Invention of the boiler parachute. Kotelnikov, Gleb Evgenievich

G. E. Kotelnikov

From thumbnail to Ivory, located in the State. Tretyakov Gallery.

Work thin. Yu. V. Kotelnikova.

FOREWORD

The author of this book, the Russian inventor Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov, was the first to design a backpack parachute of free and automatic action. But Kotelnikov was neither an engineer nor an aircraft designer. He was a self-taught designer, but he created a parachute that even the best specialists abroad could not create.

His life, his works are of interest not only to skydivers Soviet Union, but also to Soviet children who love aviation and follow its progress.

Gleb Evgenyevich Kotelnikov was born in 1872 in the family of a professor of mechanics and higher mathematics at the St. Petersburg Forestry Institute - Evgeny Grigoryevich Kotelnikov. Kotelnikov's parents loved music, theater, sometimes performed in amateur performances. All this was accepted by the young Kotelnikov. Since childhood, he fell in love with the stage and began to strive for it.

But, besides the theater, young Kotelnikov was fond of technology, made various toys and models. The father encouraged these inclinations of his son and tried to develop them.

Once the son asked his father to buy him a camera.

Buy, buy ... - answered the father. - Buy, my brother, everything is possible if there is money. But you yourself try to do it. If something comes up, I'll buy a real one.

The son knew that it was useless to ask his father now. The father did not change his mind. Instead of buying breakfast for himself at the gymnasium, Kotelnikov began to save money. When five rubles accumulated, I bought an old lens. Kotelnikov worked for a long time, but the device did it anyway. The son solemnly presented the first picture to his father. After checking this camera, the professor praised the work and fulfilled his promise - he bought a real one.

But in 1889, a misfortune befell the family: Professor Kotelnikov died. Gleb Evgenievich had just graduated from high school. Retirement was difficult.

Kotelnikov entered military school. But he did not like drill, barracks discipline. After graduating from school as an artilleryman, Kotelnikov served three years of compulsory service. He was weary of serving in the army, seeing the disenfranchisement of the soldiers, the rudeness of the officers. As soon as the term of service ended, Kotelnikov retired.

In 1898, Gleb Evgenievich left for the province, where he served as an excise official. In the provinces, he helped organize people's houses, drama clubs. And sometimes he played as an amateur actor. He became interested in working in the theater, and when he returned to St. Petersburg, he joined the troupe of the People's House.

So in 1910, in the thirty-ninth year of his life, Gleb Evgenievich became an actor Glebov-Kotelnikov.

At this time, the first Russian pilots showed the audience their first flights. People then just learned to take to the air on airplanes - machines heavier than air. There were no Russian airplanes yet, and Russian pilots flew foreign planes.

The actor Glebov-Kotelnikov, who loved technology since childhood, could not be indifferent to these events that worried all of St. Petersburg. He went to the Commandant's airfield and there, together with the rest of the spectators, watched the unprecedented machines, listened to the unusual sound from the propeller of the aircraft.

Kotelnikov did not remain an indifferent witness when he saw the death of the pilot Matsievich, who crashed to death, falling from an airplane. This was the first casualty of Russian aviation. But she didn't go unnoticed. Russian actor Kotelnikov decided to build an apparatus on which pilots could descend to the ground if an airplane crash occurs in the air.

Abroad, they also worked on the creation of an aviation parachute. And although these were design specialists who had the best working conditions, their parachutes turned out to be too complex, heavy, and cumbersome. Such parachutes were not suitable for aviation.

Kotelnikov built a model of his parachute and tested it. It was a light parachute stowed in a knapsack. He was always with the pilot. The parachute worked flawlessly.

On October 27, 1911, Kotelnikov patented his invention "RK-1" (Russian, Kotelnikov's first) and applied to the military ministry.

In the ministry, Kotelnikov was accepted, listened to, approved the design, but rejected "as unnecessary."

This was the first failure. The foreigner Lomach learned about this failure of the Russian inventor, in whose office they sold equipment for aviation. Lomach invited Kotelnikov to his office and offered to help build a parachute.

Lomach built two copies of the RK-1 parachute. Their tests gave good results. And yet in Russia they were not interested in parachuting.

But after testing "RK-1" in Russia, abroad already knew about the invention of Kotelnikov. And when Lomach arrived in France, everyone looked with interest at the jumps of the student Ossovsky from the 53-meter-high bridge in Rouen.

And since 1913, knapsack parachutes similar to Kotelnikov's began to appear abroad.

Only at the very beginning of the World War did the War Ministry remember Kotelnikov and his parachutes. Now he was called and decided to make several dozen parachutes for the front.

But it was not possible to introduce a parachute in all aviation. The head of the Russian air force believed that "a parachute in aviation is a harmful thing."

After the revolution, during the civil war, Kotelnikov's parachutes were used by the aeronautical units of our Red Army.

In 1921, at the request of the Main Directorate of the Air Fleet, the Soviet government awarded Gleb Evgenievich.

