Aviation backpack parachute. G. Kotelnikov is the story of one invention of the Russian parachute. Work on the invention
Indeed, in those distant, distant times, it was impossible to use a parachute, because then there was still nothing to fly on - neither balloons, nor aviation. And there was no landing then either. Leonardo could only jump from different buildings, for example, from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But why jump from it? For what? That is, the invention appeared before the need for it. Therefore, due to uselessness, the parachute was forgotten for as much as 300 years.
They remembered the “anti-fall” device (namely, the word “parachute” is translated as such) only in the 18th century, when the first balloons appeared, which often fell along with their passengers. Parachutes were then made of linen, and although they were strong, they were heavy. They were tied to the bottom or side of the balloon. Later, the fabric began to be rubberized, and the parachute became even heavier. In addition, a folded parachute took up a lot of space. Therefore, when the first airplanes began to fly, parachutes were either not used or were stowed along the fuselage. In short, this thing used to be very inconvenient to use.
And in 1911, an ordinary Russian actor of the St. Petersburg People's House Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov (1872-1944) came up with a parachute design that became popular all over the world. Moreover, this design, with some minor changes, is still used today.
Kotelnikov significantly reduced the weight of the parachute. He replaced heavy linen with strong but light silk. He sewed a thin elastic cable into the edge of the parachute, and divided the lines into two groups, which were attached to the shoulder girths of the suspension system. This allowed the skydiver to control the flight of his saving friend. People stopped aimlessly and limply hanging in the air under the influence of the wind. It became possible even to hold competitions on the accuracy of landing.
And finally, the most important invention of Kotelnikov - he put the parachute in a small metal backpack attached to the body of the paratrooper. There was a special shelf at the bottom of the knapsack, and under it there were strong springs that instantly threw the parachute out when the jumper pulled out the retaining ring. The parachute has become maneuverable, compact and comfortable.
Kotelnikov called the first parachute model RK-1, which meant "Kotelnikov's Knapsack". A few years later, he improved the RK-1, and the RK-2 and RK-3 appeared. The metal satchel was replaced with a canvas one in the form of an envelope, and there were also “honeycombs” that prevent the lines from tangling. Modern parachutes have almost the same design.
To be sure of the reliability of the device, Gleb Evgenievich personally conducted numerous tests on reduced models. The lifeguard worked flawlessly!
Kotelnikov, of course, wanted to quickly register and put into production this important invention for aviation, which could save the lives of many pilots. But here he ran into the ruthless Russian bureaucracy.
First, Gleb Evgenievich went to the Main Military Engineering Directorate. But the head of the department stated bluntly: "A parachute in aviation is a harmful thing, since pilots, at the slightest danger, will escape by parachutes, providing aircraft for death."
Then Kotelnikov turned to the War Ministry. The inventor asked for subsidies for the manufacture of an experimental parachute and for more serious tests. But even here he was refused, since one authoritative member of the commission believed that "the aviator's legs would come off from the blow when the parachute opened."
In 1912, Kotelnikov, with the help of the St. Petersburg entrepreneur V. A. Lomach, was able to build two prototypes of his backpack parachute. Full-scale tests were successfully carried out in the air: different aviators dropped a dummy of Ivan Ivanovich with a parachute at different heights. Kotelnikov's invention worked perfectly - it never failed, and Ivan Ivanovich did not receive any damage.
In the same year in Paris, at the international paratrooper competition, Lomach showed Kotelnikov's invention in action. The French were delighted and bought both samples from him, and then set up their own production.
And in Russia, Kotelnikov's parachutes were remembered only two years later, when the First World War began. An experimental batch was made for Sikorsky's planes, but then the officials decided to buy parachutes abroad anyway. Although foreign analogues were exactly the same as those of Kotelnikov, because they were made according to his samples.
Already in Soviet times, Gleb Evgenievich developed the world's first cargo parachute RK-4. Its dome had a diameter of 12 meters, so it was possible to lower up to 300 kilograms of cargo on it.
