Sports aircraft - machines for real aces

Many dreamed of raising a combat fighter or a multi-toned passenger liner in the air as a child. Unfortunately, not all our desires are destined to be realized, and the dream of heaven is not an exception. But for the failed pilots there is still the opportunity to sit at the helm. It is provided to them by sports airplanes.

What is sports aviation?

It is also called the aviation of initial training, or aeroclub. Sport aviation is used for setting up initial flight skills for beginners and is a separate sport discipline, within which aerobatics competitions are held between real aces. In Russia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, sports aviation was in a deplorable state, but today it is gradually beginning to revive. Yak - a sports aircraft, which is the main for our small aircraft. Used Yak-52, Yak-54, Yak-55, Yak18-T. Also we have sport aircraft SU-26 and AN-2, which is mainly used in parachuting. Of foreign cars can be identified Cessna-172 and Piper PA-28 Warrior.

All aero clubs in Russia are private. In this regard, the lion's share of flights is made for commercial purposes. So, today the service is very popular - an entertaining flight on a sports airplane. In general, such flights are carried out on Yak-52 and Yak-54. To fly, it is not necessary to be in an aero club - you can buy a plane and, with a private pilot's license, fly independently. Unfortunately, in Russia the infrastructure and the legislative base for private flights are at an extremely low level of development.

What should be a good sports airplane

There are basic requirements that athletes must meet. They should be light and at the same time withstand considerable aerodynamic loads, should be simple in piloting and have the ability to carry out a long flight with overloads. There are aerobatic planes. They are specially designed for aerobatics competitions and have higher strength and maneuverability than their counterparts. The speed of the sport aircraft can reach from 250 to 500 km / h, non-stop flight - from 500 to 1000 km, and they can climb up to 6000 meters.

There are special requirements that must be observed when designing aerobatic aircraft.

1. The aerobatic requirements designate the appearance of the aircraft itself, determine how much it will weigh, what will be the geometry of the wing, and so on.
2. The layout requirements define the pilot's landing and the view from the cabin, and they also specify the characteristics that the aircraft must have when stalled into a spin.
3. The engine must necessarily run smoothly with significant loads associated with the performance of the aerobatic figures. At the same time, the motor control should be simplified as much as possible, so as not to distract the pilot from the complex maneuvering.
4. The control panel should not be overloaded with devices. Flights are always carried out in favorable weather, with good visibility, so extra equipment will only distract the attention of the pilot.
5. The design of the aircraft provides for an extremely simple assembly and disassembly of the aircraft, good maintainability, flexible capabilities in fueling and carrying capacity.

To build a sports airplane, you need to consider many factors. Despite the seeming simplicity, this is a complex, largely perfect machine.

A bit of history

Everything in our country began in 1923 with the monoplane ANT-1 (KB Tupolev), a bit later, in 1927, he joined the biplane AIR-1 (KB Yakovleva). In the 30s, it was Yakovlev's sports planes that were mainly used to train pilots. Then there are planes Gribovsky and the famous U-2 Polikarpov. In the 60s, the Yak-18PM took off for the first time, which showed excellent speed and flying qualities in the world championships of 1962 and 1964. In 1966, our pilots won medals of all possible virtues, not only men, but also women, and the Yak-18PM was awarded the title of the best airplane of the world championship.

At this Yakovlev Design Bureau did not stop and developed the Yak-30 - a two-seat jet training aircraft. Then came the single Yak-32, which was equipped with a catapult. This remarkable aircraft installed in the 1960s two speed records. In the year 73 the famous Yak-50 is being created. This plane brought a lot of medals to Soviet athletes. The Yak-52 was designed to replace it, but it had some design flaws. In 1981, these shortcomings were eliminated in Yak-55, which turned out to be very successful and popular with aviators until now.

In 1985 Sukhoi Design Bureau created a compact sports plane SU-26. The size of the SS is much smaller than the Yak, and has greater maneuverability and speed, which allows it to perform aerobatics faster and more accurately. It should be noted that in this plane for the first time in the world carbon fiber was used, which made it easier and much more resistant to loads.

What is aerobatics?

This concept was born in the sky of war. Initially, aerobatics were used to more effectively defeat the enemy in the air. Now it is primarily sports, demonstration performances of both combat and sports aviation and, of course, training beginners in the sky.

It all starts with simple figures, such as a spiral or a slide, which even a new pilot can perform. Further, more complex figures are studied, such as a barrel, a turn on a hill, various loops and, of course, a corkscrew. With such maneuvers, the pilot experiences an overload of 3g. It should be noted that aerobatics figures are performed at high altitude, for maximum safety. And of course, no aircraft in terms of speed and entertainment performance of elements can be compared with a sports aerobatic aircraft.