Kotelnikov started working again, improving his parachute. In 1923, he released a new, semi-rigid backpack parachute "RK-2". Kotelnikov was the first to develop a postman parachute that could lower loads to the ground. He developed a collective parachute to rescue passengers in case of civil aircraft crashes.

Kotelnikov invented a basket parachute, where the basket is separated from the balloon by turning the steering wheel.

Finally, in 1924, Kotelnikov created the RK-3 parachute. A year later, in 1925, the Irwin foreign parachute appeared, similar in design to Kotelnikov's, but more carefully designed. He was given preference. The Kotelnikovsky parachutes, which had not yet been tested at that time, were made handicraft. We bought the right to manufacture his parachutes from Irvine. But we know the name of that Russian designer who first developed all the principles of the aviation parachute that we use now.

The self-taught inventor Kotelnikov created his parachute in tsarist Russia. In that technically backward country, he, of course, could not meet with either attention or support, just as Ladygin, Yablochkov, Popov, Michurin, Tsiolkovsky and others did not meet this.

In his book, Gleb Evgenievich tells Soviet children how people learned to build parachutes and descend to the ground with them. He also tells about how he created his own parachute in those days when the tsarist officials considered the parachute unnecessary and even harmful.

In our country, thousands of people are now engaged in parachuting, learning how to use a parachute, jump with it. They know that a parachute is necessary both in the defense of our homeland and in their daily work. And to replace our paratroopers, aircraft designers, pilots, a new generation is growing up, which should know and respect the work of this self-taught designer, whose parachute was the basis for the best modern parachutes.

The first parachute designed by Kotelnikov RK-1 appeared in 1012. For more than 100 years, the development of parachute technology has continued. The amazing history of the parachute

This is how airplanes and pilots appeared

From time immemorial, people have looked at the sky, at the stars... This tempting depth of height attracted with its inexplicable spaciousness. The creation of the first aircraft that took to the sky was a miracle! Contrary to all the laws of attraction, this building took off from the ground in a run and rushed across the Sky like a huge roaring bird, charming some and frightening others. This is how airplanes and pilots appeared... :)) And to save the pilots in case extreme situation they began to use long folded umbrellas that were attached to the aircraft. Their design was heavy and unreliable, and in order not to increase the weight of the aircraft, many pilots preferred to fly without this life-saving element - not to use an umbrella in flight.

When the plane crashed, in a rare case, the pilot was able to unfasten the umbrella mount, open it and jump out of the plane to soften the impact on the ground.

On January 18 (30), 1872, in St. Petersburg, a son was born in the family of Kotelnikov, a professor of mechanics and higher mathematics, who from childhood sang, played the violin, often visited the theater with his parents. And this boy also liked to make different toys and models. Gleb, that was the name of the boy, with age in life, his hobbies for theater and design remained.

Invention of the backpack parachute

If not for this story, it is not known when it would have taken place. invention of the backpack parachute.

In 1910, the All-Russian Aeronautics Festival took place in St. Petersburg. A magnificent holiday with several demonstration flights of the best pilot of those times, Lev Makarovich Matsievich. The day before, Stolypin took off into the sky with him, he enthusiastically admired St. Petersburg and its environs.

And on the day of aeronautics, the highest ranks of officers with Matsievich rose to the Sky. And also... influential people... Imagine how happy they were...! Airplane flight...! And there was probably even more pride ... :))

The holiday was in full swing, and the day was drawing to a close, and before the last flight, Matsievich was given a wish from Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich to show something of that kind ... some kind of aviation achievement. And Matsievich went to the record.

He decided to fly as high as possible ... as high as his beloved Farmon-IV, this light, amazingly beautiful, as if translucent, plane could. The maximum flight speed that Farmon could develop was 74 km / h.

It was a very bold and decisive step, because in those days it was believed that the closer to the ground, the safer the flight. Lev Makarovich Matsievich, in a set, took his Farmon 1000 meters from the ground - this is about half a mile ... and suddenly ... suddenly ... the plane began to fall, scattering in the air ... the pilot fell out of the randomly falling plane ... and following the wreckage of his car, he fell to the ground ... in front of the audience ...

An archival photo of that tragic moment has been preserved. Seconds... and the last meeting with the earth...

This tragedy was deeply embedded in the soul of Gleb Kotelnikov, and he began to develop a system that could save the pilot. A little over a year later, Kotelnikov already tried to register his first business in Russia. invention - backpack parachute free action. But for unknown reasons, he was denied registration of a patent.

On March 20, 1912, after the second attempt, already in France, Kotelnikov received a patent for No. 438,612.

Parachute RK-1

Parachute RK-1(Russian, Kotelnikova, model one) had a round shape and fit into a metal satchel. To the suspension system, which was worn by a person, the knapsack was attached at two points. Kotelnikov divided the parachute lines into two parts and led them to two free ends. A unique reconstruction of the fastening of the canopy to the suspension system took place, which eliminated the involuntary rotation of the parachutist under the canopy, where all the lines were attached to one halyard. In the air, after pulling out the ring, the knapsack opened, at the bottom of which there were springs under the dome ... they threw the dome out of the knapsack ... and without fail ... there was not a single failure ...

