Technical Centre, Civil Aviation Department Civil Aviation Directorate, Talkatora Road, New Delhi
Seven types of glider have been developed at this Technical Centre, which is the research and development establishment of the Indian Civil Aviation Department, since 1950. Some are based on well-known designs such as the Grunau Baby and Olympia; but the three latest types, the Ashvini, Rohini and Bharani, are of original design and are intended to use indigenous materials wherever possible. The Technical Centre does not undertake quantitymanufacture of sailplanes, but supplies sets of drawings to private concerns such as Aeronautical Services Ltd, which is producing the Ashvini and Rohini.
The RG-1 Rohini-1 side-by-side two-seater trainer was the first type designed at the Technical Centre of India’s Civil Aviation Department to go into production in more than small quantities. Starting with an open-cockpit primary type glider first flown in November 1950, the Technical Centre built two Model PT-G open cockpit primary single-seaters based on the ESG design, six Model IT-G intermediate trainers based on the Grunau Baby, two Model AS-1 high performance sailplanes based on the Olympia and five Ashvini tandem two-seater trainers resembling the DPS Kranich; 11 more Ashvinis were built by Aeronautical Services Ltd of Calcutta.
Daniel A. Kreamer was a railroad engineer from Freeport, Illinois. In 1910 he bought a glider from the Church Aeroplane Co. of Brooklyn, NY, in which he made some very successful flights, towed by an automobile and cutting loose when 75 or 80 feet high and gliding several hundred feet to the ground. He apparently considered installing an engine in the glider, but instead bought a Curtiss-type biplane built by Everette K. Barnes and Harold H. Havens of Rockford, IL. Kreamer lost his life at the Chicago Aero Club’s field on July 13th, 1911, when he lost control during a turn while trying for his pilot’s license.
In 1921, 1934 and 1937 Boris Cheranovski developed experiments related to the construction of ornithoptera or flap-wing aircraft. The third of his designs was the BICh-18(Russian: Черановский БИЧ-18).
The BICh-18 was designed as a biplane with pivoting wings driven by the energy of its pilot. On the fuselage, the wings were fixed to the same joint, on which the movement was carried out according to the double scissors system. The movement was carried out by means of the variation generated by the wings when approaching and moving away.
The wingspan of the planes reached 8 meters with a wing area of 10 m². The surface of both planes was similar. The relative load on each square meter of the wing did not exceed 13 kg.
The control surfaces of the BICh-18 were of the classic type. Control was carried out by means of a steering pole. The wings were put in motion by the push made by the pilot on the pedals.
The tests of the BICh-18 were carried out according to a special program, which initially conceived its flights in the form of a glider and the subsequent step to the tests as an ornithopter.
On August 10, 1937, the Muskulolet BICh-18 made its first flight. On that day the pilot RA Pishuyev made four flights. During these glider flights the aircraft demonstrated excellent stability conditions, regardless of the position of the wings.
The second stage of testing went smoothly, but the flapping wings were shown to barely improve glider flight. Among the main causes were the fixed angle of curvature of the wings during movement and their strict aerodynamic profile.
Later a set of improvements such as the installation of new elastic wings were introduced, but during the flight tests significant vibrations were appreciated.
The tests of the BICh-18 were never completed. It has been said that the BICh-8 managed to fly up to 430 meters with the energy generated by the feet of its pilot.
BICh-18 Muskulolet Wingspan: 18.00 m Wing area: 10.00 m² Length: 4.48 m Empty weight: 72 kg Maximum take-off weight: 130 kg Wing loading: 13 kg / m² Accommodation: 1 Observed range: 430 m
As early as 1920 B. I. Cheranovski had registered a patent for an aircraft with flap wings and had attempted to build it in 1921. The development of the BICh-16 (Russian: Черановский БИЧ-16) was a continuation of this original idea.
An ornithopter (also known in Russia as Majoliot) is a heavier-than-air flying machine that is set into motion in the air from the force generated by flapping its wings.
The BICh-16 was built using wood and fabric. In this case, the wings had a marked curvature and were connected to a system that made them move up and down from the muscular strength of the pilot’s legs. Ailerons were located on the wing trailing edge, which were also used as elevator rudders.
The crew member was located in a closed cabin located in the aerodynamic fuselage. The landing gear consisted of a ski braced by studs.
Construction of a prototype was completed in 1934. The BICh-16 was initially flown as a towed glider, but the stability proved poor, ending the flight program. Human-powered flights are not known to have been performed on this aircraft.
BICh-16 Wingspan: 8 m Wing area: 8 m² Empty weight: 34 kg Accommodation: 1
Aerodynamic investigations carried out at TsAGI at the end of the 1920s showed that the parabolic wing did not have great advantages in relation to flight characteristics and that the construction was quite complex.
In view of this Cheranovsky would decide to try a different wing composition on his new models. The triangular configuration with high elongation and vertical rudders at the ends was selected.
The first model to use this configuration would be the “Trapetsia” (Trapeze), (Russian: Черановский “Трапеция”) which was built in 1924 in the NKPS circle of interest.
The “Trapetsia” was conceived as an experimental glider to study the behavior of the new wing configuration. It was a flying wing with a trapezoidal shape in the plane.
Wing shape aside, its construction was generally similar to that of previous parabola-wing models.
This model participated in the III National Sailing Competitions, but in the presence of construction problems it was not allowed to fly.
