I already wrote in the article how the guys from Germany, using standard parts for radio-controlled models, made with their own hands a multicopter capable of lifting a person and lifted him into the air, that is, they made the world's first manned flight on an electric multicopter. This was in October last year. But they didn’t stop there, they didn’t start studying radio controlled models, but went further and developed a concept for the development of their project, putting their ideas into it.

This is the official unveiling of the E-Volo 2012 promotional video. At the beginning of the video you can see the world's first manned flight of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, with pure electric drive. In the second part you will be able to see the concepts of research into the future of volocopters.

Pioneer Aviation.

After more than a year of development work on the volocopter VC1, the E-Volo team achieved its goal and on October 21, 2011, the world's first manned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft with purely electric drive made its maiden flight.

What is Volocopter?

The E-Volo volocopter is a completely new, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) manned aircraft that cannot be classified into any known category. The fact is that this model was conceived as a device with a purely electric drive, which distinguishes it from conventional aircraft.
With the help of its many propellers, the volocopter can take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. A significant advantage, in addition to the simple design, without complex mechanics, is the redundancy of the rotors. This allows the volocopter to land safely even if some of the propellers or their drives fail.

How does volocopter work?

Control in flight is carried out using a joystick, by wire and, in principle, very easy. Unlike any other vertical take-off aircraft, the control operation is reminiscent of child's play. The machine takes off and lands vertically, and the pilot pays little or no attention to the flight path angle, minimum speed, cockpit position, pitch control and many other things that ordinary pilots do and about which aircraft are so demanding.
The propellers generate all the upward force, and by selectively changing the speed of rotation, they simultaneously replace the rudder by changing the direction of movement. In addition, unlike a helicopter, there is no need for mechanical control of the pitch of the rotor at all.
Automatic position control and direction control are carried out using several independent on-board computers that control the rotation speed of each propeller individually and the multicopter as a whole.
As an option, you can use another pusher propeller, which will significantly increase the horizontal flight speed.

Prospects for the development of Volocopter

Together with a network of renowned partners in research and industry, Volo will move forward with the development of volocopter technology over the next year.
The goal of the cooperation is a two-seat volocopter that complies with safety standards, and is based on the concept of study and evolution of the VC 2P, with the following performance characteristics:

Speed over 100 km/h
minimum flight altitude ceiling 6500 feet
take-off weight 450 kg
more than one hour of flight time

I understand that we can’t expect substantive comments from our public, but here’s how American enthusiasts of unusual aircraft comment on this idea:

Absolutely amazing! Can't wait to see the first production models. Volocopter - quadcopters are the future of aviation.
I need one, even if it's a bad one.
Lots of comments about "it's safe, it's not safe" but no one remembers that a guy named La Cierva developed a very good machine... about 80 years ago! Never heard of gyroscopes? Many people didn't (and didn't) know nowadays) that the main mistakes in piloting occur at low altitude. I believe that the gyroscope is the most necessary, but underrated device in an aircraft. Look at the beautiful video here on YouTube, which shows how the gyroscope lands and takes off aircraft. By using gyroscopes on such a Volocopter - quadcopter, you can achieve the highest piloting reliability.
It is theoretically the safest manned aircraft design ever made.
Conventional helicopters, as everyone knows, are thousands of parts connected into a complex kinematic chain. Even with a fixed plane, the blades are thousands of individual moving parts. This multicopter has 18 moving parts. That's it.
A high degree of redundancy means security. There is always the possibility of engine failure, in this case it is not scary.

What is your opinion?

Nowadays, airplane travel is no longer unusual. People fly them every day. However, this is not exactly what you want. To satisfy the desire to fly, it is best to design an ultra-light aircraft.

What are the requirements for ultralight aircraft?

When this field of activity was just beginning to develop, many people made many mistakes in the design or neglected any important requirements, without which flight would have been impossible. For this reason, many have never been able to launch their own device. However, several decades ago, the Ministry of Aviation released a collection of certain requirements for ultra-light aircraft. There are quite a few of them, but among them there are several of the most important.

Devices assembled with your own hands must be simple to operate, easy to operate during landing, as well as take-off. In addition, the use of any management methods other than traditional ones is strictly prohibited.
If a microlight aircraft's engine fails for any reason, it must be designed to glide and land smoothly.
The maximum permissible takeoff run of an aircraft before takeoff is no more than 250 meters. The minimum speed during acceleration must be at least 1.5 m/s.
The forces applied to the control stick should be in the range from 15 to 150 kgf, depending on the complexity of the maneuver being performed.
Clamps for steering planes must withstand a load of at least 18 units.