It is believed that Leonardo da Vinci invented the parachute 530 years ago, in 1483. Why he did it, no one knows. Apparently, Leonardo himself did not know this either. Indeed, in those distant, distant times, it was impossible to use a parachute, because then there was still nothing to fly on - neither balloons, nor aviation. And there was no landing then either. Leonardo could only jump from different buildings, for example, from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But why jump from it? For what? That is, the invention appeared before the need for it. Therefore, due to uselessness, the parachute was forgotten for as much as 300 years.
Parachute - a necessary thing
They remembered the “anti-fall” device (namely, the word “parachute” is translated as such) only in the 18th century, when the first balloons appeared, which often fell along with their passengers. Parachutes were then made of linen, and although they were strong, they were heavy. They were tied to the bottom or side of the balloon. Later, the fabric began to be rubberized, and the parachute became even heavier. In addition, a folded parachute took up a lot of space. Therefore, when the first airplanes began to fly, parachutes were either not used or were stowed along the fuselage. In short, this thing used to be very inconvenient to use.
And in 1911, an ordinary Russian actor of the St. Petersburg People's House, Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov (1872-1944), came up with a parachute design that became popular all over the world. Moreover, this design, with some minor changes, is still used today.
Kotelnikov significantly reduced the weight of the parachute. He replaced heavy linen with strong but light silk. He sewed a thin elastic cable into the edge of the parachute, and divided the lines into two groups, which were attached to the shoulder girths of the suspension system. This allowed the skydiver to control the flight of his saving friend. People stopped aimlessly and limply hanging in the air under the influence of the wind. It became possible even to hold competitions on the accuracy of landing.
And finally, the most important invention of Kotelnikov - he put the parachute in a small metal backpack attached to the body of the paratrooper. There was a special shelf at the bottom of the knapsack, and under it there were strong springs that instantly threw the parachute out when the jumper pulled out the retaining ring. The parachute has become maneuverable, compact and comfortable.
Kotelnikov's knapsack
Kotelnikov called the first parachute model RK-1, which meant "Kotelnikov's Knapsack". A few years later, he improved the RK-1, and the RK-2 and RK-3 appeared. The metal satchel was replaced with a canvas one in the form of an envelope, and there were also “honeycombs” that prevent the lines from tangling. Modern parachutes have almost the same design.
To be sure of the reliability of the device, Gleb Evgenievich personally conducted numerous tests on reduced models. The lifeguard worked flawlessly!
A parachute in aviation is a harmful thing
Kotelnikov, of course, wanted to quickly register and put into production this important invention for aviation, which could save the lives of many pilots. But here he ran into the ruthless Russian bureaucracy.
First, Gleb Evgenievich went to the Main Military Engineering Directorate. But the head of the department stated bluntly:
"A parachute in aviation is a harmful thing, since pilots, at the slightest danger, will be saved by parachutes, providing planes of death."
Then Kotelnikov turned to the War Ministry. The inventor asked for subsidies for the manufacture of an experimental parachute and for more serious tests. But even here he was refused, since one authoritative member of the commission believed that "the aviator's legs would come off from the blow when the parachute opened."
In 1912, Kotelnikov, with the help of the St. Petersburg entrepreneur V. A. Lomach, was able to build two prototypes of his backpack parachute. Full-scale tests were successfully carried out in the air: different aviators dropped a dummy of Ivan Ivanovich with a parachute at different heights. Kotelnikov's invention worked perfectly - it never failed, and Ivan Ivanovich did not receive any damage.
In the same year in Paris, at the international paratrooper competition, Lomach showed Kotelnikov's invention in action. The French were delighted and bought both samples from him, and then set up their own production.
There is no prophet in his own country...
And in Russia, Kotelnikov's parachutes were remembered only two years later, when the First World War began. An experimental batch was made for Sikorsky's planes, but then the officials decided to buy parachutes abroad anyway. Although foreign analogues were exactly the same as those of Kotelnikov, because they were made according to his samples.
Already in Soviet times, Gleb Evgenievich developed the world's first cargo parachute RK-4. Its dome had a diameter of 12 meters, so it was possible to lower up to 300 kilograms of cargo on it.