The BICh-9 Glider, called “Gnom” (Gnome), (Russian: Черановский БИЧ-9 “Гном”) was built in Moscow in 1929 with the aim of participating in the VI National Sailing Competitions.
The BICh-9 was the smallest glider of all those presented in the contest. The pilot, VA Stepanchonok, made three flights with a total duration of 17 minutes. The flights were not continued because it was considered that the glider had problems with the selection of its center of gravity and the ailerons had little travel.
The BICh-9 was designed as a high-wing monoplane built entirely of wood. The wing had a structure with a paraboidal leading edge and a totally straight trailing edge. The entire coating was made with plywood sheets.
The tail planes and the empennage also had curved leading edges. The fuselage featured a plywood-covered wooden frame. At its bottom was the landing gear in the form of a ski with air cushioning using an inflated bicycle chamber between the fuselage and the lander.
The pilot was located in an open cockpit forward, just in front of the wing leading edge.
In parallel with the development of the BICh-7, the construction of a new glider model began in the workshops of the Air Fleet Academy. The Cheranovski BICh-8 (Russian: Черановский БИЧ-8) was the first Cheranovski design to move away from the parabolic wing pattern.
Unlike previous Cheranovski models, the BICh-8 device featured a triangular-shaped wing on the plane, which is why it was nicknamed “Triugolnik” (Triangle).
The BICh-8 was designed as a single-seater experimental glider built entirely of wood. The first thing that stood out was the simplicity of its construction and its low weight.
The cantilever wing and high implantation, had a triangular shape and a structure of three spars. This wing was conceived in three sections: a central one forming an integral part of the fuselage and the long wing consoles with the rudders at the ends. The union of the consoles to the centroplane was made by means of some steel pieces. The entire leading edge was covered with a 1mm thick plywood sheet.
The entire leading edge was covered with a 1mm thick plywood sheet. The straight trailing edge featured control surfaces along the entire span, located on a bar on the soffit of the wing, just below the trailing edge. In the interior part and in order to achieve the necessary longitudinal balance when displacement of the center of gravity occurs, some adjustable stabilizers were located on the ground. The wingtip rudders functioned unconventionally, only operating outward and independently.
The fuselage was covered with plywood. The landing gear, located in the lower part of the fuselage, following the longitudinal axis of the glider, was made up of a ski. Payback was obtained by inserting an inflated bicycle tube between the ski and the fuselage. The wingtips served as stabilization skids.
The pilot was located in a cockpit forward. His cabin was narrow and not very comfortable. The control lever had a low stroke, especially in relation to the handling of the ailerons.
Construction was completed too late in 1929 to allow it to participate in the National Sailing Competitions. For this reason, the glider spent almost a year out in the open and without care, before being flown for the first time, shortly before the competitions the following year.
Cheranovski next to the BICh-8 during testing
In the BICh-8 glider, 7 races and 12 flights were carried out, of which the final four were carried out from the heights of the Moscow gliding station “Piervomaiskaya” (MOAJ), being flown by RA Pishuchiev and MF Romanov. During the first flights this glider showed a marked tendency to lower the nose, for which it was necessary to add a small weight in the tail section. The BICh-8 glider stood out for its good stability, both longitudinal and transverse, but it was very sensitive to rudder movements, not accepting sudden reactions. The landing had to be done carefully.
The descent speed, measured on September 29 with a stopwatch by ground observers, was in the range of 22 – 25 m / s, quite good for a device of its kind. The results could have been superior, but the long time without care in the open slightly deteriorated the coating of the glider.
A certain level of vibrations that appeared during flight number 12 and the poor performance led to the abandonment of the tests.
In 1931 the BICh-8 was flight tested by SP Koroliov, who valued the model positively.
BICh-8 Wingspan: 10.80 m Wing area: 14.00 m² Length: 2.92 m Empty weight: 60 kg Maximum takeoff weight: 130 kg Wing loading: 9.3 kg / m² Glide ratio: 18 Stabilizer surface: 1.84 m² Ailerons surface: 1.68 m² Accommodation: 1
The BICh-6 “Drakón” (Russian: Черановский БИЧ-6 “Дракон”) was a single-seater glider designed by BI Cheranovski and built in 1927 in Moscow.
The BICh-6 was conceived as a cantilever high-wing monoplane built entirely of wood. The wing had a three-spar structure and a curved leading edge with the trailing edge completely straight. The coating of the leading edge and the ailerons was made with sheets of plywood.
The tail planes and empennage also had parabolic leading edges. The fuselage had a wooden structure covered with plywood. In its lower part was the landing gear in the form of a ski.
The pilot was located in an open cockpit forward, just in front of the wing leading edge.
The manufacture was carried out with great pressure because the glider was intended to participate in the competitions that year in Crimea, so the quality of the finish was poor.
The glider was presented at the IV National Sailing Competitions in Koktebel, being piloted by Sergei Korzinschikov. In 1928 it would also be flown by Sergei Koroliov. Despite its poor build quality, the flight tests carried out with this glider showed satisfactory performance.
BICh-6 Wingspan: 16.00 m Wing area: 14 m² Length: 6.00 m Height: 1.65 m Empty weight: 131kg Wing loading: 14.7 kg / m² Elevator area: 2 m² Empennage surface: 0.3 m² Rudder surface area: 0.55 m² Ailerons surface: 2 m² Accommodation: 1
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