Zhuchenko « Aerostatoplan » ("Vertoplan"): a pre-war tilt-rotor prototype

[Stargazer]

Engineer Nikolai Zhuchenko (americanized spelling) built in 1938 what may have been Europe's very first tilt-rotor prototype, the Vertoplan. A true VTOL before the term was even coined, the Vertoplan was meant to take off and land vertically. I have not been successful in digging more information about Zhuchenko (was he Russian? Yugoslav?) and whether his aircraft actually flew or not. Help, anyone?

 

[Matej]

He was a Russian who emigrated after Bolshevik revolution to Yugoslavia. In 1937 he proposed Vertoplan to the Yugoslavian army. All-wooden prototype with canvas covered fuselage was built. It did not have cyclic control, so the pilot was not able to control the plane in all three axis. It was not a big problem, because the plane never flew (despite other reasons it had very weak Walter Mikron engine).

 

[borovik]

A little more information, please see here: Reply#11
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,3624.msg59962/topicseen.html#msg59962

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks for the info, gentlemen! I corrected the spelling "ZhuchenkO" (not "ZhuchenkA") in the title (had forgotten about the nightmarish declinations of the Slavonic languages!).

 

[bigvlada]

Come on Stargazer,it's not that difficult.
I'll use my name as example.
Nominative - Who or What - Vladimir
Genitive - from whom or from what - Vladimira

Dative - to whom or to what - Vladimiru

Accusative - whom or what - Vladimira

Vocative - calling, like hey you - Vladimire

Instrumental - with whom or with what - Vladimirom
Locative - Where, about whom or about what - Vladimiru
The Latin has 6 cases, Serbocroatian has one more, the ablative was split into instrumantal and locative.

The proper name is Slavic family of languages. Slavonic would mean a language that is spoken in Slavonia, which is a region in Croatia.
Would you believe that it looks equally funny to us when nominative is used in English language for example to call somebody? ;D

The text says: Our first tilt-rotor, original construction of engineer Nikolai Zhuchenko from 1938.- Vertoplan flying craft, which uses wing and propeller rotation to take off and land vertically.

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks a lot Vladimir for this most enlightening lesson in grammar!

Are you saying here that whichever Slavic language I pick, the cases AND the endings will always be these?!? If so, that could indeed simplify things a lot...

 

[Matej]

Well, no

N: Vladimir, Matej
G: Vladimira, Mateja
D: Vladimiru, Matejovi
A: Vladimira, Mateja
V: Vladimire, -
I: Vladimirom, Matejom
L: Vladimiru, Matejovi

Slovak language does not have vocative anymore, because it is the same like nominative.

 

[theponja]

Well, no

N: Vladimir, Matej
G: Vladimira, Mateja
D: Vladimiru, Matejovi
A: Vladimira, Mateja
V: Vladimire, -
I: Vladimirom, Matejom
L: Vladimiru, Matejovi

Slovak language does not have vocative anymore, because it is the same like nominative.

and some people thinks spanish is too complex .... ???


Anyone has a better resolution 3d view of this very interesting plane?

 

[Antonio]

and some people thinks spanish is too complex

;D

 

[bigvlada]

Just follow one simple rule: Write as you speak, read as it was written.
For example, the word dog (or in our case pas) has three letters and uses three sounds. There is always only one sound for one letter and every letter is always pronounced in the same way, regardless of where it is located in the word or sentence. The sentence: How do you spell that? is nonexistent. Pronouncing the word letter by letter is the same as saying the whole word (imagine spelling the word dog as D (like in denver),O (ohio), G (guatemala) instead of di, ou,gee).
When you learn how to pronounce each of the 30 letters, you will be able to read and write any word, I promise
OK, no more grammar, I swear.
As for Zucenko, he also worked in Novi Sad arsenal where he built another craft, classified as sport/tourist craft Resava (it's a name of the county,river and monastery in Serbia).
I dug up some more, the name given to the vertoplan by it's author was aerostatoplan, and there was even a model kit of it.Perhaps the moderator should rename the thread.
link to the english text about this vtol attempt
http://yumodelclub.tripod.com/history_of_yugoslav_aviation/zucenko.htm

 

[bigvlada]

Photos of the 1:72 model, from Bratislava.


http://www.kpmbratislava.sk/main/galery/keves/g1/indexeng.htm

 

[Maveric]

Hi biglava, do you have more informations about the "Resava"...