Overall rating of the material: 4.9
SIMILAR MATERIALS (BY MARKS):
Father of the video Alexander Poniatov and AMPEX Theremin synthesizer - theremin Vacuum cleaner motor invented in 1891 History of the invention of the gramophone
He did not leave a noticeable trace, although he certainly gravitated towards the "sublime". 100 years ago he invented the parachute. Being a creative and subtle nature, Kotelnikov witnessed a plane crash, and it shocked him so much that he decided to bring humanity down from heaven to earth.
"Crowds of loafers are hanging in the sky, what have you done, comrade Kotelnikov?" This skydivers' saying is perhaps the best and shortest description of the century-old evolution of the parachute from an exotic survival tool to a sport and a hobby.
100 years ago, not like parachutes, airplanes were a curiosity - they flew mainly on balloons. Crowds of spectators gathered to test the first aircraft. Among them was Gleb Kotelnikov. Until now, even a photograph has been preserved that captured the tragic moment: the device turned over in the air, and the pilot fell out of it. "Kotelnikov was an eyewitness to this disaster," says aviation historian Georgy Chernenko, "and it made such an impression on him that he decided to come up with some kind of means of saving aviators."
Kotelnikov was not a designer - he was an actor. But he set to work with enthusiasm. Rescue domes were already used by aeronauts, it was necessary to make them an emergency response tool that would always be at hand. Kotelnikov solved this problem with the help of springs located at the bottom of a metal box, which was attached to the shoulders of the paratrooper. At the right moment, a person pulled the ring, the lid of the box was thrown back, and powerful springs threw the dome out.
RK-2 - a slightly modernized version of the first parachute by the author. There were few who wanted to test the dubious devices of a self-taught engineer, or rather, only one. The name of the volunteer was Ivan Ivanovich, and he was a mannequin made by the designer himself. However, at that time no one even guessed that a parachute could be controlled. "The parachutist was fixed at one point. He, like a puppy, hangs in this position," explains Stepan Tateniya, director of the Airborne Forces Museum. “And Kotelnikov divided these lines into 2 halves and attached them to his shoulders. And this idea is still used,” adds aviation historian Georgy Chernenko.
Kotelnikov's parachute could be maneuvered, and therefore successfully used for landing. This sealed his fate. 20-30s - the time of the first heyday of parachuting. On the eve of the Second World War in the Soviet Union, parachute schools were already all over the country.
Kotelnikov tried to improve his parachute, but without professional knowledge it was difficult: by that time, the best engineers and design bureaus were already involved in finalizing his invention. The authorities, however, awarded him the "Designer" badge, and a little later - the Order of the Red Star, but, by and large, the former actor, whose invention is still used by the whole world, was out of work.
The parachute system quickly became a very complex device. “A parachute does not consist of one, not ten, but of a thousand parts. Each unit is assembled from certain parts. Therefore, each ribbon, each part has its own pattern,” says Vladimir Malyaev, lead designer of the parachute plant.
Diversity and accessibility have given rise to such a direction as parachuting. Enthusiasts perform the most unthinkable pirouettes in the air, do aerial acrobatics and collect figures in free flight - the so-called formations of up to 400 people.
The last word in the development of skydiving is skydiving in a webbed suit, which allows you to experience the feeling of free flight, just glide, glide through the air. True, it has not yet been possible to get rid of the dome completely - it is needed upon landing. But, according to the athletes, the day is not far off when a person will be able to step over the side of an airplane without the usual satchel on his back.
And here in the magazine look with 6:55
minutes about the invention of the backpack parachute by Kotelnikov
Newsreel "I want to know everything" - №49
100 years ago, the St. Petersburg actor Gleb Kotelnikov patented the world's first backpack parachute. He was inspired by this invention ... his wife Yulia Vasilievna
Aeronautics holiday
The beginning of the twentieth century was a time of powerful development of aviation. In 1910, the speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour was overcome. The world altitude record reached 2780 meters, and the duration of continuous flight exceeded 8 hours. But these achievements cost human lives. The first casualty of a motorized aircraft was American Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, who crashed in September 1908. And in 1911, 82 pilots already died in the world. There were no aviation parachutes at that time ...
In the summer of 1910, the Imperial All-Russian Aero Club decided to organize air competitions, in which famous Russian aviators took part. The venue for this first "aeroshow" in Russia was the Commandant's Field - a vast area in the northern part of St. Petersburg. Part of it was taken under the airfield, hangars, stands for spectators, and outbuildings quickly grew nearby.
