +50°C, at barometric pressure corresponding to altitudes from 300 m below sea level and up to 5000 m above sea level, at relative humidity from 0 to 98% and maximum wind speed in front - 15 m/s and 10 m/s from other angles. Takeoff and landing are provided from sites with any surface 35 m long and 20 m wide.
All work on the Aktai project is financed from the internal funds of the Kazan Helicopter Plant, overloaded with other, no less relevant programs - mass production and modernization of the Mi-17, certification and introduction of the Ansat into mass production, construction and flight tests of the Mi-38, etc. The Aktai program is not the highest priority among them. Therefore, it is not moving as fast as many domestic and foreign enthusiasts of light-engine rotary-wing aviation would like. However, to date, results have been achieved that allow us to hope for an early completion of the first most important stage of the program - the rise into the air of an experimental apparatus.
In recent years, Kazan helicopter builders and their subcontractors have built most of the prototypes of the most critical Aktai units and assemblies. Many of them have passed static tests. For more than a year and a half, bench dynamic and life tests of the most high-tech units have been going on - the main rotor hub and blades, as well as the tail rotor. In the past 2003, the KVZ assembly shop completed the construction of the first prototype OP-1 for comprehensive ground tests. It was successfully demonstrated at MAKS-2003 and is currently being used for its intended purpose.
In the spring of 2004, Kazan Helicopter Plant began assembling the first Aktai flight prototype, OP-2, and it is expected that in a few months it will go to the flight test station. In anticipation of intense factory flight and certification test programs, the plant is already laying down the first experimental batch of Aktaev. On this first "herd" of Tatarstan "rotary-winged foals" they will not only complete all the test programs for fine-tuning the basic model, but also try out further directions for its development. According to the creators of Aktai, the design groundwork laid down in this machine will make it possible to create a range of even more capacious and lifting helicopters on its basis.
The main rotor, providing a take-off weight of 1240 kg on the base model, has reserves for increasing thrust. The characteristics of other Aktai units and systems can also be forced. When replacing a three-section VAZ-4265 engine with a power plant of two two-section VAZ-416 engines with a power of 180-200 hp each. each, you can create a four-seat twin-engine model with a two-row arrangement of seats in the cab. Thus, with little bloodshed, on the basis of the Aktai units and systems tested and mastered in production, a modernized Aktai-2 with a take-off weight of 1480 kg will be created. Its construction will not take much time.
The next step could be a five-seat light Aktai-3 helicopter of a higher class, created on the basis of a four-blade version of the Aktai main rotor and a power plant of two VAZ-4265 engines. Its takeoff weight will be about 1600-1800 kg There is no need to explain how competitive this model promises to be on the world market, which has no analogues in the foreign helicopter industry. Of course, such modernization will require a much more in-depth development of most units and systems, but the use of mastered engines, blades and main hub assemblies, that is, the most high-tech parts of the helicopter design, will significantly reduce R&D costs and speed up the creation of a new model, very attractive for rotary-wing aviation and domestic air export. With the advent of Aktai, and then Aktai-2 and Aktai-3, the needs of the emerging Russian private helicopter aviation in the main classes of small helicopters will be fully met.
In a word, the Tatarstan “White Colt”, which is currently being prepared for flight tests, has every chance of becoming the ancestor of a whole “tribe of rotary-winged Pegasus for helicopter stables” of the growing light-engine aviation of Russia.
Modification: Aktai
Rotor diameter, m: 10.00
Tail rotor diameter, m: 1.48
Length, m: 8.35
Height, m: 2.69
Width, m: 1.90
Weight, kg
- empty: 605
- normal takeoff: 1050
-maximum takeoff: 1150
Engine type: 1 x PD VAZ-4265
- power, hp: 1 x 270
Maximum speed, km/h: 190
Cruising speed, km/h: 155
Practical range, km: 400
Practical ceiling, m: 4700
Static ceiling, m: 1300
Crew, people: 1
Payload: 2 passengers or 300 kg of cargo in the cabin or 240 kg on an external sling.