Imagine what a strong shock the person experienced after the tragic death of the pilot, and how strong was the desire to save, to exclude the possibility of the pilot's death when the airplane failed in the airspace. Kotelnikov invented all the keys necessary for the normal operation of the parachute system.

The first tests took place on the ground. The car, to which the parachute was attached, accelerated, and Kotelnikov activated the parachute, which, leaving the satchel, instantly opened, and the car stalled from an unexpected jerk back ... the story says ...

Further tests of the RK-1 parachute system continued from the balloon. Jumped mannequin weighing 80 kg - the most best friend testers. They threw it from different heights, and all the dummy jumps were successful.

But the parachute system was not accepted into production due to the fact that the Head of the Russian Air Force Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich expressed concern that the pilots, at the slightest failure of the aircraft, would leave expensive car in the air. Airplanes are expensive and imported from abroad. You need to take care of airplanes, but there will be people. Parachutes are harmful, with them aviators will save themselves at the slightest danger, and the airplane will be destroyed.

No, it’s not like that ... and soon the RK-1 parachute designed by G.E. Kotelnikov was submitted to the competition in Paris and Rouen, and the parachute was represented by the commercial company Lomach and Co.

First parachute jump RK-1. Road to life.

January 5, 1913 in Rouen was committed first parachute jump RK-1 from the bridge over the Seine. Height 60 meters...!!! A magnificent fearless jump was made by a student of the St. Petersburg Conservatory Vladimir Ossovsky...!!! The parachute worked perfectly, showed the possibility of opening when jumping from a low height. It is you and I who now understand how risky this jump was, and in those days we believed that this was the safest jump option, especially since the Seine River below would save in an emergency. But how spectacular the jump turned out to be, you can imagine! The competition went great! The Russian invention was recognized abroad.

In Russia, the tsarist government remembered Kotelnikov's parachute only during the First World War ...

But I remembered... :)

Thanks to the pilot GV Alekhnovich... he managed to convince the command of the need to supply the crews of multi-engine aircraft with RK-1 parachutes. The first production of backpack parachute systems for aviators began under the control of Kotelnikov.

A new system was created, the RK-2 parachute.

Kotelnikov was not satisfied with a metal satchel with springs. Create, so create! And there was a parachute RK-3 with a soft pack, in which the springs were replaced with honeycombs for laying slings - this slinging technique is used to this day.

Cargo parachute RK-4 was created in 1924, the Dome with a diameter of 12 meters was designed for a load of up to 300 kg.

Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov paved the way to Heaven, created something that immediately took off and went into rapid development. All tests were successful, which meant that the path was right.

In 1926, Kotelnikov transferred all his inventions to Soviet government.

A parachute statue.

The inscription on the monument: "In the area of ​​this village in 1912, the world's first aviation backpack parachute, created by G.E. Kotelnikov, was tested" But already 100 years have passed ... Thank you for the joy, smart Kotelnikov!

In St. Petersburg there is an alley Kotelnikova

At the Novodevichy cemetery, the grave of Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov is a place where paratroopers constantly tie ribbons and parachute puffs to trees.

Now, 100 years later, the Scientific Research Institute of Parachute Engineering has created a magnificent parachute system that is being tested -

Immediately after people began to take to the air, first in balloons, and then on airplanes, the question of their salvation in the event of an accident at high altitude became acute. On the first planes, long folded structures in the form of umbrellas were used for this, which were fixed on the fuselage. These were very unreliable devices that greatly increased the weight of the aircraft, so they were used extremely rarely.

In balloons, the evolution of means for a relatively soft landing when falling from many kilometers in height went its own way. They used heavy and uncomfortable linen products that were tied to the bottom or side of the balloon. It is clear that in the event of an accident, it was far from always possible to correctly use such a design.

Everything changed in 1912, when the Russian inventor Gleb Kotelnikov tested his backpack parachute.

Biography of the designer

Gleb Kotelnikov was born in St. Petersburg in 1872, his father was a professor of mechanics and higher mathematics. The main hobby of the parents was the theater, and the boy also fell in love with him. Since childhood, he has been playing the violin and singing. However, he also liked something else - making different toys and models with his own hands.

In 1894, Gleb graduated from the Kiev Military School and, after 3 years of compulsory service, retired. Kotelnikov leaves for the provinces and lives a quiet, measured life - he serves as an excise official, helps in organizing drama circles, and sometimes plays in performances himself. He does not give up his design hobby.

Tragedy as a trigger

In 1910, Kotelnikov returned to St. Petersburg and joined the troupe of the People's House on the St. Petersburg side. He plays under the pseudonym Glebov-Kotelnikov.