The competition received a wonderful name - "All-Russian holiday of aeronautics". It opened on 21 September and ran for over two weeks. Among the participants were such celebrities as Mikhail Efimov and Sergei Utochkin. Aerobatics of those years were demonstrated almost every day.
"For the first time we saw what Russian AVIATICS has achieved, for the first time we were convinced that among the Russian officers there are flyers who are not inferior in courage and skill to the French," the Novoe Vremya newspaper wrote.
The ballooning holiday was coming to an end when a tragedy occurred on the Commandant's Field. Captain Lev Matsievich took to the air on his "Farman". Only five minutes had passed since takeoff, the airplane was at an altitude of 400 meters. But suddenly the audience froze - the car seemed to split in half. The black figurine of the pilot separated from her and quickly rushed down ...
“There are no words to express the horror that gripped all of us,” the reporter wrote. “In some kind of stupor, we stood and carefully examined how the human body, spinning in the air, fell to the ground. Then everyone rushed to run to the crash site and get out of the field. They ran because it was impossible to stand any longer - the heart would not stand it and break."
This picture was also observed by Gleb Kotelnikov, who came to the airfield with his wife. Gleb was a graduate of the Kyiv Military School, but chose the profession of an actor, served in the theater "People's House". When they returned home, the shocked wife asked: "Is it really impossible to come up with a parachute that would fall along with the pilot and open at his request?" The words sunk into Kotelnikov's soul - he sat down to read books about aeronautics.
Anti fall
The first idea to create a parachute came from Leonardo da Vinci. In his manuscript, dated 1495, there is a drawing with the caption: "If a person has a tent of starched linen 12 cubits wide and 12 cubits high, then he can throw himself from any height without danger to himself." Considering that the medieval measure of length - the cubit - was equal in different countries from 50 to 60 centimeters, then such a device really ensured the safe descent of a person from any height. After all, the diameter of modern parachutes also does not exceed 6-7 meters.
The idea of a parachute did not come about by chance. Once the French king Louis XII undertook a campaign to conquer the Duchy of Milan. Having won victories in a number of battles, he laid siege to Milan. Famine began in the city, but the Milanese did not think to give up: they knew that Leonardo da Vinci was next to them, and he was not only a wonderful artist, but also a great scientist - he would come up with something. And he came up with. Soon the Duke of Milan received a letter from Leonardo:
"I can cast cannons, very light and easily portable. I can make multi-barreled guns that will sweep everything in their path. In addition, I enclose drawings of an aircraft, which I called a "helicopter", and an artificial wing, on the basis of which another flying machine, called a bird-flyer.
The duke immediately ordered Leonardo to be called. They decided not to start with guns, but with a "birdie". In the midst of the work, doubts arose. French muskets shoot at two hundred and fifty meters, which means that it costs them nothing to shoot down a bird flying at a height of one hundred meters. Leonardo shut himself up in his studio for three days. And on the fourth day he brought the drawing and description of the parachute to the duke. But he did not have time to make it: on the same day, the French launched a decisive assault - and Milan fell.
For many years this development was forgotten. Only in 1617, the Venetian mechanical engineer Veranzio found the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, made a linen tent and made the world's first jump from the roof of a high tower. But this was an isolated case. Only after balloons began to rise into the sky, and balloonists began to die as a result of catastrophes, did they remember Leonardo da Vinci and his follower Veranzio. In 1783, the French physicist Lenormand created an apparatus for the rescue of aeronauts, for which he came up with the name - "parachute", which in Greek means "against falling". He even tested it by making a successful descent from the observatory tower.
By 1910, the works of such well-known parachute designers as Bonnet, Ors, Robber, as well as the Russian inventors Pomortsev and Yange, had already been published. Kotelnikov studied all these works. The main conclusion that he made was this: their parachutes are too bulky, unreliable and, which is very bad, they are placed separately from the pilot in a special container, but the pilot can only be saved by such a parachute that he can put on himself.