Light helicopter "Aktai".
In Russia, a unique light multi-purpose high-speed helicopter (MSV) with the beautiful name "Bottled Dolphin" was developed. The Russian development runs on ordinary motor gasoline and, according to the developers, has no analogues in the world. The helicopter was created by HeliWhale LLC from the city of Kemerovo. It is expected that in 2016 the company will be engaged in the serial production of this MRV "Afalina". A light two-seat helicopter will be able to solve a wide range of tasks, including special tasks in the interests of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other Russian structures.
For the first time, a new helicopter from the Helivale company was presented to the general public as part of the HeliRussia 2015 exhibition, which was held from May 21 to 23 in Moscow at the Crocus Expo exhibition center. According to RIA "", at present, this light two-seat helicopter is undergoing a set of practical tests with the prospect of launching a serial model of the helicopter into commercial production next year. At the exhibition, which was held in Moscow in May, a demonstration sample of the Bottlenose Dolphin was shown. Russian production in combination with technical solutions made it possible to significantly optimize the cost of one flight hour, which makes it possible to use this light helicopter for solving a wide range of various tasks, the developers of the rotorcraft note.
The Bottlenose Dolphin is a light twin-rotor single-engine helicopter with a tandem arrangement of pilots. Its aerodynamics are based on the further development of the ABC (Advancing Blade Concept). The maximum speed of the small helicopter is 250 km/h (cruising speed 210 km/h) and the maximum flight range is 750 km. The takeoff weight of the helicopter does not exceed 500 kg. At the same time, the machine at this point in time has the best flight performance in its class and meets all the main modern requests from consumers of such products. The high-speed capabilities of the helicopter and the increased size of its cabin provide an additional level of comfort during its operation.
It should be noted that the Kemerovo helicopters have an unusual design. According to the owner of HeliWhale, Yakov Kolesnik, in 2013 a patent was obtained for a control system for coaxial rotors of a high-speed helicopter. The use of a coaxial helicopter scheme implies the absence of a propeller located on the rear axle. Coaxial helicopters have a somewhat more complex structure, but their efficiency is also higher. The model was named "Bottle Dolphin" in honor of the most intelligent species of dolphins among all representatives of cetaceans; in Russia, you can watch this smart and beautiful marine animal on the Black Sea.
At the moment, high-speed helicopters are an unfilled niche in the field of aircraft manufacturing. The theoretical prerequisites for the creation of such machines were formulated in the late 1970s. The first really high-speed models of helicopters were tested in the 80s of the last century by Sikorsky Aircraft. However, further work in this area was temporarily suspended. They were renewed only in 2006. Then the same company designed and built an experimental prototype of the Sikorsky X2 helicopter: it was a prototype of a high-speed coaxial helicopter with a pusher propeller, built on the basis of the S-69 helicopter. Already in 2010, this experimental machine managed to set a flight speed record for helicopters. Now helicopter-building concerns and manufacturers from Europe and Russia have joined the issue of creating high-speed helicopters in all classes.
Taking into account the industry development trends and the demands of the growing Russian aviation market, the designers of the Helivale company began work on the creation of a high-speed helicopter for general aviation. The main task in creating the helicopter was to ensure the availability of the machine and certain speed characteristics. When creating a helicopter model, the Kemerovo company used the experience of the world helicopter industry, innovative technical ideas, and also tried to take into account the needs of future customers of its machine. According to the official website of the Helivale company, today light two-seat helicopters are widely used in the world, so the company believes in a happy flying life for their offspring.
HeliWhale is owned by Kuzbass Capital Invest shareholder Yakov Kolesnik. At the same time, Yakov Kolesnik opened a small plant for the production and repair of helicopters without financial support from the region and the state - he basically does not call his brainchild a business. “Business is what makes money in the world today. We do not have such a commercial goal, and will not have it later. We are currently doing design work and we love it. We develop helicopters, and money can be made on other things. My main task now is to ensure that the people who work with me here receive normal wages, as in normal countries, so that such work is prestigious, ”said Yakov Kolesnik in an interview with one of the Kemerovo publications. In his understanding, a normal salary is about 100 thousand rubles a month.
