Modern aircraft industry is focused both on the creation of large airliners and on the production of small-sized aircraft. Initially, during the First and Second World Wars, small aircraft were widely used for reconnaissance purposes, as well as as fighters for air and ground targets.
Today, small airplanes are multifunctional, and among aviation designers a tacit competition has begun, who will create the smallest aircraft in the world. At the beginning of the review, let's take a look at history and introduce the first small models of aircraft.
17
WB.XXIV Wee Bee. USA
In order to participate in races, William Beardmore & Company constructed a small aircraft in 1924, the speed of which in the first flight was 112 km / h.
In the first races of the 19 models presented, it was WB.XXIV that flew the first lap faster than anyone. Having successfully passed all the tests, the aircraft received a serial number, and the wooden cabin was replaced with an aluminum one.
A two-seater aircraft, according to some sources, was dismantled in 1940, according to others, it was sold to one of the pilots. He still flew after the Second World War.
16
Gee Bee Model. USA
In 1932, the Granville brothers from the American town of Springfield introduced the world to their model P-1 "Giant Bee", intended for racing.
Due to the thick and short fuselage, this small plane was nicknamed the “Flying Barrel”. But the wingspan of the aircraft with a length of 5.4 m reached 7.62 m.
The Gee Bee Model R reached speeds of up to 475 km / h, but due to design flaws it often crashed. For this reason, in 1935 the aircraft was decommissioned.
15
Wee Bee. USA
In the 1940s, another “tiny bee” appeared in the USA, which got its name due to its small size. Three aircraft designers from San Diego decided to surprise the world, and constructed a plane with a wingspan of 5.5 m.
The plane developed a low speed, and it was very difficult to take off the ground. But still, the goal was achieved by young and ambitious guys, at that time it was the smallest model of an airplane in the USA.
Today, the only copy of the “Little Bee” is on display at the Aviation Museum.
14
McDonnell XF-85 Goblin. USA
Work on the creation of a small fighter jet began in the United States at the very end of World War II. The history of its creation is closely related to the creation of the Convair B-36 heavy bomber, since it was assumed that the small XF-85 will be based on the body of the combat vehicle.
In August 1948, a small jet aircraft with a wingspan of only 6.4 m made its first flight. Specialists criticized the tactical and technical characteristics, and pilots inconvenience cockpit, which made it difficult to control the machine and firing.
Due to the low speed and maneuverability, the miniature plane never entered service with the US Air Force, and the project was closed.
13
Ikarus 451M. Yugoslavia
Immediately after the war, a group of Yugoslav designers led by Dragutin Beschlin developed in 1952 the first jet aircraft of Yugoslavia, which had a rather small size.
The letter "M" in the name and meant that the plane is small, and is intended for reconnaissance. Yugoslav pilots tried to set a speed record on it, breaking the mark of 750 km / h, but they did not succeed in doing this. The manned 451M developed a speed of only 724 km / h in the air.
The wingspan of the Yugoslav machine was 6.78 m, and it could rise to a height of 8 500 m.
12
Colomban Cri Cri Jet. France
Back in 1958, during the active development of home aviation, the designer Rueil-Malmaison completed his first project of a single-seat twin-engine aircraft. But the model was never brought to mind. The project received a second wind in 1972, and already in 1973 the first flight of this aircraft took place. The novelty surprised many professional designers, many ideas were very interesting and non-standard, but at the same time simple and understandable.
The model has become very popular, and today many amateurs and athletes fly these airplanes. Some instances of Cree-Cree are equipped with jet engines. The length of the aircraft is 3.9 m, and the wingspan is 4.9 m. It is a pity, but the aircraft never entered into serial production, the drawings of this model are in the public domain.
An interesting fact: once at a competition of aircraft models taking place in Germany, one curious guest, thinking that in front of him a flightless toy model of an airplane showed interest in Cree-Cree. He was offered a ride on the device, and he did not refuse. The pilot stood on the ground and controlled the aircraft using remote control.
The plane drove a guest a bit, and then went into take-off mode and flew. The audience (and probably the passenger) were very surprised that the plane was flying. But what was their surprise after the pilot said that he had problems with the remote control and the plane did not listen to him. But a living person sits inside him. It turns out that the pilot decided to play a trick not only on the passenger, but also on the audience, and everything ended happily.
11
BD 5. USA
This series of small aircraft with a turbojet engine was created in the late 1960s by American aircraft designer Jim Bede. Over time, the company went bankrupt, and the production of components and assemblies for a miniature and light aircraft was stopped.
In the early 2000s, the project was resumed, and in 2011 they began production of BD-Micro Technologies based on the PBS TJ-100. Now many BD prototypes are on display at aviation museums.
A small turbojet aircraft has a speed of 201 km / h, and its flight range on one fuel tank is 370 km.
10
Generation Two. France
The French design bureau Socata developed and began to produce small aircraft that were designed to transport small-sized light loads.
In addition, on board the aircraft can accommodate 5 people, which can enter it in the category of small passenger aircraft. The length of the model is only 7.75 m, and this “little crumb” can lift 1.5 tons of cargo into the air.