September 24, 1910 (old style) in St. Petersburg was a beautiful windless weather. On this day, the first aeronautics festival in Russia was scheduled. The audience was delighted with the unprecedented spectacle, and suddenly one of the planes began to fall apart in the air. A pilot fell out of it from a height of 400 m, who had no chance of surviving. So in the first for Russian Empire famous aviator Lev Matsievich died in a plane crash.

Gleb Kotelnikov witnessed the tragedy, and at that moment he firmly decided that this should not happen again. So the 38-year-old actor turned into a parachute designer.

Making a parachute

Kotelnikov's work on the creation of the first folding backpack parachute was completed in December 1911, that is, 15 months after the death of Matsievich. The inventor replaced the heavy linen with light and strong silk. Gleb Evgenievich sewed a thin elastic cable into the edges of the parachute. The slings were divided into two groups, fixed on the shoulder girths of the suspension system. The result was a structure that a person could control while descending to the ground.

The main feature of Kotelnikov's parachute was that he put it in a small shoulder pack. At its bottom was a special shelf with strong springs underneath. Due to this solution, the parachute was instantly thrown out when the person pulled out the retaining ring in the air. The first model was named RK-1 - short for Russian, Kotelnikova, model 1.

After successful tests with a dummy, the development was proposed to the military department, but the Russian bureaucratic machine did not share the enthusiasm for the invention. One of the Grand Dukes even called a parachute a thing harmful to aviation, since with it the pilot will save himself, and not the plane, at the slightest danger.
Kotelnikov did not give up and continued to work on the invention, which Russian aviation still needed when it started.

After the revolution and the Civil War, Kotelnikov remained in Soviet Russia. In 1923, he presented the RK-2 model, and a little later, the RK-3 with a soft pack. Modern parachutes of Russian paratroopers have almost the same design as the RK-3. The airborne troops appeared in our country in 1929 precisely thanks to Gleb Evgenievich and his developments.

Almost simultaneously with the RK-3, Kotelnikov created the RK-4 cargo parachute. It is distinguished by an enlarged dome with a diameter of 12 m and the ability to lower a load weighing up to 300 kg. However, this parachute was not used. In 1926, Kotelnikov handed over all his inventions to the Soviet government.

The inventor met the beginning in Leningrad. He survived part of the blockade, and after the first winter in the besieged city was evacuated. Kotelnikov waited for the blockade to be lifted from hometown but did not live to see the end of the war. He died at the end of 1944 in Moscow and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

The first test of Kotelnikov's parachute took place in the village of Salizi, which in 1949 was renamed Kotelnikovo (Gatchinsky district Leningrad region). A small monument with a parachute depicted on it still stands next to the training ground.

The grave of Gleb Evgenievich is a place of pilgrimage for paratroopers. They tie parachute strings to the trees next to his tombstone.

Long before the birth of the first aircraft, frequent fires and accidents that occurred in the air with spherical balloons and balloons forced scientists to turn their attention to the creation of reliable means that could save the lives of aircraft pilots. When planes flew into the sky, flying much faster than balloons, a small engine breakdown or damage to some minor part of a fragile and bulky structure led to terrible accidents, often ending in death. When the number of victims among the first pilots began to rise sharply, it became obvious that the absence of any life-saving equipment for them could become a brake. further development aviation.

The task was technically extremely difficult, despite numerous experiments and long research Western states, 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. Everybody modern models parachutes created by circuit diagram Kotelnikov's inventions.

Gleb Evgenievich was born on January 18 (old style) 1872 in the family of a professor of higher mathematics and mechanics at the St. Petersburg Institute. Kotelnikov's parents adored the theater, were fond of painting and music, often staged amateur performances in the house. It is not surprising that, having been brought up in such an environment, the boy fell in love with art, set on fire with the desire to perform on stage.

Young Kotelnikov showed outstanding abilities in learning to play the piano and other musical instruments. AT short time a 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 the conservatory or Institute of Technology However, plans had to change dramatically 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. After leaving the reserve, he got a job in the provincial excise department. At the beginning of 1899, Kotelnikov married Yulia Volkova, daughter of the artist V.A. Volkov. The young people knew each other from childhood, their marriage turned out to be happy - they lived in rare harmony for forty-five years.

For ten years Kotelnikov worked as an excise official. This stage of his life was, without exaggeration, the most empty and difficult. It was hard to imagine a service more alien to this creative personality. The only outlet for him was the local theater, in which Gleb Evgenievich was both an actor and artistic director. In addition, he continued to design. For workers at a local distillery, Kotelnikov developed new model filling machine. He equipped his bike with a sail and successfully used it on long trips.

One fine day, Kotelnikov clearly realized that he needed to drastically change his life, forget about the excise tax and move to St. Petersburg. Yulia Vasilyevna, despite the fact that by that time they already had three children, perfectly understood her husband. A talented artist, she also had high hopes for the move. In 1910, the Kotelnikov family arrived in the northern capital, and Gleb Evgenievich got a job in the troupe of the People's House, becoming a professional actor at the age of thirty-ninth under the pseudonym Glebov-Kotelnikov.