Silk shawl. moment of truth
I must say that Kotelnikov was not an engineer, but he inherited several talents from his parents. His father was a professor of mechanics and higher mathematics at the Forestry Institute, and his mother was a painter, played the piano, and participated in amateur performances. From childhood, he was addicted to locksmith and carpentry crafts. He made intricate toys, built models of various machines. At the same time, he sang in the philharmonic choir, played the violin, and composed music.
Gleb's father died early, and he had to enter the Kiev Artillery School. He served in the army for a short time and retired to the reserve. In 1910 Kotelnikov came to St. Petersburg to become a professional artist. He was enrolled in the troupe of the People's House. But the main business of his life was the work on a backpack parachute. “I turned my room into a workshop and worked on my invention for more than a year,” Gleb recalled.
The idea was good, but how to implement it? The problem was that the parachute canopy at that time was made of dense and heavy rubberized fabric, which is simply impossible to put in a satchel. The case helped Kotelnikov. Once in the theater he saw how a certain lady, taking out a silk shawl from her purse, awkwardly waved it, and the shawl inflated with a bubble.
This is what you need - Kotelnikov instantly decided. He realized that silk was the best material for a parachute canopy. What followed was a matter of technique. On November 9, 1911, Gleb Kotelnikov patented his invention and received a certificate for a "rescue pack for aviators with an automatically ejected parachute." He called it "RK-1", that is, "Russian, Kotelnikov - the first."
Perfect parachute
The merit of the Russian inventor was also that he was the first to divide the lines into two shoulders. Now the parachutist did not hang like a doll, suspended at one point, but could, holding on to the lines, maneuver, taking the most convenient position for landing. The dome fit into a shoulder pack, and with the help of a simple device, a paratrooper could pull it out in the air at any distance from a falling or burning aircraft. The RK-1 schematic diagram formed the basis of all modern aviation parachutes.
It would seem that it is necessary to immediately start mass production of Kotelnikov's parachutes, but the military ministry had its own point of view and did not accept parachutes for production, as it was written in the document, "as unnecessary."
But Kotelnikov did not give up. Having met a businessman Lomach, who traded in aviation equipment, Gleb Evgenievich suggested that he set up the production of parachutes. After thinking, he agreed, but insisted on conducting comprehensive tests.
First, an 80-kilogram dummy was dropped from a balloon - it landed without damage, then from an airplane - the same thing. After one of the successful descents of the dummy, the future famous Russian pilot, then still a cadet of the Gatchina school, Pyotr Nesterov, told Kotelnikov: "Your invention is amazing! Allow me, I will immediately repeat the jump." But the school authorities found out about the upcoming experiment, and instead of testing the parachute, Nesterov ended up ... in the guardhouse.
Who will receive the main prize?
In the autumn of 1912, France decided to hold a competition for the best parachute design. Kotelnikov was going to go, but he could not find a replacement in the theater. Then his sponsor Lomach, taking with him two parachutes, persuaded a brave guy, a student of the Osovsky Conservatory, to go with him to Paris. It was he who became the first person in the world to make jumps with a backpack parachute. It was a sensation that was not expected from the Russians. World famous parachute designers lived then in France. Therefore, the Frenchman Frederic Bonnet received the main prize for a less perfect design. His parachute was placed on the fuselage of the aircraft behind the cockpit. Jumps were made with him in the future, but he never received application in aviation. Meanwhile, having bought both parachutes from Lomach, the French did not bother with patent rights, but immediately set up their production, passing them off as their own development.
Simplicity, reliability and talent
In 1913, 24-year-old aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky tested his heavy four-engine aircraft, which was later named Ilya Muromets. A year later, the Russian "Squadron of Airships" was created from such machines. It was the first formation of strategic bombers in world history. It was then that they remembered Kotelnikov's backpack parachute. It was decided to supply them with the crews of giant aircraft ...
In 1923, Gleb Evgenievich created a new model of a backpack parachute - RK-2, and then a model of a parachute RK-3 with a soft backpack. In 1924, he manufactured the RK-4 cargo parachute with a canopy 12 meters in diameter. On this parachute, it was possible to lower a load weighing up to 300 kilograms. In 1926, Kotelnikov handed over all his inventions to the Soviet government. But the new government, for unknown reasons, preferred to buy American Irvines and French Zhukmesses.
