Brochocki BKB-1

Last updated

BKB-1
Brochocki BKB-1 N2991G.jpg
BKB-1
Role Experimental glider
National origin Canada
Designer Stefan Brochocki
Introduction1959
StatusSole example destroyed in 1971
Number builtone
Variants Kasper Bekas

The Brochocki BKB-1 was a Canadian mid-wing, single-seat, experimental tailless glider that was designed and constructed by Stefan Brochocki with assistance from Witold Kasper and A. Bodek. The designation indicated the contributions of all three men. The aircraft was intended to study flight above the stall angle. [1] [2]

Contents

Design and development

The BKB-1 was constructed in 1959 and built entirely from wood. The 39 ft (11.9 m) wing was swept, had a 9.5:1 aspect ratio and employed a NACA 8-H-12 airfoil. The aircraft had a very high wing area of 160 sq ft (15 m2) which resulted in a light wing loading of just 3.81 lb/sq ft (18.6 kg/m2). [2] [3]

The prototype BKB-1 was originally registered in Canada as CF-ZDK-X. Later it was moved to the United States, owned by Kasper and registered as N2991G. [2] [4]

As a testbed the aircraft went through several modification states. The modifications included aerodynamic devices to improve aircraft control above the stalling angle. These reduced the stall speed to 20 mph (32 km/h) and resulted in a 200 ft/min (1.0 m/s) rate of descent while stalled. This allowed stalled landings with no ground roll. As a result of these and other design changes the aircraft was designated as the BKB-1A, the "A" indicating aerobatics. The aircraft was intended to be fully aerobatic, including tumbling maneuvers. [2]

Kasper had a plan to produce the aircraft and the developmental derivative Kasper Bekas, which mount different wings to a common fuselage, as a single kit, with the choice of wings, but it seems none was actually produced. [2]

Operational history

The sole BKB-1A was destroyed on 6 November 1971 near Arlington, Washington, when a pilot conducted unauthorized aerobatics in the aircraft, subjecting it to an estimated negative 30g during a high-speed inverted descent. The 31-year-old commercial pilot, who had a total of 3000 flying hours and five hours on type, was wearing a parachute, but did not bail out and was killed in the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board cited as cause factors that the pilot misjudged the aircraft's speed and overstressed the airframe to failure. [2] [5]

Variants

BKB-1
Early configuration of the aircraft [2]
BKB-1A
Later configuration of the same aircraft with modifications for parachute flight above the stalling angle and also aerobatics. [2]

Specifications (BKB-1)

Data from Soaring [2] The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II [6]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related lists

Notes

  1. ↑ Activate Media (2006). "Bekas 1-A Kasper". Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rogers, Bennett: 1974 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 94. Soaring Society of America, August 1974. USPS 499-920
  3. ↑ Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  4. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (August 2011). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N2991G" . Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  5. ↑ National Transportation Safety Board (August 2011). "NTSB Identification: SEA72FYE19" . Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  6. ↑ Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 34–36.

Related Research Articles

Vogt Lo-100 German single-seat aerobatic glider, 1952

The Lo-100 is an aerobatic glider of classic wood and fabric construction well suited to amateur building methods. The designation Lo was bestowed by the designer Alfred Vogt in memory of his brother Lothar Vogt, with whom he had developed the predecessor model Lo-105 Zwergreiher. The first flight of the prototype took place in 1952 at the Klippeneck. An example is on display at the Gliding Heritage Centre.

Antonov A-13

The Antonov A-13 was a Soviet aerobatic sailplane flown in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a small, single-seat, all-metal aircraft developed from the A-11 which could optionally be fitted with that aircraft's longer-span wings. It was a mid-wing monoplane with a tadpole-like fuselage and a V-tail.