At the beginning of the last century in major cities Russia often held demonstration flights of the first domestic pilots, during which the aviators demonstrated their skill in controlling 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 some time, his apartment turned into a real workshop. Coils of wire and belts, wooden beams and pieces of cloth, sheet iron and a wide variety of tools were scattered everywhere. Kotelnikov clearly understood that he could not expect help from anywhere. Who could seriously think in those conditions that some actor could invent a life-saving device, which scientists from England, Germany, France and America had been struggling to develop for several years? There was also a limited amount of funds for the upcoming work, so it was necessary to spend them extremely economically.

Gleb Evgenievich spent whole nights drawing various drawings and making models of life-saving equipment based on them. He dropped the finished copies from launched kites or from the roofs of houses. The experiments went one after another. In between them, the inventor redid unsuccessful options, looked for new materials. Thanks to the historian of domestic aviation and aeronautics A.A. Native Kotelnikov acquired books on flying. He paid special attention to old documents that tell about primitive devices used by people when descending from various heights. After long research, Gleb Evgenievich came to the following important conclusions: “For use on an airplane, a light and durable parachute is needed. It should be quite small when folded ... The main thing is that the parachute is always with the person. In this case, the pilot will be able to jump from any side or wing of the aircraft.

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. A special coil spring was supposed to push the rescue projectile out of the helmet if necessary. And so that the lower edge quickly formed the dome, and the parachute could be filled with air, the inventor passed an elastic and thin metal cable through the lower edge.

Gleb Evgenievich also thought about the task of protecting the pilot from an excessive jerk at the moment of opening the parachute. Particular attention was paid to the design of the suspension system and the fastening of the rescue equipment to the person. The inventor correctly assumed that attaching a parachute to a person at one point (as in aeronautical life-saving equipment) would give an extremely strong jerk at the place where the cord would be attached. In addition, with this method of attachment, a person will rotate in the air until the very moment of landing, which is also quite dangerous. Having abandoned such a scheme, Kotelnikov developed his own, rather original solution - he divided all the parachute lines into two parts, attaching them to two suspension straps. Such a system evenly distributed the force of the dynamic impact throughout the body when the parachute opened, and the rubber shock absorbers on the suspension straps softened the impact even more. The inventor also took into account the mechanism for quick release from the parachute after landing in order to avoid dragging a person along the ground.

Having assembled a new model, Gleb Evgenievich proceeded to its testing. The parachute was attached to a mannequin doll, which was then dropped from the roof. The parachute jumped out of the head helmet without a hitch, opened up and smoothly lowered the dummy to the ground. The joy of the inventor knew no bounds. However, when he decided to calculate the area of ​​the dome that could withstand and successfully (at a speed of about 5 m / s) lower an eighty-kilogram load to the ground, it turned out that it (the area) should have been at least fifty square meters. It turned out to be absolutely impossible to fit so much silk, even very light, into a pilot's helmet. However, the brilliant inventor was not upset, after much deliberation, he decided to place the parachute in a special bag worn on the back.

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.

The parachute itself consisted of twenty-four canvases and had a pole hole. The slings passed through the entire dome along the radial seams and were connected twelve pieces on each suspension strap, which, in turn, were fastened with special hooks to the suspension system worn by a person and consisting of chest, shoulder and waist belts, as well as leg loops. The device of the sling system made it possible to control the parachute during descent.

The closer it was to the end of the work, the more nervous the scientist. It seemed that he thought of everything, calculated everything and foresaw everything, but how will the parachute show itself during the tests? In addition, Kotelnikov did not have a patent for his invention. Anyone who saw and understood his principle of action could appropriate all the rights. Knowing perfectly well the customs of the foreign merchants who flooded Russia, Gleb Evgenievich tried to keep his developments secret for as long as possible. When the parachute was ready, he went with it to Novgorod, choosing a deaf, remote place for experiments. His son and nephews helped him in this. The parachute and mannequin were raised to a height of fifty meters with the help of a huge kite, also created by the tireless Kotelnikov. The parachute was thrown out of the pack by springs, the canopy quickly turned around and the dummy smoothly sank to the ground. After repeating the experiments several times, the scientist was convinced that his invention works flawlessly.

Kotelnikov understood that his device must be urgently introduced into aviation. Russian pilots had to have a reliable life-saving device on hand in case of an accident. Inspired by the tests, he hastily returned to St. Petersburg and on August 10, 1911, wrote a detailed note to the Minister of War, beginning with the following phrase: “A long and mournful synopsis of victims in aviation inspired me to invent a fairly simple and useful device to prevent the death of aviators in an accident in the air ... " . The letter further stated specifications parachute, description of the manufacturing process and test results. All drawings of the device were also attached to the note. However, the note, once in the Military Engineering Directorate, was lost. Frustrated by the lack of an answer, Gleb Evgenievich decided to personally turn to the Minister of War. After long ordeals in the offices of officials, Kotelnikov finally got to the deputy minister of war. Presenting him a working model of a parachute, he long and convincingly proved the usefulness of his invention. The Deputy Minister of War, without honoring him with an answer, handed him a referral to the Main Military Engineering Directorate.