Kolesnik considers such remuneration for work to be quite justified, since it is quite difficult to find specialists for the design and assembly of helicopters in Kemerovo. The chief designer of the Afalina light multi-purpose high-speed helicopter is Mikhail Mamykin, a native of Novosibirsk, who worked for 15 years in Novosibirsk at the famous Chkalov Aviation Plant (NAZ named after V.P. Chkalov). Specialists in plastic parts - from Kemerovo. They are headed by Maxim Ivlev, whom Yakov Kolesnik met back in his school years in an aircraft modeling circle and a few years ago hardly persuaded him to leave the field of car tuning for the aircraft industry. Such a team worked on a promising Russian novelty.
In addition to the Bottlenose Dolphin, which has already been shown at the exhibition, there is also the Bottlenose Dolphin Turbo. This helicopter will be able to reach a maximum speed of up to 300 km/h in the air. The estimated price of future rotorcraft is about 150 thousand dollars. “Many people ask us, where do we get spare parts for the helicopter? So, we don’t take them anywhere, but we made them ourselves. Nothing was stolen from anyone. In our project, the only foreign thing is that in our country they are not able to do it - this is the “engine” and electronics, that is, navigation equipment. Everything else - frames, fuselage, blades, seats - was designed and manufactured in Kemerovo," Kolesnik told reporters.
MSV Bottlenose Dolphin is the result of the painstaking creative work of a team of like-minded people, people who are fanatically devoted to aviation. In just four years, the production facility, which has grown here from scratch literally in a wasteland, has turned into a full-fledged small, well-equipped and high-tech plant for the repair and production of light helicopters. In the near future, the company plans to establish serial production of helicopters and enter the Russian and international markets with the finished product. The Afalina helicopter can be useful for the needs of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, fuel and energy companies, air ambulance, for the needs of private and corporate clients, and used for training purposes.
In the backyard, Yakov Kolesnik equipped a helipad, from time to time helicopters of his friends land on it, who fly to visit him. Kolesnik himself prefers a helicopter to a car for business trips around the region. The growth of interest in small aircraft in Kemerovo is so great that a private airfield was even opened in the regional center. You can learn to be a pilot today at the Kemerovo flying club. Businessman Yakov Kolesnik himself believes that the use of light helicopters in modern life is economically justified and safe. According to him, a trained pilot will be able to correctly direct the helicopter even if the engine fails. “Once, at an altitude of 200 meters, my engine failed, and I landed in autorotation mode. Having landed, I turned off all the electronics, listened to myself - there were no injuries, got out of the car and left. This is a regular situation,” Kolesnik said.
Design features
The bottlenose dolphin is powered by the German Rotax 914 UL with 115 hp. The choice of the engine was due to the fact that Rotax piston engines are distinguished by high economic performance, and also have a long service life. Such an engine is ten times cheaper than a small-sized gas turbine engine and consumes little fuel in cruising mode (up to 18-22 liters per hour). At the same time, the engine runs on ordinary automotive fuel - AI-95 gasoline, which is widely represented in Russia, and not on special aviation kerosene. Today, these aircraft engines are installed on many aircraft. The engine proved to be very reliable and was certified in Europe.
The main gearbox is a proprietary development of the Kemerovo company. A two-stage gearbox is used. The first stage of the gearbox is a cylindrical helical gear, the second stage is a two-line bevel gear with a circular tooth. In the second stage of the gearbox, an oil temperature sensor, a chip detector and a rotor speed sensor were placed. The helicopter engine and gearbox are interconnected by a transmission, which includes a damping elastic rubber clutch and an engagement clutch (in one unit).
The carrier system of the helicopter is coaxial synchronized propellers. The blades are made of carbon fiber, they are rigidly fixed in the bushings.
Helicopter fuselage: truss frame, welded from pipes (St20). The cockpit, tail boom and plumage of the machine are made of glass-carbon fiber. The location of the pilots in the cockpit is tandem, the control of the helicopter is paired. To maintain the required temperature in the cockpit, there is a ventilation and air heating system on board.