Fauvel AV.36 Single-seat French glider, 1951

The Fauvel AV.36 was a single-seat tailless glider designed in France in the 1950s by Charles Fauvel. Although the "AV" in AV.36 stands for Aile Volante, it was not a true flying wing: it featured two large fins mounted on stubby tailbooms extending back from the wing's trailing edge, and accommodated the pilot within a stubby fuselage. The aircraft was designed to be quickly disassembled for road transport, with the nose detaching, and the fins able to fold back against the trailing edge of the wing. A refined version with a slightly longer wingspan, the AV.361 was introduced in 1960.

The Schneider ES-59 Arrow is a sailplane designed and manufactured in Adelaide, South Australia in the early 1960s. The Arrow was manufactured with a one-piece wing of 13.23 metres span. It was the first Australian-built sailplane to compete in the World Gliding Championships, 1963 in Argentina. The Arrow has wood/fabric wings and tail and a wood fuselage. It has a fixed main wheel and nose skid.

SZD-6X Nietoperz Polish single-seat tail-less research glider, 1951

The SZD-6x Nietoperz was a single-seat tail-less experimental glider aircraft that was designed and built in Poland at Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny in Bielsko-Biała in 1951. Only one example was constructed.

IS-4 Jastrząb

The IS-4 Jastrząb was a single-seat aerobatic glider designed and built in Poland from 1949.

Slingsby Swallow British single-seat glider, 1957

The Slingsby Type 45 Swallow was designed as a club sailplane of reasonable performance and price. One of the most successful of Slingsby's gliders in sales terms, over 100 had been built when production was ended by a 1968 factory fire.

The Schneider ES-52 Kookaburra is an Australian two-seat training sailplane of the 1950s and 1960s. It was designed by Edmund Schneider, the designer of the Grunau Baby, who had emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia following the end of the Second World War.

The Civil Aviation Department RG-1 Rohini is an Indian two-seat training sailplane of the 1960s. A high-winged wooden monoplane, with side-by-side seating;at least 107 were built.

Schreder Airmate HP-8

The Schreder Airmate HP-8 is an American, high-wing single seat glider that was designed by Richard Schreder after the loss of the HP-7 in 1957.

Matteson M-1

The Matteson M-1 was an American high-wing, single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed and built by Fred Matteson of Palo Alto, California and Alfred Vogt of Schempp-Hirth.

The Vogt Lo-150 is a West German high-wing, single seat glider that was designed by Alfred Vogt and produced by the Wolf Hirth Company.

Lehtovaara PIK-16 Vasama

The Lehtovaara PIK-16 Vasama is a Finnish mid-wing, single-seat, FAI Standard Class glider that was designed by Tuomo Tervo, Jorma Jalkanen and Kurt Hedstrom, who were students at the Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho (PIK) and produced by Lehtovaara.

N.V. Vliegtuigbouw 013 Sagitta

The N.V. Vliegtuigbouw 013 Sagitta is a Dutch mid-wing, single-seat Standard Class glider designed by Piet Alsema and produced by N.V. Vliegtuigbouw.

Schleicher Ka-4 Rhönlerche II German two-seat glider, 1953

The Schleicher Ka-4 Rhönlerche II, sometimes called the KA-4 or even K 4, is a West German high-wing, strut-braced, two-seat glider that was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and produced by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.

Schleicher K7 German two-seat glider, 1960

The Schleicher K7 Rhönadler, aka Ka-7 or K-7, is a West German high-wing, two-seat, glider that was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and produced by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.

Marske XM-1 American glider

The Marske XM-1 was an American mid-wing, single-seat, experimental tailless glider that was designed and built by Jim Marske in 1957.

Antonov A-15

The Antonov A-15 is a Soviet mid-wing, V-tailed single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed by Oleg Antonov and produced by Antonov.

Wassmer WA-30 Bijave French two-seat glider, 1958

The Wassmer WA-30 Bijave is a French two-seat advanced training glider designed and built by Wassmer Aviation of Issoire.

The IS-2 was an intermediate training glider designed by Iosif Şilimon and built in Romania in the 1950s at the URMV-3 factory at Brașov.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.