On October 27, 1911, Gleb Evgenievich filed an application for a patent with the Invention Committee, and a few days later, with a note in his hands, he appeared in the Engineering Castle. General von Roop appointed a special commission to consider Kotelnikov's invention, chaired by General Alexander Kovanko, who was the head of the Aeronautical Service. And here Kotelnikov suffered a major setback for the first time. In accordance with Western theories that existed at that time, the chairman of the commission stated that the pilot should leave the aircraft only after opening (or simultaneously with opening) the parachute. Otherwise, he will inevitably die during a jerk. In vain did the inventor explain in detail and prove to the general about his own, original way of solving this problem that he had found. Kovanko stubbornly stood his ground. Not wanting to ponder over Kotelnikov's mathematical calculations, the commission rejected the wonderful device, imposing a resolution "as superfluous". Kotelnikov also did not receive a patent for his invention.

Despite such a conclusion, Gleb Evgenievich did not lose heart. He managed to register a parachute in France on March 20, 1912. In addition, he firmly decided to seek official tests in his homeland. The designer convinced himself that after demonstrating the invention, the parachute would be immediately implemented. Almost daily, he visited various departments of the War Ministry. He wrote: “As soon as everyone sees how a parachute lowers a person to the ground, they will immediately change their mind. They will understand that it is also necessary on an airplane, like a lifeline on a ship ... ". Kotelnikov spent a lot of money and effort before he managed to achieve testing. A new prototype parachute cost him several hundred rubles. Without support from the government, Gleb Evgenievich got into debt, relations in the main service deteriorated, as he could devote less and less time to work in the troupe.

On June 2, 1912, Kotelnikov tested the parachute for the strength of materials, and also checked the drag force of the canopy. To do this, he attached his device to the towing hooks of the car. Having dispersed the car to 70 miles per hour (about 75 km / h), the inventor pulled the trigger cord. The parachute opened instantly, and the car was immediately stopped by the force of air resistance. The design fully withstood, no breaks in the lines or breaks in the material were found. By the way, stopping the car led the designer to the idea of ​​developing an air brake for aircraft during landing. Later, he even made one prototype, but things did not go further. "Authoritative" minds from the Military Engineering Directorate told Kotelnikov that his next invention had no future. Many years later, the air brake was patented as a "novelty" in the United States.

The test of the parachute was scheduled for June 6, 1912. The village of Salyuzi, located not far from St. Petersburg, became the venue. Despite the fact that Kotelnikov's experimental model was designed and designed specifically for an aircraft, he had to carry out tests from an aeronautical apparatus - at the very last moment, the Military Engineering Directorate imposed a ban on experiments from an aircraft. In his memoirs, Gleb Evgenievich wrote that he made the jump dummy similar to General Alexander Kovanko - with exactly the same mustache and long sideburns. The doll was attached to the side of the basket on a rope loop. After the balloon rose to a height of two hundred meters, the pilot Gorshkov cut one of the ends of the loop. The dummy separated from the basket and began to rapidly fall upside down. The spectators present held their breath, dozens of eyes and binoculars followed what was happening from the ground. And suddenly the white speck of the parachute took shape in the dome. “There was a “hurray” and everyone ran to get a closer look at how the parachute would fall…. There was no wind, and the dummy stood on the grass with its feet, stood there for a few seconds, and then only fell. The parachute was dropped from different heights several more times, and all the experiments were successful.

Monument to the test of RK-1 in Kotelnikovo

There were many pilots and aeronauts, correspondents of various magazines and newspapers, foreigners who, by hook or by crook, entered the tests. Everyone, even the incompetent similar issues people understood that this invention opens up great opportunities in the further conquest of the air spaces.

The next day, most of the capital's print publications reported on the successful testing of a new rescue aircraft projectile, invented by a talented Russian designer. However, despite the general interest shown in the invention, the Military Engineering Directorate did not react to the event in any way. And when Gleb Evgenievich started talking about new tests already from a flying plane, he received a categorical refusal. Among other objections, it has been argued that dropping an 80-kilogram dummy from a light aircraft would lead to loss of balance and imminent catastrophe of the aircraft. Officials said they would not allow the inventor to risk the car "for the pleasure" of the inventor.

Only after long, exhausting persuasion and persuasion did Kotelnikov manage to get permission for testing. Experiments on dropping a doll with a parachute from a monoplane flying at a height of 80 meters were successfully carried out in Gatchina on September 26, 1912. By the way, before the first test, the pilot dropped sandbags in the air three times in order to make sure the aircraft was stable. The London News wrote: “Can the pilot escape? Yes. We will talk about the invention adopted by the Russian government ... ". The British naively assumed that the tsarist government would definitely use this wonderful and necessary invention. However, not everything was so simple in reality. Successful tests still did not change the attitude of the leadership of the Military Engineering Directorate to the parachute. Moreover, a resolution came from the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich himself, who wrote in response to a petition for the introduction of the Kotelnikov invention: “Parachutes are actually a harmful thing, since pilots, in any danger that threatens them, will save themselves on them, providing death machines .... We import planes from abroad, and they should be protected. And we will find people, not those, but others!