Thanks

 

[bigvlada]

Sadly, no. I'm almost certain that only one prototype was built.

 

[bigvlada]

right view

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is the original drawing to Aerostatoplane.


http://alternathistory.org.ua/aerostatoplan-zhuchenko-yugoslaviya

 

[maxmwill]

Is there any more information on this? Recently, I bought the Kora kit, having seen the ad for this in EvilBay, and was intrigued by this, having never heard a thing about this before, and now I have the kit, and I have a whole passel of questions on this, especially the engine as supplied by the kit, and on the instructions, there is a location, and, assuming the drawing, I have to dig part of the resin out on the fuselage. However, after looking at all available photos, there is no sign of an engine sticking out. Other than that, a very nice kit, and one I'm looking forward to building. And, if I really don't need to add the resin engine, I can use that elsewhere in another project, should the desire arise.

Of course, the pe landing gear struts will be replaced with struts more realistic looking(gonna be raiding the spares box, and I think the biplane struts I have there will do just nicely.

 

[hesham]

Hi Maxmwill,

a more Info about it is here;

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,3624.msg59962/topicseen.html#msg59962

 

[maxmwill]

Ok. Is there any more info on this? Or, am I left to my own imagination as to the details of this? I confess to having strange tastes, because I really like this little beastie, and wouldn't mind learning more about it.

 

[maxmwill]

I have the Kora kit, and a very nice resin kit it is indeed.

However, before I can start this kit, there are a few discrepancies I'd like to address with this.

1, while there was supposed to be a kit supplied windscreen, there is none, but as it is just flat panes in a frame, the frame will be easy to make(elnargement function on a xerox machine comes in handy with the three-view), with the panes being card stock, which, to me, would be a lot better looking than what was supposed to be in the kit.

2, while there is a little resin engine(this could be part of the story, "The Little VTOL That Tried"), and the instructions show the location of it, about the only indication in the resin fuselage is a solid triangular block on one half of the fuse, which leads me to think that I'd have a lot of dremel work to do, the only argument against that being that none of the photos extant of the Aerostatoplan's underside(if only from the side), shows no opening where the engine is supposed to go.

3, I have question about the openings on the fuselage, such as the nose and near the cockpit(again, looks like a job for Artful Dremeling)

But, the pe struts, those I am not using, because they wouldn't be strong enough. But the larger struts from a 1/72 Po2 are, and they look about right(being a metal mangling A&P mechanic, I'm a firm believer in the concept of TLAR, or that looks about right, when it comes to working on something for which there are no instructions from the manufacturer of the particular flying machine, or even the FAA, specifically AC 43.13 1a, 2a, which advises mechanics on maintenance techniques not covered by a maintenance manual. Sometimes I run into something that isn't covered by either of those). ;D

As I said, this is a nice little kit, but the full size, I wonder what the designer was thinking when he used a 50 horse engine instead of something with more pep, such as having an output of at least 200 horses, although I think that's about all he could scrounge. Because another aspect about this was the fact that the pilot didn't have any real control over this; he was along for the ride, and if this was able to actually lift off, I doubt even a Hanna Rietsch or even a Tony Lavier could've survived the inevitable.

But, it must've been fun to watch as it turned fuel into noise and little else.

 

[majevica]

 

[riggerrob]

and some people thinks spanish is too complex

;D

Hah!
Spanish complex?
Hah!
Spaniards are polite enough to pronounce all the letters, unlike those silly Englishmen and Frenchmen who write more silent letters than I can count!
Hah!

 

[maxmwill]

I bought a Kora 1/48 resin Zhukoxskii Aerostatoplan, an early experimental tilt rotor VTOL, which had a centrally located Walter Mikron engine of some 50 hp. While there are some photos available, such as closeups of the 4 exhaust stack stubs that protrude a bit(which are not shown in the kit, although there are a pair of pe piece for exhaust holes in the right places), which are helpful, I have to find any photos of cockpit or engine installation.

And more importantly, I can't find any more information on this beyond a Russian aircraft site.

While a 50 horse tilt twin rotor VTOL might sound ridiculous(lack of power, perhaps?), Who was Zhukovskii, beyond a Russian engineer in Yugoslavia,but what ultimately became of the design and the designer?

And the test pilot, who, not having any controls, I wouldn't mind if his words have been preserved. Would make for some fascinating reading