Helicopter landing gear skid aluminum. For transportation of the machine on the ground, the installation of removable wheels is provided, which allow only one person to transport the helicopter to its permanent base without any problems.
An interesting feature is the ability to install a high-speed parachute system MVEN "Cobra" -500 on a helicopter. This is a pyrotechnic system with forced opening of the parachute, which is able to save a load weighing up to 500 kg. Nowadays, it becomes more and more obvious that the use of parachute rescue systems, which, in the event of an accident or an emergency, rescue pilots along with the aircraft, is the most rational way to improve flight safety on ultralight aircraft. This is also proved by the statistics of successful applications of such rescue systems.
Purpose and scope of the helicopter "Afalina"
Today, all over the world, light two-seat helicopters have a fairly wide range of applications. These machines are mainly used for:
- education and training of helicopter pilots;
- aerial photography and observation of the area;
- police patrol;
- control of power lines and pipelines;
- transportation of medical staff;
- transportation of individuals;
- administrative transportation;
- aviation agricultural work;
- work in the fishing industry;
- sports flights.
Flight performance characteristics of the helicopter "Afalina":
Overall dimensions: length - 7.2 m (without blades), width - 1.85 m, height - 2.8 m, rotor diameter - 6 m.
The number of rotors - 2 (6 blades each).
Takeoff weight - 500 kg.
The mass of the structure is 270 kg.
Payload weight - 180 kg.
The power plant is Rotax 914 UL (115 hp).
Fuel consumption - 18-22 l/hour.
The maximum flight speed is 250 km / h.
Cruising flight speed - 200 km / h.
Maximum flight range - 750 km.
Static ceiling - 2000 m.
Information sources:
http://heliwhale.ru (manufacturer)
http://www.arms-expo.ru/news/novye_razrabotki/rossiyskaya_afalina_mnogotselevogo_naznacheniya
http://biz.a42.ru/lenta/show/yakov-i-vertoletnaya-fabrika.html
http://www.helirussia.ru/ru/dlya_smi/press_relizyi/2015/04/06/kompaniya_"xelivejl"_predstavit_na_helirussia_2015_novyij_sverxlegkij_skorostnoj_vertolet_"afalina"
http://lenta.ru/news/2015/05/12/helirussia
In 1971, by decision of the Government, the Design Bureau team was entrusted with the development of an ultralight single-seat helicopter in the interests of the Armed Forces of the USSR. The work on the project was headed by Deputy Chief Designer Sergei Nikolaevich Fomin. In accordance with the terms of reference, the helicopter had to be designed in such a way as to ensure its stowage in a cylindrical shipping container with a diameter of not more than 500 mm.
This requirement was determined by the basing of the helicopter on both surface and submarine ships of the Navy and transportation to the place of operation through torpedo tubes. From the transport state to the operational state, the helicopter must be driven by one person within 15 minutes.
And another important requirement was put forward by the customer - long-term operation of the helicopter with full autonomy from the base.
These requirements immediately determined the concept of a constructive solution for the helicopter - it must be foldable, with a minimum number of detachable elements.
Various layout solutions were considered, the experience of the Americans, who in 1956-57. held a competition for projects of single-seat helicopters.
As a result of a large amount of design and engineering work, the helicopter was made according to the "folding corner" scheme with the pilot's placement in the same way as on the Ka-10 helicopter. The helicopter was equipped with an air-cooled rotary piston engine and a wheeled landing gear with an elastic tail support.
The use of an air-cooled rotary piston engine operating on automotive fuel solved many problems: the engine dimensions were reduced compared to a conventional piston engine; his work became more uniform; reduced vibration and noise levels; increased resistance to starting at low temperatures. In addition, the task of providing the helicopter with fuel and oils at a distance from the base was simplified. During the development process, a full-scale model of the helicopter was built, on which the main layout solutions and the design of the folding units and elements of the helicopter were worked out to the smallest detail at the level of working documentation.