Design

In addition to the general requirements for ultralight aircraft, there are also certain conditions regarding the design of these devices.

The main requirement for this type of device is as follows. When constructing the apparatus, it is unacceptable to use steel, cables, hardware components and other materials of unknown origin. This is due to the fact that the unit itself belongs to the group of devices with an increased risk to human life. Another very important condition is that if you assemble an aircraft with your own hands using wood, then it must be without any visible flaws, knots, wormholes, etc. In addition, in those compartments where moisture may accumulate for any reason, drainage holes must be equipped.

Assembly nuances

It is highly not recommended to use bent pipes or rods. This is especially true for those units where forces may arise to compress or stretch the material. It is imperative that when assembling an aircraft with your own hands, you need to ensure that everything threaded connections had a lock, and the movable type hinge joints must be equipped with a mechanical stopper. The use of growers or is prohibited. All cables used during assembly must be free of knots and damage to the cores. In addition, they must undergo mandatory treatment with anti-corrosion compounds.

High wing

The simplest version of the aircraft to manufacture is the high-wing one. This model is a monoplane with a pulling motor propeller. It is worth noting that the circuitry of this device is already quite old, but reliable and time-tested. Among the shortcomings of these aircraft, there is only one drawback - in an emergency, it is quite difficult to leave the cockpit due to the monowing. However, the design of these units is very simple, which is the most important feature when assembling an aircraft with your own hands.

The wing is constructed of wood using a two-spar design.
Frame material - welded steel. Riveted aluminum options can also be used.
As cladding, you can use completely linen materials, or combined types.
The cabin must be closed type. It should be closed with a car-type door.
The usual pyramidal type of device is used as a chassis.

High wing braced model

The model of the single-engine high-wing aircraft "Leningradets" is one of the varieties of homemade aircraft, the design of which is also very simple. If you assemble an aircraft with your own hands, you need to know the following details. The wing can be made of pine plywood. The fuselage is welded from ordinary steel pipe, and the usual linen version is used as lining. Parts from rural equipment were chosen as wheels for the chassis. This is done so that you can start from an unprepared surface. The engine of the aircraft is based on the design of a motorcycle engine model MT8, which has 32 horsepower. The take-off weight of the device is 260 kg.

This aircraft demonstrates its best qualities in the field of control and ease of maneuvering.

DIY drone

(BPA) are also quite common nowadays. Here it is worth saying that the assembly of this unit, especially if it is assembled using the latest technology, will be quite expensive.

As the main material, you can choose one that has characteristics similar to foam plastic, but will not be deformed by the use of glue, and its strength indicators will be higher. You can also use fairly lightweight, but very rigid polyethylene foam. It is worth adding that to assemble this device you will have to master the skills of working with a soldering iron yourself.

Man never lost his desire to fly. Even today, when traveling by plane to the other end of the planet is a completely common thing, you want to assemble at least the simplest aircraft with your own hands and, if you don’t fly yourself, then at least fly in first person using a camera, for this they use unmanned vehicles. We will consider the most simple designs, diagrams and drawings and, perhaps, we will realize our old dream...

Requirements for ultra-light aircraft

Sometimes emotions and the desire to fly can win common sense, and the ability to design and competently carry out calculations and plumbing work is not taken into account at all. This approach is fundamentally wrong and therefore several decades ago the Ministry of Aviation prescribed general requirements to homemade ultra-light aircraft. We will not present the entire set of requirements, but will limit ourselves to only the most important ones.

A homemade aircraft must be easy to control, easy to pilot on takeoff and landing, and the use unconventional methods and device control systems is strictly prohibited.
If an engine fails, the aircraft must remain stable and ensure safe gliding and landing.
The aircraft take-off run before take-off and lift-off from the ground is no more than 250 m, and the take-off speed is at least 1.5 m/s.
The forces on the control handles are in the range of 15-50 kgf, depending on the maneuver being performed.
The clamps of the aerodynamic steering planes must withstand an overload of at least 18 units.

Requirements for the design of an aircraft

Since an aircraft is a high-risk vehicle, when designing the aircraft structure, the use of materials, steels, cables, hardware components and assemblies of unknown origin is not allowed. If wood is used in the structure, it must be free of visible damage and knots, and those compartments and cavities in which moisture and condensation can accumulate must be equipped with drainage holes.