Widely used by small logistics companies, as well as for delivering mail over short distances.
By the way, on most-beauty.ru you can read about the best private jets in the world.
9
Stits DS-1 Baby Bird. USA
Considering the smallest aircraft in the world, one cannot leave aside the unique model “Stits DS-1 Baby Bird”, included in the Guinness Book as the smallest monoplane.
The wingspan of the “Little Bird”, as the designers called the plane, is only 1.91 m, and the height does not exceed one and a half meters. American designers have created only one instance, specifically to break the record for small size.
The car has a speed of 177 km / h, and throughout history, since 1984, the Stits DS-1 Baby Bird made 35 sorties.
8
Bensen B-8 Gyrocopter. USA
An aircraft without a hull, consisting of a frame, an engine, and a rotor, was developed in the USA in the 1950s. Production actually stopped in 2007, but even today, some models are used by construction companies for intelligence purposes.
Due to the simplicity of the design, as well as ease of control, the aircraft became quite popular and quickly bought up by customers.
The Bensen B-8 Gyrocopter can fly up to a height of 3,800 m, and the speed of an unpacked aircraft is 137 km / h.
7
"Bumble Bee" Bumblebee. USA
In 1984, American designers introduced to the world community an aircraft whose length was only 2.8 meters and a wingspan of 2 meters.
The model developed a rather high speed for these types of miniature aircraft equal to 290 km / h. Weight "Bumblebee" is 248 kg. There was only one flight in which the car crashed.
The only copy was restored, and today it is on display at the Tucson, Arizona Aviation Museum. The American designer Robert Starr created the car, and he gave his brainchild such an original name.
6
F / A-18A Hornet. USA
And this "Hornet" is American-made, but no longer civilian, but a military carrier-based attack fighter, which is also included in the rating of small aircraft.
In a list that lists the smallest aircraft in the world, the F / A-18A is the smallest combat vehicle of this class. The height of the combat vehicle is only 4.6 m, and the length is 17 m.
The aircraft is widely used by the US Air Force in the combat zone, and today it is also equipped with the latest weapons capable of hitting ground and air targets.
5
Microjet 200. France
The project, developed by French designers, was intended for test flights, and as a jet simulator. The Microjet 200 completed its first flight in 1980.
The wing span of the first prototype, made in one copy, was 7.56 m. Later, the model was modified, and 3 more copies were assembled at the factory under the 200V index.
Due to expensive component parts and low efficiency, the project was closed. The uniqueness of the small aircraft of all presented in that it was controlled by two pilots.
4
FlyNano. Finland
For more than 10 years, the Finnish designer Aki Suokas, together with like-minded people, has been developing a model of a small-sized aircraft.
The result of long work was the emergence of a light model, weighing 70 kg, which the creators called "FlyNano". The wingspan of a compact car is 4.8 m, and the length is only 3.8 m. But, despite the small size, the aircraft, together with the pilot, can lift 113 kg of cargo into the air.
Based on the prototype, it is planned to produce three aircraft modifications, one with an electric motor and two gasoline, one of which will participate in racing flights.
3
X-12h. Russia
Today, the model created by Russian engineer-designer Viktor Dmitriev is the smallest aircraft in the world. As we see in the photo, the model is really miniature.
The "baby" weighs, which, when disassembled, can easily fit in a suitcase, only 55 kg. This option puts the X-12h in the lead in the lightest aircraft category.
An enthusiastic Russian designer spent 25 years creating a unique device. But the work was not in vain, and the Russian plane and its creator got on the pages of the Guinness Book of Records.
2
Jetpack wingsuit
Not exactly a plane, but also worthy of attention, since the pilot and inventor Yves Ross realized a man’s long-held dream to fly to the sky with wings.
Four engines are installed on the Jetpack Wingsuit, mini-wings are put on the pilot’s back, like a satchel. The flight time is only 13 minutes, but this allowed Yves to fly through the Alps.
The whole structure is easy to assemble, and can fit in the trunk of a car.
You can watch an impressive video where Jetpack pilots fly side by side with a passenger airliner. It looks amazing.
1
Global 5000. Canada
We conclude our TOP of small aircraft with the development of Canadian aircraft designers who created the Global 5000 in the early 90s of the last century. Today, designed for 17 passengers, it is the smallest passenger aircraft in the world.
The miniature airliner made its first flight in 1996, and in 2003, at the air show in France's Le Bourget, an improved model was introduced to the world, which went into mass production. Its capacity was already 19 people.
The aircraft has a speed of up to 850 km / h, and without refueling it flies over 9,300 km.
Conclusion
As you can see, the smallest aircraft are multifunctional and diverse. State design bureaus and private aircraft designers do not stop working on the creation of miniature models of manned aircraft, and perhaps in the near future, a record in this category will be broken.
Small biplanes and monoplans perform various functions, and are created with the aim of launching them into mass production, but for many, fame is the motivation, and as a result, receiving a monetary reward for creating a record-breaking small-sized aircraft.
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