The Great Patriotic War found Kotelnikov in Leningrad. Having survived the blockade, he left for Moscow. Died in 1944. At the Novodevichy cemetery, a monument was erected on his grave by the sculptor Grigory Postnikov. On the marble board there is an inscription: "The founder of aviation parachuting Kotelnikov Gleb Evgenievich". Life has put everything in its place.
Nowadays, the parachute has become an integral part of technology: paratroopers descend from the sky with it, powerful domes carefully deliver guns and tanks to the designated point ... Special parachutes dampen the speed of spaceships when landing on the ground. Almost five thousand different modifications have been created at the Russian Research Institute of Parachute Engineering. The principles of Kotelnikov's invention are still relevant today. It is simplicity and reliability. Gleb Kotelnikov believed in the great power of art and was a good actor. But he played his most important role in the history of world aviation.
The archive has preserved a memorandum from Lieutenant of the Reserve Gleb Kotelnikov to the Minister of War V.A. once - not a single misfire.
The formula of my invention is as follows: a rescue device for aviators with an automatically ejected parachute ... Ready to test the invention in Krasnoe Selo ... "
In December 1911, the Bulletin of Finance, Industry and Trade informed its readers about the applications received, including the application of G. E. Kotelnikov, but "for unknown reasons, the inventor did not receive a patent. In January 1912, G. E. Kotelnikov made an application for his parachute in France and on March 20 of the same year received a patent for No. 438 612. The first parachute tests were carried out on June 2, 1912 using a car. The car was dispersed, and Kotelnikov pulled the trigger belt. The parachute tied to the tow hooks opened instantly. The braking force was transferred to the car, and the engine stalled. And on June 6 of the same year, parachute tests took place in the Gatchina camp of the Aeronautical School near the village of Salizi.
In 1923, Gleb Evgenievich created a new model of the RK-2 backpack parachute, and then a model of the RK-3 parachute with a soft backpack, for which a patent for No. 1607 was received on July 4, 1924. In the same 1924, Kotelnikov made a cargo parachute RK_4 with a diameter of 12 m. On this parachute, it was possible to lower a load weighing up to 300 kg. In 1926, G. E. Kotelnikov transferred all his inventions to the Soviet government.
In commemoration of the first test of a full-scale model of a backpack parachute, the village of Salizi in the Gatchina region was named Kotelnikovo. A modest monument depicting a parachute was erected not far from the training ground. Biography:
Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov (January 18, 1930 January 872 St. Petersburg-November 22, 1944 Moscow) is the inventor of the aviation backpack parachute.
Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov was born on (18) January 30, 1872 in St. Petersburg in the family of a professor of mechanics and higher mathematics. Parents were fond of the theater, and this hobby was instilled in their son. Since childhood, he sang, played the violin, and he also liked to make different toys and models.
He graduated from the Kiev Military School (1894), and after serving three years of compulsory service, went into the reserve. He served as an excise officer in the provinces, helped organize drama circles, sometimes acted in performances himself, and continued to design. In 1910, Gleb returned to St. Petersburg and became an actor in the troupe of the People's House on the St. Petersburg side (pseudonym Glebov-Kotelnikov)
building a parachute
In 1910, Kotelnikov, impressed by the death of the pilot L. M. Matsievich, began to develop a parachute.
Before Kotelnikov, the pilots escaped with the help of long folded "umbrellas" fixed on the plane. Their design was very unreliable, besides, they greatly increased the weight of the aircraft. Therefore, they were rarely used. In December 1911, Kotelnikov tried to register his invention - a free action backpack parachute in Russia, but for unknown reasons he did not receive a patent. The parachute had a round shape, fit into a metal satchel located on the pilot with the help of a suspension system. At the bottom of the knapsack under the dome there were springs that threw the dome into the stream after the jumper pulled out the pull ring. Subsequently, the hard satchel was replaced with a soft one, and honeycombs appeared at its bottom for laying slings in them. This design of the rescue parachute is still used today.
He made a second attempt to register his invention in France, on March 20, 1912, having received patent no. 438 612.