As time went. The number of aviation accidents continued to grow. Gleb Kotelnikov, a patriot and inventor of advanced life-saving equipment, grieving over this, scribbled one after another unanswered letters to the Minister of War and the entire Aeronautical Department of the General Staff: “... they (pilots) are dying in vain, while they could at the right time turn out to be useful sons of the Fatherland ... , ... I burn with the only desire to fulfill my duty to the Motherland ..., ... such an attitude to a useful and important matter for me - a Russian officer - is incomprehensible and insulting.

While Kotelnikov tried in vain to implement a parachute in his homeland, the course of events was closely followed from abroad. A lot of interested people arrived in St. Petersburg, representing various offices and ready to "help" the author. One of them, Wilhelm Lomach, who was the owner of several aviation workshops in St. Petersburg, suggested that the inventor open a private production of parachutes, and only in Russia. Gleb Evgenievich, who is in extremely difficult financial conditions, agreed to the Lomach and Co. office to present his invention at competitions in Paris and Rouen. And soon the enterprising foreigner received permission from the French government to perform a parachute jump of a living person. Wishing just as soon found - he was a Russian athlete and an ardent admirer of the new invention, Vladimir Ossovsky, a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The bridge over the Seine in the city of Rouen was chosen as the site. The jump from a fifty-three-meter height took place on January 5, 1913. The parachute worked flawlessly, the canopy fully opened when Ossovsky flew 34 meters. The last 19 meters he descended for 12 seconds and landed on the water.

The French enthusiastically welcomed the Russian paratrooper. Many entrepreneurs tried to independently establish the production of this life-saving equipment. Already in 1913, the first models of parachutes began to appear abroad, which are slightly modified copies of the RK-1. Foreign companies made huge capital out of their production. Despite the pressure of the Russian public, which more and more often expressed reproaches about the indifference to the invention of Kotelnikov, the tsarist government stubbornly stood its ground. Moreover, for domestic pilots, a mass purchase of French parachutes designed by Jucmes, having a mount "at one point" was carried out.

By that time the first World War. After the Ilya Muromets multi-engine heavy bombers appeared in Russia, the demand for rescue equipment increased significantly. At the same time, there were a number of deaths of aviators using French parachutes. Some pilots began to ask to supply them with RK-1 parachutes. In this regard, the War Ministry turned to Gleb Evgenievich with a request to make an experimental batch of 70 pieces. The designer set to work with great energy. As a consultant to the manufacturer, he did his best to ensure that the rescue equipment fully met the requirements. The parachutes were made on time, but further production was again suspended. And then it happened socialist revolution and burst Civil War.

Years later, the new government decided to establish the production of parachutes, the demand for which increased in aviation units and aeronautical units every day. The RK-1 parachute was widely used in Soviet aviation on various fronts. Gleb Evgenievich also got the opportunity to continue work on improving his rescue device. In the first research institution in the field of aerodynamics, organized on the initiative of Zhukovsky, called the "Flying Laboratory", theoretical study his inventions full analysis aerodynamic properties. The work not only confirmed the correctness of Kotelnikov's calculations, but also gave him invaluable information in improving and developing new models of parachutes.

Jumping with the new life-saving device was carried out more and more often. Along with the introduction of parachutes in the field of aviation, they attracted more and more attention from ordinary residents. Experienced and experimental jumps gathered masses of people, looking more like theatrical performances than Scientific research. Skydiving training circles began to be created, representing this tool not only as a rescue device, but also as a projectile of a new sports discipline.

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.

Anticipating the future development and use of parachutes, in 1924 Gleb Evgenievich designed and patented the RK-4 basket rescue device with a dome twelve meters in diameter. This parachute was designed to drop loads weighing up to three hundred kilograms. In order to save material and give greater stability, the model was made of percale. Unfortunately, applications given type didn't get a parachute.

The appearance of multi-seat aircraft made Kotelnikov take up the issue of joint rescue of people in case of an accident in the air. Assuming that a man or a woman with a child who does not have experience in skydiving would not be able to use an individual rescue device in an emergency, Gleb Evgenievich developed options for collective rescue.

