Inflatable airplane Bashny.Net

Dear YaPovchane offer the following post.

15 photos + video.

The emergence of the concept of inflatable rubber aircraft can be attributed to the first experiments with an inflatable rubber glider built by designer Taylor McDaniel in 1930. In 1956, the US Army has ordered the company Goodyear project inflatable life of the aircraft, which could be dropped from the air way parachute landing in a hard container volume of 1 cubic meter 25, and alerts on the ground for several minutes.

During the Korean War, the US Air Force faced a serious problem of evacuation of their downed pilots. Then the idea was proposed to use for this inflatable airplanes. It was assumed that distress pilots dropped from the planes special container and the pilot on the ground already own puffed plane and get to the base of its course, he's a pilot. The contract for the development of the concept has been issued and received code Goodyear GA.468. Later he received a simple name - inflatoplan that literally "inflatable aircraft».

Let's remember about these planes more ...

The project was completed in twelve weeks. The entire airframe is naddutye to stiffness rubber shell. The only exceptions-rotor, landing gear and control cables. The main body material was a three-layer composite of two layers of rubber and padded nylon net between them. Supercharging design was carried in the air from a compressor driven by the engine.

In principle, nothing special, if not to wonder how it was possible to achieve such rigidity inflatable structures? How much pressure there, as it does not explode?

The trick is that the new constructive titled "Ermetov" - not just inflatable hull and superstructure volume! Between the walls of the chamber is stretched (in the form naddutom) nylon net, which distributes the load, so that even long inflatable beams are at trim bend rather than break at the point of application of external pressure. That's why naddutoe to modest quantities in 170kPa (1.7atm) multimeter wing shows no pretensions to folding, and stand with the engine not at izlamyvaet fuselage. Frankly, in particular tensile stress field still sealed and steel cables.

The first prototype GA-33 Inflatoplane (N39635) soared 13 February 1956. It was followed by the second prototype GA-447 with new wings. For military trials Goodyear Inflatoplane (corporate designation AO-2) available in two versions - Double GA-466 (XAO-2-GI) and single GA-468 (XAO-3-GI).

The prototype test conducted on Lake Wingfoot Lake, Akron, Ohio. During one of the flights was an accident, which was the immediate cause of the gap control cable, pilot killed Lieutenant Wallace.

Program slowed down "to clarify" a few years promuryzhili in limbo, and then the Vietnam War ended. What does the war in Vietnam? Why, because it is supposed to get away from there downed pilots to "spare aircraft" that they would be overthrown search groups. And as the need for the return of these funds was over - and then program inflatable aircraft safely allowed under the knife in 1973 with the words "What sort of a military plane that can bring down an arrow from a bow» ...

Supercharging design was carried in the air from a compressor driven by the engine.

Fill apparatus air can be in three ways: from the cylinders with compressed air from the compressor mounted on the engine, or a hand pump. The latter method is implied that such aircraft can be reset, for example, was surrounded soldiers: Manual GA-468 filled in 15-20 minutes. With the same plane cylinders could result in even faster readiness: for 6-7 minutes. In the event of depressurization of the airplane in flight at work, are mounted on the engine compressor, which is pumping shell of the aircraft.

According to estimates Goodueag Aircraft, cost inflatable airplane in serial production was lower than the cost of a modern light aircraft of the same class, that would save millions of dollars the Pentagon.

Single plane, GA-468, alerting (inflated to a pressure of 170 kPa) for about 5 minutes. The length of the aircraft was 5, 97 m, wingspan - 6, 7 m. The power plant - two-stroke engine 40 hp Fuel capacity - 76 liters, which allowed to fly up to 630 km with a maximum speed of 116 km / h. Service ceiling - up to 3000 m. Takeoff takeoff aircraft was about 80 meters.

Double option, GA-466, had a larger 1.8 m wingspan, takeoff weight up to 340 kg, the speed - up to 110 km / h., Range - up to 443 km. McCulloch is equipped with engine 60 hp 4318