Usage bent pipes and rods are extremely undesirable, especially in cases where they are subject to a high compression/tension load. All threaded fasteners must be locked, and movable hinge joints must be equipped with a mechanical stop. Grovers and self-locking nuts are not used. The cables cannot have knots or damage to the strands and must be treated with an anti-corrosion compound.

How to build a high-wing plane. Drawings and diagrams of models

The simplest version of a motorized aircraft is a monoplane with a pulling motor propeller. The scheme is quite old, but time-tested. The only drawback of monoplanes is that in emergency conditions it is quite difficult to leave the cockpit; the monowing gets in the way. But the design of these devices is very simple:

the wing is made of wood according to a two-spar design;
welded steel frame, some use riveted aluminum frames;
combined or full linen cladding;
closed cabin with a door operating according to an automobile circuit;
simple pyramidal chassis.

The drawing above shows a Malysh monoplane with 30 hp gasoline engine, takeoff weight is 210 kg. The plane reaches a speed of 120 km/h and has a flight range of about 200 km with a ten-liter tank.

Construction of a braced high-wing aircraft

The drawing shows a single-engine high-plane Leningradets, built by a group of St. Petersburg aircraft modelers. The design of the device is also simple and unpretentious. The wing is made of pine plywood, the fuselage is welded from steel pipe, and the skin is classic linen. The wheels for the landing gear are from agricultural machinery so that it is possible to carry out flights starting from unprepared soil. The engine is based on the design of the MT8 motorcycle engine with 32 horsepower, and the take-off weight of the device is 260 kg.

The device proved to be excellent in terms of controllability and ease of maneuvering and was successfully operated for ten years and took part in rallies and competitions.

All-wood aircraft PMK3

The all-wood PMK3 aircraft also showed excellent flight qualities. The plane had a peculiar shape of the nose, a grounded landing gear with small-diameter wheels, and the cabin had a car-type door. The aircraft had an all-wood fuselage covered with canvas and a single-spar wing made of pine plywood. Installed on the device outboard motor Whirlwind3 with water cooling.

As you can see, with certain skills in design and engineering, you can not only make a working model of an airplane or a drone, but also a completely full-fledged simple aircraft with your own hands. Be creative and dare, have a good flight!

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How to make your own flying machine

Aeromodelling attracts both children and adults who want to create with my own hands working models of gliders and airplanes. Despite the fact that stores today offer a wide range of different aircraft models, it is much more interesting to make your own model that reproduces the features of a real glider and is capable of flying. We will tell you how to assemble a flying glider in this article.

Posting sponsor P&G Articles on the topic “How to make your own flying machine” How to make a model of a glider How to build a glider How to make a mask with your own hands

Start making the model with a full-size working drawing. For the drawing you will need a large sheet of paper, a square, a pencil and a ruler. First, make a drawing of the wing. To do this, draw a straight line on paper and divide it into eight parts.

Place the ruler parallel to the drawn line and draw perpendiculars opposite each segment. Set aside the length of the ribs on the outer perpendiculars (120 mm). Connect the resulting points with another line. Then make a drawing of the stabilizer and fin.

For the fuselage use wooden slats 70 cm long with a section of 10x6 mm. You will also need a pine board 6 cm wide and 10 mm thick for the weight, which needs to be sanded.

For the edges of the wing, take slats 68 cm long and 4x4 mm in cross section. Make the wing roundings from aluminum wire or specially soaked in hot water and thin wooden slats bent around a cylindrical surface.

Connect the curves to the edges, fitting them to each other. Also make identical curved ribs for the wing. To ensure that they are the same, use a block of wood to bend them, bent to the shape of the upper contour of the wing profile.

As materials for the ribs, use thin slats 14 cm long and 3x2 mm in cross section. The slats need to be soaked in hot water and pulled onto the wing on a machine.

On the edges of the wing, make small sockets for installing the ribs and glue them inside. After installing the ribs, the wings need to be bent in V-shape by soaking the edges in hot water and then heating them over a candle flame. To attach the wing, make V-pillars made of steel wire and pine planks.

Also take two 40 cm long slats for the stabilizer, and one 40 cm long slats for the keel. Heat them up and bend them.

To attach the stabilizer to the fuselage, use a wooden strip 11 cm long and 3 mm high. The stabilizer is tied to this bar with threads. Make sockets in the strip at the edges of the stabilizer and insert the sharp ends of the keel into them.