In addition to his inventive activities, Kotelnikov carried out extensive public work. With his strength, knowledge and experience, he helped flying clubs, talked with young athletes, and gave lectures on the topic of creating life-saving equipment for aviators. In 1926, due to his age (the designer turned fifty-five years old), Gleb Evgenievich retired from developing new models, transferring all his inventions and improvements in the field of aviation rescue devices as a gift to the Soviet government. For outstanding services, the designer was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

After the start of the Great Patriotic War Kotelnikov ended up in besieged Leningrad. Despite his years, the almost blind inventor took an active part in the air defense of the city, fearlessly enduring all the hardships of the war. In a critical condition, he was evacuated to Moscow after the first blockade winter. Having recovered, Gleb Evgenievich continued his creative activity, in 1943 his book “Parachute” was published, and a little later, a study on the topic “The 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”).

ctrl Enter

Noticed osh s bku Highlight text and click Ctrl+Enter

Ancient records testify to the attempts of people to descend from towers, trees and rocks with the help of various devices resembling an umbrella. Unfortunately, such attempts ended in injury, and sometimes even death. But the dream of conquering the sky haunted a person, or if not to fly, then at least not to fall so fast ...

The first theorists

In the 13th century, Roger Bacon, an English philosopher and tester, wrote in his works about the possibility of relying on air when using a concave surface. But the very idea of ​​\u200b\u200bcreating a parachute came from Leonardo da Vinci, in his works - 1495, the possibility of a safe descent from a height is mentioned.

The drawings dating back to 1843 show a pyramidal structure of the future sky dome. Leonardo da Vinci wrote: “If a person has a tent of starched linen 12 cubits wide and 12 high, then he can throw himself from any height without danger to himself.” Thus, according to Leonardo's calculations, the parachute should have had an area of ​​​​60 m² - a figure quite close to modern standards.

However, the Italian did not bring his idea to life: in those days, aristocrats and other playboys did not find pleasure in jumping into the abyss from rocks with tents behind their backs, they preferred war. And the drawings of the parachute lay on the dusty shelves of Italian libraries. Another theorist who developed the idea of ​​flying under tents and domes was an Italian with a very telling name, Faust Verancino, who described in detail an apparatus similar to the invention of his famous countryman. In his work, he clarified that the volume of the dome should be correlated with the weight of the jumper. However, no one needed its development for a long time.

Practical attempts and authors

After 200 years, the first people appeared who wanted to jump off a tower or a cliff and remain alive at the same time. But it’s impossible to say exactly who invented the parachute, too many claim authorship. Here are the Italians, and the Czechs with the Hungarians. However, history prefers to call the Frenchman Louis Lenormand.

It is known for sure that the Frenchman Louis Sebastian Lenormand gave the parachute its name, he is also considered to be the official inventor of the parachute in the modern sense. The desperate inventor made his first jump on December 26, 1783. Lenormand jumped from the tower of the observatory in the city of Montpellier, as evidenced by the engraving of that time. He gave the modern name to the invention, the etymology of which is extremely simple: “para” means “against”, and “shute” means “fall”.

The first to test the invention of Leonardo was the Frenchman Laven at the beginning of the 17th century. It was not the thirst for adrenaline that moved him, but the thirst for freedom - he was a prisoner of one of the impregnable French fortresses, and decided to escape. Having sewn a parachute from sheets, supplementing the design with a whalebone and ropes, the daredevil jumped down from the fortress wall down into the river, and splashed down quite successfully and completed his escape.

The next time, Jean Doumier, sentenced to death, makes a jump with a prototype parachute: as an execution, a new invention, the flying cape of Professor Fontange, was to be tested. Jumping off high tower, Jean remained alive, and, as a reward, he was given life and freedom.

Then the fashion for balloons gave impetus to a new round of development of parachutes, because now there was where to fall from. It was here that Lenormand, already mentioned by us, appeared, who made his historical parachute jump, very reminiscent of the modern one in design. Lenormand started with an attempt at a safe jump from the first floor and two open umbrellas, then he let various objects and animals fly by parachute.

However practical application parachutes were not found again - it was completely inconvenient to attach them to the baskets of balloons. Yes, and they had a significant drawback: when the parachute was lowered, the dome swayed strongly. It was only in the nineteenth century that the British were able to deal with this: they experimentally found out that the parachute should have the shape of a cone, in the cavities of which a space of rarefied air is formed, and with a difference in pressure on the parachute from above and below, its fall will slow down significantly. True, the scientist Cocking, who made this discovery, crashed to death on his own parachute. Then another Englishman - Lalande - thought of making a small hole in the canopy of the parachute for the reverse flow of air, which would reduce the pressure difference and save the life of the paratrooper. Many modern parachute systems still use this hole today.

The need for parachutes in aviation

In the 20th century, aviation began to develop rapidly, and the parachute became vital. But the parachutes that existed in those days were unnecessarily bulky, and they simply did not fit on planes. The first parachute for aviation was created by our compatriot, Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov.

The dome of the new parachute was round, and it was attached to the pilot in a special iron container. At the bottom of the container were springs that pushed the parachute out if necessary. To apply the mechanism in action, as now, a ring is used. Soon, Kotelnikov registered his invention and called it a “free action backpack parachute”. Soon the metal satchel was replaced by a soft satchel. Thus the modern parachute was born.