The RK-1 parachute (Russian, Kotelnikova, model one) was developed within 10 months, and Gleb Evgenievich made its first demonstration test in June 1912.
First, on June 2, 1912, tests were carried out using a car. The car was dispersed, and Kotelnikov pulled the trigger belt. The parachute tied to the tow hooks instantly opened, and its braking power was transferred to the car, forcing the engine to stall.
On June 6 of the same year, parachute tests took place in the Gatchina camp of the Aeronautical School near the village of Salizi.
At different heights, a mannequin weighing about 80 kg was dropped from a balloon with a parachute. All the throws were successful, but the Main Engineering Directorate of the Russian Army did not accept it for production because of the fears of the head of the Russian air forces, Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich, that the aviators would leave the airplane at the slightest malfunction.
In the winter of 1912-1913, the RK-1 parachute designed by G. E. Kotelnikov was presented by the commercial firm Lomach and Co. for a competition in Paris and Rouen. On January 5, 1913, Ossovsky, a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, made his first RK-1 parachute jump in Rouen from the 60-meter mark of a bridge spanning the Seine. The parachute worked brilliantly. The Russian invention was recognized abroad. And the tsarist government remembered him only during the First World War.
In general, I like Kotelnikov's parachutes, not "golden parachutes".
It was raining at times in Primorsky Victory Park, but the Airborne Forces Day turned out to be interesting. Bathed. Took part in the tug of war.
There were skydivers landing on the beach. "Fill the parachutes with blue...". OMON did not interfere in the celebration of the landing under the flags of military intelligence and Uncle Vasya's troops.
And at 11:00 on August 1, he took part in the solemn ceremony of laying flowers at the memorial plaque of the inventor of parachutes Kotelnikov on the facade of the house on the 14th line of Vasilyevsky Island.
When the number of victims among the first pilots began to rise sharply, it became obvious that the lack of any life-saving equipment for them could become a brake on the further development of aviation. and failed to create reliable protection for aeronauts. This problem was brilliantly solved for the first time in the world by the Russian scientist-inventor Gleb Kotelnikov, who in 1911 designed the world's first parachute that fully met the requirements for aviation rescue equipment of that time. All modern models of parachutes are created according to the concept of Kotelnikov's invention.
Young Kotelnikov showed outstanding abilities in learning to play the piano and other musical instruments. In a short time, the talented guy mastered the mandolin, balalaika and violin, began to write music on his own. Surprisingly, along with this, Gleb was also fond of technology and fencing. From birth, the guy had, as they say, "golden hands", from improvised means he could easily make an intricate device. For example, when the future inventor was only thirteen years old, he independently assembled a working camera. Moreover, he bought only a used lens, and made the rest (including photographic plates) with his own hands. The father encouraged his son's inclinations and tried to develop them to the best of his ability.
Gleb dreamed of getting into a conservatory or a technological institute, but plans had to be drastically changed after the sudden death of his father. The financial situation of the family deteriorated sharply, leaving music and theater, he volunteered for the army, enrolling in a military artillery school in Kyiv. Gleb Evgenievich graduated from it in 1894 with honors, was promoted to officer and served in the army for three years.
At the beginning of the last century, demonstration flights of the first domestic pilots were often held in large cities of Russia, during which aviators demonstrated their skill in flying aircraft. Gleb Evgenievich, who loved technology from childhood, could not help but become interested in aviation. He regularly traveled to the Commandant airfield, watching the flights with delight. Kotelnikov clearly understood what great prospects the conquest of air space opens up for mankind. He was also admired by the courage and selflessness of Russian pilots, who soared into the sky in unstable, primitive machines.
During one “aviation week”, the famous pilot Matsievich, who was flying, fell off his seat and flew out of the car. The out-of-control aircraft rolled over several times in the air and fell to the ground after the pilot. This was the first loss of Russian aviation. Gleb Evgenievich witnessed a terrible event that made a painful impression on him. Soon, the actor and just a talented Russian man made a firm decision - to secure the work of the pilots by building a special rescue device for them that could function smoothly in the air.