Assemble the entire model and cover it with tissue paper.

How to make an aircraft?

Aircraft drawing
Aggregates
Materials
Equipped workshop

First you need to decide what type of aircraft will be manufactured. So, for example, you can make a glider and hang glider, which is perfect for small, quiet solo flights, or you can build a more complex motorized hang glider or airplane for long, high-speed and noisy flights. It all depends on the preferences of the designer.

It is recommended to make the first device according to a ready-made drawing, which has been tested by many aviation enthusiasts. It is not recommended to make your own changes, as you may break technical specifications aircraft, and it simply will not take off. Repeating the recommended design will protect you from many problems in the future and will give you first experience.

You can find ready-made drawings on how to make an aircraft on the Internet. You can find freely distributed projects, or you can purchase someone else's custom development. If this is your first attempt, you must use the free construction plan. It has probably been tested by many amateurs and a huge number of additions have been made to it that can improve the original design.

When purchasing units and materials for construction, you need to save receipts; they will be needed if the device is registered, otherwise there will be no opportunity to take off.

It is recommended to start construction under the guidance of a more experienced fashion designer who will suggest a solution possible problems. If you don’t have such acquaintances, it is recommended to register on a thematic forum where they discuss how to make a flying machine, and solve all the questions that arise there.

You need to train yourself to do everything carefully and efficiently from the very beginning. There should be no negligence anywhere - even in places that are inaccessible to the naked human eye. Otherwise, all the work may go down the drain and you will have to start all over again.

You will also need a well-equipped room or workshop with a wide range of hand tools and machines. Working “on your knees” you won’t be able to get the desired result; moreover, it will require much more time and effort.

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I work as a business analyst in an IT company. It’s difficult to pick up any hobbies, in principle, he’s easy-going and enjoys any kipesh :) I’m a gourmet, delicious food drives me crazy, I can judge my travels and the evening spent by the kitchen :) I’ve been teaching for three years German, but res

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I am a film buff, a photo maniac, I cannot live without travel and music. This is probably the most important thing. I work in the international cooperation department of a research institute, but I want to change my field of activity. I am attracted by tourism and everything connected with it.

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Man never lost his desire to fly. Even today, when traveling by plane to the other end of the planet is a completely common thing, you want to assemble at least the simplest aircraft with your own hands and, if you don’t fly yourself, then at least fly in first person using a camera, for this they use unmanned vehicles. We will look at the simplest designs, diagrams and drawings and, perhaps, make our old dream come true...

Requirements for ultra-light aircraft

Sometimes emotions and the desire to fly can overcome common sense, and the ability to design and correctly carry out calculations and plumbing work is not taken into account at all. This approach is fundamentally wrong, and therefore, several decades ago, the Ministry of Aviation prescribed general requirements for home-made ultra-light aircraft. We will not present the entire set of requirements, but will limit ourselves to only the most important ones.

A homemade aircraft must be easy to control, easy to pilot during takeoff and landing, and the use of unconventional methods and systems for controlling the aircraft is strictly prohibited.
If an engine fails, the aircraft must remain stable and ensure safe gliding and landing.
The aircraft take-off run before take-off and lift-off from the ground is no more than 250 m, and the take-off speed is at least 1.5 m/s.
The forces on the control handles are in the range of 15-50 kgf, depending on the maneuver being performed.
The clamps of the aerodynamic steering planes must withstand an overload of at least 18 units.

Requirements for the design of an aircraft

the wing is made of wood according to a two-spar design;
welded steel frame, some use riveted aluminum frames;
combined or full linen cladding;
closed cabin with a door operating according to an automobile circuit;
simple pyramidal chassis.

The drawing above shows a Malysh monoplane with a 30-horsepower gasoline engine, take-off weight is 210 kg. The plane reaches a speed of 120 km/h and has a flight range of about 200 km with a ten-liter tank.

Construction of a braced high-wing aircraft

The device proved to be excellent in terms of controllability and ease of maneuvering and was successfully operated for ten years and took part in rallies and competitions.

All-wood aircraft PMK3

The all-wood PMK3 aircraft also showed excellent flight qualities. The plane had a peculiar shape of the nose, a grounded landing gear with small-diameter wheels, and the cabin had a car-type door. The aircraft had an all-wood fuselage covered with canvas and a single-spar wing made of pine plywood. The device is equipped with a water-cooled Vikhr3 outboard motor.