Rubik R-03 Szittya I

Last updated
Szittya I
Rubik R-03.jpg
Role sailplane
National origin Hungary
ManufacturerMOVERO workshop, Esztergom
Designer Ernő Rubik
First flightAugust 1937
Number builtThree, one of each variant.

The Rubik R-03 Szittya I ( Scythian I) was a Hungarian single-seat sailplane flown in the late 1930s. The design was developed through three improving variants. though only one of each was built.

Scythia multinational region of Central Eurasia in the classical era

Scythia was a region of Central Eurasia in classical antiquity, occupied by the Eastern Iranian Scythians, encompassing Central Asia and parts of Eastern Europe east of the Vistula River, with the eastern edges of the region vaguely defined by the Greeks. The Ancient Greeks gave the name Scythia to all the lands north-east of Europe and the northern coast of the Black Sea. During the Iron Age the region was saw the flourishing of Scythian cultures.

Hungary Country in Central Europe

Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Austria to the northwest, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, and Slovenia to the west. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world, and among the few non-Indo-European languages to be widely spoken in Europe. Hungary's capital and largest city is Budapest; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Győr.

Contents

Design and development

Ernő Rubik began the design of the R-03 Szittya to meet a Hungarian club call for a motor glider, intending to strut-mount the engine in pusher configuration over the central fuselage. Financial problems prevented purchase of the engine and the aircraft was completed as a conventional glider, named the Szittya I. Its first flight was in August 1937 and, after a testing programme begun in September, it was cleared for basic aerobatics. [1] [2]

Ernő Rubik was a Hungarian aircraft designer and father of Ernő Rubik, the architect who became famous for his mechanical puzzles.

A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight without thrust from the means of propulsion. In the US, a powered glider may be certificated for up to two occupants, up to 850 kg maximum weight, and with a maximum ratio of weight to wing span squared of 3 kg/m2. Similar requirements exist in European JAA/EASA regulations, at a maximum weight of 750 kg.

Strut structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression

A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.

The Szittya I's gull wing was mounted on a fuselage pedestal and was built around a single spar which, with plywood covering ahead of it around the leading edge, formed a torsion-resistant D-box. Behind the main spar and the central, diagonal drag struts the wing was fabric covered. The inner halves of the span were rectangular in plan, each with a central part with 14° of dihedral and an outer part with no dihedral. These were braced from the fuselage keel with a single strut on each side to the spar. The outer wings had swept leading edges and semi-elliptic trailing edges entirely filled with the ailerons. [2]

Gull wing Aircraft wing configuration with bend at root

The gull wing is an aircraft wing configuration with a prominent bend in the wing inner section towards the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles. It has been incorporated in aircraft for many reasons.

Spar (aeronautics) Main structural member of the wing of an aircraft

In a fixed-wing aircraft, the spar is often the main structural member of the wing, running spanwise at right angles to the fuselage. The spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings while on the ground. Other structural and forming members such as ribs may be attached to the spar or spars, with stressed skin construction also sharing the loads where it is used. There may be more than one spar in a wing or none at all. However, where a single spar carries the majority of the forces on it, it is known as the main spar.

Plywood manufactured wood panel made from thin sheets of wood veneer

Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards which includes medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and particle board (chipboard).

The semi-monocoque fuselage of the Szittya was an oval section, ply structure built around frames and stringers. It was deepest under the wing, with an enclosed cockpit ahead of the leading edge. The cockpit cover was plywood, with small, flat, celluloid windows. A rubber-sprung landing skid ran from nose to under mid-chord. Aft, the fuselage depth reduced a little to the tail, where the ply-covered fin carried a fabric-covered, curved rudder. The elliptical plan horizontal tail had a tailplane similar in structure to the wing and fabric-covered elevators. It was mounted directly on top of the fuselage, far enough forward to clear the rudder. [1] [2]

Monocoque Structural design that supports loads through an objects external skin

Monocoque, also structural skin, is a structural system where loads are supported through an object's external skin, similar to an egg shell. The word monocoque is a French term for "single shell" or "single hull". First used in boats, a true monocoque carries both tensile and compressive forces within the skin and can be recognised by the absence of a load-carrying internal frame.

Celluloid chemical compound

Celluloids are a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, with added dyes and other agents. Generally considered the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1856 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is easily molded and shaped, and it was first widely used as an ivory replacement.

Fin flight control surface

A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fins are also used to increase surface areas for heat transfer purposes, or simply as ornamentation.

In the summer of 1938 a revised version, the R-04 Szittya II, flew. The cockpit cover, though still with ply frames, had much larger windows and hence a much improved view. As a result of these changes the Szittya II was 160 mm (6.30 in) longer. Later in its life the cockpit was modified further with a longer transparency. The trailing edge of the wing pedestal, rather abrupt on the Szittya I, was faired into the fuselage with a short extension, and the horizontal tail was lifted a little above the fuselage on a new pedestal. Apart from the small length change, the specifications were the same as those of its predecessor. [1] [3]

Aircraft fairing

An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.

The R-10 Szittya III was the final variant and was also first flown in 1938. The wing span was increased by 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and its area by 4%. The dihedral of the inner panels was reduced and the plan changed by new, longer ailerons with straight edges. The wing was no longer pedestal-mounted but placed directly upon a remodelled, raised fuselage which tapered gradually aft. The tailplane pedestal was raised and the tailplane plan changed from elliptical to tetragonal with rounded tips. The rudder was also redesigned, with an aerodynamic balance and an increase in chord. Overall, the Szittya III's fuselage was 150 mm (5.91 in) longer than that of the Szittya II. These changes improved the minimum sinking speed to 0.7 m/s (2.3 ft/s) at 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn). [1] [4]

Balanced rudder

Balanced rudders are used by both ships and aircraft. Both may indicate a portion of the rudder surface ahead of the hinge, placed to lower the control loads needed to turn the rudder. For aircraft the method can also be applied to elevators and ailerons; all three aircraft control surfaces may also be mass balanced, chiefly to avoid aerodynamic flutter.

Chord (aeronautics) imaginary straight line joining the leading and trailing edges of an aerofoil

In aeronautics, a chord is the imaginary straight line joining the leading edge and trailing edge of an aerofoil. The chord length is the distance between the trailing edge and the point where the chord intersects the leading edge. The point on the leading edge used to define the chord may be either the surface point of minimum radius or the surface point that maximizes chord length.

The single Szittya III was destroyed in a hangar fire in 1940. [4]

Variants

R-03 Szittya I
Original aircraft. One built.
R-04 Szittya II
Revised nose and cockpit cover, small length increase, faired wing pedestal and raised tailplane.
R-10 Szittya III
Longer span wings with less inner dihedral and wing mounted directly onto revised, smoothly tapered fuselage. Improved canopy, raised, straight tapered tailplane and balanced rudder.

Specifications (R-03 Szittya I)

Data from Hungarian gliders 1933-2000 [2]

General characteristics

Performance

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gabor, Jareb (1988). Magyar vitorlázó repülögépek (in Hungarian). Budapest: Müszaki Könuvkiadó. pp. 68–76.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fekes Gabor. "Rubik R-03 Szittya I, Hungarian gliders 1933-2000" . Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  3. ↑ Fekes Gabor. "Rubik R-03 Szittya II, Hungarian gliders 1933-2000" . Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 Fekes Gabor. "Rubik R-03 Szittya III, Hungarian gliders 1933-2000" . Retrieved 6 February 2019.
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