After a series of unsuccessful experiments, Kotelnikov accidentally saw in the theater how one lady took out a huge silk shawl from a small purse. This led him to the idea that thin silk might be the most suitable material for a folding parachute. The resulting model was small in volume, strong, elastic and easy to deploy. Kotelnikov planned to place a parachute in the pilot's head helmet.
Having prepared all the necessary drawings for a backpack parachute, Kotelnikov set about creating the first prototype and, at the same time, a special doll. For several days, hard work went on in his house. His wife helped the inventor a lot - she spent whole nights sewing together intricately cut canvases of matter.
The parachute of Gleb Evgenievich, later called by him RK-1 (Russian-Kotelnikovsky version of the first model), consisted of a metal satchel worn on the back, which had a special shelf inside, laid on two spiral springs. The slings were laid on the shelf, and the dome itself was already on them. The lid was hinged with internal springs for faster opening. To open the lid, the pilot had to pull the cord, after which the springs pushed the dome out. Remembering the death of Matsievich, Gleb Evgenievich provided for a mechanism for forced opening of the knapsack. It was very simple - the lock of the knapsack was connected to the aircraft with the help of a special cable. If for some reason the pilot could not pull the cord, then the safety rope had to open the satchel for him, and then break under the weight of the human body.
In August 1923, Gleb Evgenievich proposed a new model with a semi-soft satchel, called the RK-2. Its demonstration in the Scientific and Technical Committee of the USSR showed good results, it was decided to make an experimental batch. However, the inventor was already running around with his new brainchild. Model RK-3 of a completely original design was released in 1924 and was the world's first parachute with a soft pack. In it, Gleb Evgenievich got rid of the spring pushing the dome, placed honeycombs for slings inside the knapsack on the back, replaced the lock with tubular loops, into which the studs attached to the common cable were threaded. The test results were excellent. Later, many foreign developers borrowed Kotelnikov's improvements, applying them in their models.
In 1943, his book "Parachute" was published, and a little later, a study on the topic "History of the parachute and the development of parachuting." The talented inventor died in the capital of Russia on November 22, 1944. His grave is located at the Novodevichy Cemetery and is a place of pilgrimage for paratroopers.
(According to the book by G.V. Zalutsky “Inventor of the aviation parachute G.E. Kotelnikov”).
Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov (1872-1944)
inventor, creator of the aviation backpack parachute
Kotelnikov Gleb Evgenievich was born on January 30, 1872, in St. Petersburg. His father was engaged in mechanics and mathematics, his mother was a creative person, so from childhood Gleb sang, played the violin, and he also liked to make different toys and models.
When the future inventor was in his thirteenth year, he made a camera. I bought a used lens from a junk dealer, and made the rest (body of the camera, bellows) with my own hands. He himself made photographic plates according to the “wet” method then used.
Gleb Evgenievich graduated from the Kiev Military School, served as an excise officer in the provinces, helped organize drama circles, sometimes played in performances himself, and continued to design. When he returned to St. Petersburg, he became an actor in the troupe of the People's House.
The idea of creating a parachute came to the inventor when he saw the death of a pilot at the Commandant airfield. “The death of a young pilot,” Kotelnikov recalled, “shocked me so much that I decided, by all means, to build a device that protects the pilot’s life from mortal danger ... I turned my small room into a workshop and worked on the invention of a new parachute for more than a year” .
Kotelnikov was convinced that the parachute should be on the pilot in flight and always be ready for trouble-free operation. The parachute "RK-1" (Russian, Kotelnikova, model one) was developed within 10 months, in 1911 he registered his invention - a backpack parachute of free action,
And in 1912 he successfully made a demonstration test.
It was a light round parachute that fit into a metal shoulder pack, opened with an exhaust ring and operated flawlessly. The merit of Kotelnikov is that he was the first to divide the lines into two shoulders, which allowed the parachutist to maneuver. The parachute design he proposed is still in use today.
|
|
Subsequently, Kotelnikov significantly improved the design of the parachute, creating new models that were adopted by the Air Force.
In 1923, he released the RK-2 semi-rigid backpack parachute, later the RK-3 model with a soft backpack appeared. Kotelnikov was the first to develop a parachute that could lower cargo to the ground, a collective parachute to save passengers in case of accidents of civil aircraft.