ESTOLAS Designs (A.I. Filimonov/Inaljot)

[hesham]

Hi,

Anther VTOL aircraft,the Bella-1.

 

[Sundog]

Did the Bella-1 project actually fly? I had no idea a full sized aircraft was ever built.

 

[JAZZ]

These models represent Inalet-4 and the larger Inalet-18. They seem to be relatted to the "Bella-1" project. Anybody have further information on these two models.

 

[Jemiba]

Technically, the Mukhamedov designs remind me very much to those of Aleksandr Iosifovich Filimonov,
which at least were tested with a prove-of-concept demonstrator,called Bella-1, although AFAIK still yet in ground
effect only. Triggered by those Flimonov designs a company Inalyot was founded, which designed
several types using that principle.
(photo via the vstol.org paper "Soviet Propeller V/STOL Concepts Of The 20th Century",
by Mike Hirschberg (aka "vstol") and Thomas Müller (aka "boxkite")

 

[martinbayer]

I just came across this EU sponsored project of an "extremely short take off and landing all-surface" (ESTOLAS) hybrid aircraft:

http://www.estolas.eu/

http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?artid=31294

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24571-heliumfilled-airplane-could-help-in-disaster-zones.html#.UoU6LXdkUmv

http://news.discovery.com/autos/future-of-transportation/future-hybrid-plane-could-bring-disaster-aid-131114.htm

It claims to be "focusing on combining the best features of an aeroplane, a helicopter, an airship and a hovercraft into a single hybrid aircraft. Shorter and squatter in shape than a conventional aeroplane the ESTOLAS hybrid vehicle looks as revolutionary as it sounds. It still has wings, but instead of the long, thin body of a plane it has a disc-shaped main section. In addition to propeller engines, it also has a lifting rotor like a helicopter. Like an airship, it can use helium to provide additional lifting power, and like a hovercraft it has air-cushioned combined wheel-ski landing gear that allows take off and landing from any terrain."

It certainly sounds... exotic, but what's somewhat surprising is that apparently a prototype seems to actually have taken flight.

http://www.deutsch-russische-partnerschaft.de/de/1198.php

Martin

 

[VTOLicious]

Interesting find! It is the revival of an old project:http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,19458.msg187961.html#msg187961

Regards, Michael

 

[VTOLicious]

Quote from the hp:

Project Backgrounds

History In the middle of the ninetieth a reduced guided analogue of the flying device has been constructed and has successfully passed preliminary air tests
The inventor and the main designer, Alexander Filimonov, a Candidate of Technical Sciences was able to find essentially new conceptual scheme of the flying device combining the best qualities of a dirigible balloon, a plane, a helicopter and a hovercraft
The idea has carried away the inventor more than ten years ago.
"- At the end of eightieth I worked in Tyumen Industrial Institute, - Alexander remembers - all the specialists puzzled over one serious and very important problem at that time: how to deliver the equipment, large multiton blocks to the Jamburg gazokondensat field. And we, at our hoisting-and-transport machines department have undertaken its decision. During work the hybrid concept of the flying device was appeared."

http://www.estolas.eu/en/project

 

[Avimimus]

Surprised to see this revised - hopefully will get to see more tests than last time. It looks like a design that is spiritually similar to many of the pre-WWI designs - High risk, unlikely, but possibly able to add something entirely new.

 

[Jemiba]

This company then would be a succesor to Inalyot, which was founded in 1990 and had
proceeded with by the Filimonov designs:http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,19303.msg150973.html#msg150973

 

[hesham]

Hi,


http://www.hybrid.cz/estolas-evropsky-hybridni-letoun

 

[Kartek]

Ah, a flying camel: a horse designed by committee! lol

 

[hesham]

Hi,


I found this Circular Wing aircraft in a Russian site,but I don't know if it was belonged
to Jack M. Jones or not ?.


http://coollib.com/b/158254/read

 

[Avimimus]

This is a Russian project (Tumenecotrans Bella). It was in competition with Locomoskayner airship. The idea was to stop paying for maintenance of small airfields in Siberia by not needing airfields!

See: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6672.msg86486.html#msg86486

A deal was made with the EU to continue some development - but I'm not sure what happened.

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://p-ln.ru/rus/mai/index1.html

 

[Avimimus]

I missed these presentations:
http://www.estolas.eu/en/publications-and-links

So, apparently they also did an initial study on a version with a 60 tonne cargo capacity.

Also, the helium filled torus and lift fan only provide about 20% of the lift required to get these things off the ground...

 

[hesham]

Nice find my dear Avimimus.

 

[hesham]

Also from a Russian book about Unmanned Vehicles,

was it related to this design or not ?.

 

[Avimimus]

Dear Hesham, that model seem to patch the notional "Large ESTOLAS":
- 72 metres long
- 500 metre cruise altitude
- 75 metre landing run
- 1000 km range with 60 ton payload (20000 km ferry range)
- Empty weight 22 tons (80 tons maximum)

So you are right that it is related! Nice find! It isn't a UAV though.

One can read more here: http://www.estolas.eu/files/ESTOLAS_Analysis%20of%20design%20features%20and%20flying%20characteristics_Milan_11.10.2013.pdf

 

[hesham]

Thank you Avimimus.

 

[Avimimus]

A pleasure, sir.