Helicopter Cheryomukhin

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The creation of the TsAGI 1-EA experimental helicopter, also known as the Cheremukhin helicopter, was a real "breakthrough" in the history of helicopter construction and the improvement of the characteristics of these rotary-wing machines.

On August 14, 1932, this unit, under the control of the pilot and aircraft designer Alexei Cheremukhin, took to the air and reached an altitude of 605 meters. All work on the development of this helicopter was kept in absolute secret, therefore, for a long time, they did not know about the record flight of Cheremukhin, not only throughout the world, but also in the USSR. In memory of the record-breaking flight on the territory of the former Ukhtomsk airfield, where the famous Kamov helicopter company is currently located, a special commemorative sign was erected.

Later, many years after this flight, the well-known Soviet aircraft designer A. N. Tupolev said: "At one time we failed to publish the record flight of Cheremukhin, which, undoubtedly, could bring world fame to the Russian helicopter." The first domestic helicopter was built under the leadership of A. M. Cheremukhin. The helicopter, which was piloted by the designer himself, first took to the skies in 1930. Already in September 1930, the pilot could freely perform various maneuvers at an altitude of 10-15 meters from the ground, in the late autumn of the same year he was already flying at an altitude of 40-50 meters. And this is already 2-2, 5 times higher than the official world record, which was set on the Italian helicopter Ascanio. On August 14, 1932, having risen to a height of 605 meters, Cheremukhin surpassed the official world record 34 times at once.

The history of the creation of the helicopter

The history of the first Soviet helicopter should begin with its creator. Alexey Mikhailovich Cheremukhin was born in 1895 in Moscow into a family of teachers. In 1914, the future Soviet aircraft designer graduated from the 5th Moscow classical gymnasium with a gold medal. In the same year he entered the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute. However, the outbreak of the First World War forced him to leave his studies at the institute. Alexei is sent to the active army in the 13th corps aviation detachment in the role of a volunteer. In June 1915 he was transferred to the aviation school of the Imperial Moscow Aeronautics Society, where he took N. Ye. Zhukovsky's "Theoretical courses" for 4 months. During these courses, Cheremukhin meets Tupolev.

Upon completion of the courses, in early February 1916, after passing the pilot exam, Alexei Cheremukhin was sent to the 4th Siberian Corps Aviation Detachment of the South-Western Front. On March 24 of the same year he was awarded the rank of ensign. In April 1916, Cheremukhin made his first combat flight, and on December 12, 1916, he was awarded the title of "military pilot". In total, during the First World War, he flew 140 sorties, which were associated with adjusting fire, reconnaissance, and fighter cover.

For the courage and courage shown during the service, he was awarded a number of orders: the Order of St. Anna II degree with swords, III degree with swords and a bow, IV degree with the inscription "For Bravery", the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree with swords and bow, the Order of St. Stanislaus II degree with swords and a bow and III degree, as well as the highest military award in France - the Order of the "Military Cross", the pilot was also nominated for the St. George weapon. On December 20, 1917, A. M. Cheremukhin was appointed an instructor at the Kachin military aviation school located in Sevastopol, but after its disbandment in March 1918, he returned to Moscow.

After his return to the capital, from the first days of organizing the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), he worked there together with other famous students of Professor N. E. Zhukovsky, was directly involved in the creation of the first Soviet aviation scientific institution. It was he who in 1927 was commissioned to become the head of TsAGI's work on the design of propeller driven vehicles (gyroplanes and helicopters). The result of the general work of the group was the TsAGI 1-EA helicopter. At the same time, Cheremukhin was not only engaged in the design and construction of the first Soviet helicopter, but also piloted it himself during tests.