In parallel with the layout, a prototype of the main module of the helicopter was created.
Structurally, the solution of the nodes of the folding elements of the helicopter was made according to the scheme of single-moving kinematic pairs. There were six such pairs that ensured the process of folding or deploying the machine into operational condition.
Detachable structural elements were only 4 blades of coaxial rotors. Docking of the blades was carried out by a quick-detachable finger joint with a locking spring valve. The carrier system (with the exception of the blades) and the helicopter control system did not require any adjustment work after the deployment of the helicopter into operational condition.
As a result of full-scale testing of the helicopter design, it was possible to achieve that the time to bring the helicopter from the transport position to the operational position by one person was less than 10 minutes.
The helicopter could not be brought to flight tests due to the lack of knowledge of the rotary piston engine.
On July 20, 2016, an ultra-light folding Mikron helicopter took off for the first time at the Voskresensk airfield. Dmitry Rakitsky controlled the helicopter in this flight. That first prototype has already gone to a new owner, and the next version of the helicopter was presented at MAKS-2017. The design of the apparatus has undergone significant changes, not a single bolt remains from the original version.
products webpage?
Micron is a coaxial helicopter developed by aircraft designer Valery Shokhov with the support of the aviation company AIRLANE and the Gyroplane.ru team. According to the creators, the device was designed based on the Ka-56.
The second Micron has an open cockpit and a propeller with a diameter of 5.3 meters. The light helicopter has high controllability and unique maneuverability. Empty Micron weighs only 115 kg, is designed for a single pilot and is equipped with a compact coaxial rotor design.
If I understood correctly, then the price for such a helicopter was announced within 3.5 million rubles?
Helicopter data plate with this engine.
If I understand correctly, then the blades for the helicopter were created by Nikolai Sannikov (on the forum - niksaan). A team of composers from Kharkov under the leadership of Kalnitsky A.M. - prepared fuselage parts from KM.
After the death of Dmitry Rakitsky, the banner of testing these helicopters was picked up by Dmitry Shadrin.
Roller wheels? On the first copy, the wheels were larger, what has changed?
And it looks like a different design of footrests and pedals? I don't see pedals here at all.
Engine and drive. Bush HB semi-rigid type with torsion bars from VNS-2. Initially, only four engines were planned for installation on a helicopter: Rotax 503, Hirth H32, MZ 202, RMZ 550, and now R582, RMZ 551.
Dashboard. It is immediately clear that this helicopter is not going to fly under the IFR yet :-)))
MZ202 engine, its weight is 40 kg with a power of 60 hp. .
And belt drive screws.
According to the creators, the specific parameters of the helicopter (load on swept area, load on power) are very close to such devices as the Ka-26 and XRON. Therefore, they expect that the behavior in the autorotation mode will not differ much from the behavior of the above vehicles. During the tests, Dmitry Rakitsky, when switching to the autorotation mode, estimated that there was more time to reset the speed to a critical value than on the R-22.
Technical and flight characteristics of the first Micron prototype and (second copy)
Length: 3.1 m.
Width: 1.6 m.
Height: 2.53 m.
Helicopter weight: 115 kg.
Maximum takeoff weight: 242 kg.
Payload: 127 kg.
Cruise speed: 88 km/h
Maximum speed: 112 km/h
Practical ceiling (dynamic): 3000 m.
Hovering height (taking into account the influence of the earth): 2408 m.
Hover height (excluding ground influence): 2073 m.
Rate of climb: 293 m/min
Flight duration: 1 hour
Flight duration (with additional tank): 2.73 hours
Fuel consumption: 19 l/hour.
Standard tank volume: 19 l
Extended tank volume: 53 l
Fuel type: automobile gasoline AI-95
Power plant: Rotax 503/MZ202 (2 cycles, 2 cylinders)
Power: 50 HP/60 HP
3-point, wheel chassis
Cabin type: open
Rotor diameter: 4.5 m / 5.3 m.
Main screw speed: 730rpm/569rpm
Folding tail boom.