Work on the development of helicopter technology at TsAGI began in 1925, led by B. N. Yuriev. A year before that, it was he who headed the experimental-aerodynamic department, which included a special helicopter group headed by Cheremukhin. In addition to him, this group included young enthusiasts of helicopter construction: V. A. Kuznetsov, I. P. Bratukhin, A. M. Izakson. In the future, the group was joined by M. L. Mil, N. K. Skrzhinsky, N. I. Kamov, V. P. Lapisov who worked on the autogyros - the future famous Soviet designers of helicopter technology. Together with Cheremukhin, other Soviet engineers worked, who in the future became leading specialists in their field.

First of all, the developers engaged in theoretical studies of various helicopter and rotor configurations. After that, on the full-scale stand built at TsAGI, experimental studies of the main rotor with a diameter of 6 meters began. Later, in 1928, work began on the creation of an experimental helicopter. The first experimental helicopter created in the Soviet Union received the designation TsAGI 1-EA (stands for the first experimental device). It was decided to create a helicopter according to the scheme, which was proposed and created back in 1909-1912 by B. N. Yuriev.

In July 1930, having developed unique, purely helicopter units, among which were: a central gearbox, a four-bladed main rotor, freewheel clutches, and other elements of a branched, complex transmission, specialists began field tests of the first helicopter. The unusualness of the aircraft was matched by the environment in which the first launches were carried out. Without risking to immediately relocate the helicopter to the airfield (if serious alterations will suddenly be needed), the team of creators who were engaged in the construction of the machine settled directly on the 2nd floor of the unfinished building of TsAGI. Here, in the presence of a firefighter with a full set of fire extinguishing equipment, Alexei Cheremukhin, who was also a test pilot, conducted the first, so far only ground tests of TsAGI 1-EA. After these tests, the helicopter was delivered at night to the Ukhtomsk airfield, which was specially allocated for testing the new aircraft by the deputy people's commissar for military and naval affairs MN Tukhachevsky.

The TsAGI 1-EA helicopter was made according to a single-rotor scheme using a four-blade main rotor and two M-2 rotary piston engines, developing 120 hp each. each. Also, 4 tail rotor were used, which were installed in pairs in the tail and nose parts of the truss fuselage of the machine and equalized the reactive torque of the main rotor. The main rotor had a diameter of 11 meters, and its 4 blades were of a mixed design with wooden ribs and stringers, a metal spar and canvas sheathing. The blades were distinguished by a rather complex elliptical shape and an aerodynamic layout that was perfect for that period of time, which made it possible to provide the helicopter with high thrust characteristics. TsAGI 1-EA was equipped with a tricycle landing gear with a tail wheel, like an aircraft.

On the TsAGI 1-EA helicopter, a system for controlling the cyclic and common pitch of the rotor blades was implemented using a special swashplate designed by B. N. Yuriev. Deviations and movements of the swashplate were made by deflecting the common pitch lever and control knob. Also, with the help of the common pitch lever, the main rotor of the helicopter could be transferred to a small pitch, which was necessary for the machine to switch to the autorotting non-motorized descent mode. In order to turn the helicopter, it was enough to simply change the pitch of the tail rotor - this was achieved by deflecting the foot pedals, which were connected to the turning mechanisms of the tail rotor with special cables. In the future, this control system has become traditional for all single-rotor helicopters equipped with a tail rotor.

Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, TsAGI 1-EA, like many other helicopters built in those years by the engineers of this center, was not destined to become a prototype of any serial machines, but without them it is simply impossible to imagine the formation of a domestic school of helicopter construction. Many of those who worked in the 1920-30s on the creation of the first Soviet helicopters, forever inscribed their names in the history of the Soviet aircraft industry, having survived the years of repression and war.

Flight technical characteristics of TsAGI 1-EA:

Dimensions: main rotor diameter - 11, 0 m, length –12, 8 m, height - 3, 38 m.

The rotor speed is 153 rpm.

Helicopter weight: empty - 982 kg, maximum take-off - 1145 kg.

Power plant type: 2 PD M-2, 2x88 kW (2x120 hp).

The maximum flight speed is 30 km / h.

The maximum flight ceiling is 605 m.

Crew - 1 person.