"Frolova Chakra" - aerobatics: description. Aircraft performing the Frolov Chakra

Few people can be indifferent to the spectacular aerial fighter show. Especially performing aerobatics as a whole team. This is truly a mastery of the machine, instantly executed calculations, confidence and courage. However, all these figures were once thought out not for spectacular performances, but as a way of a surprise attack or evading the enemy. One of the most skilled and incredible somersaults is the so -called " Frolov Chakra ". What is it, how is it executed, and where, in fact, is such a name, and we will understand this article.

Piloting - what is it?

Aerobatics is the maneuvering in the space of an aircraft, the ultimate goal of which is to perform some kind of figure in the air or hit the enemy. Hence the aerobatics:

• the highest degree of flying skill, namely the art of performing complex figures in the air on an airplane;
• control of an aircraft, the purpose of which is to perform individual aerobatics or their complex;
• flight on an aircraft, characterized by the execution of the most complex maneuvers;
• the highest degree of pilot skill.

Aerobatics

The aerobatics figure is called the air somersault along a predetermined path, the position of the aircraft at which does not correspond to the standard - horizontal. At various air shows and flight performances, whole spectacular complexes are composed of such figures.

Aerobatics are usually divided into single and group. The following classification is simple, complex and higher. I must say that it is non-static - depending on the improvement of aircraft designs, some higher somersaults have turned into complex, complex to simple, etc. Present to your attention a modern ungrouping.

Easy aerobatics

The following figures belong to it:

• Turn - the aircraft moves progressively, then turns horizontally 360 °, while maintaining a roll of 60 °.
• "Horizontal figure eight" - the trajectory runs in the horizontal plane. This figure is a combination of two turns, right and left, as a result of which the figure eight is written out in the air. When it is executed, there should not be both a set and loss of height.
• "Spiral" - the flight path of the aircraft is spiral, and at operational angles of attack, the pilot climbs or decreases.
• Dive with a shutter speed of 45 ° - the plane moves at an angle relative to the transverse axis of inertia.
• "Hill" - the pilot gains altitude, maintaining a constant angle of inclination of the trajectory (up to 45 °).
• “Combat U-turn” - the pilot’s skill to quickly turn 180 °, while gaining height.

Difficult aerobatics

This category includes:

• Turns with a roll of more than 60-70 °.
• Flip - the device flips 180 ° along its longitudinal axis and continues to move in an inverted position relative to the horizon.
• "Nesterov's Loop" - sometimes often referred to erroneously as "dead." This is a closed looped movement in the vertical. "Nesterov's loop" and "Frolov's chakra" - figures of Russian aerobatics.
• Dive with an angle of more than 45 °.
• "Hill" with an angle of more than 45 °.
• “Barrel” - the aircraft rotates 360 ° relative to its longitudinal axis, while maintaining the altitude and direction of flight.
• "Corkscrew" - the impression of an uncontrolled crash of the aircraft. The device drops sharply in a downward spiral, while rotating around all three of its axes.
• "Candle" - vertical take-off of an airplane.
• "Hammerhead" - the rotation of the apparatus on a vertical.
• "Ranversman" - a turn when doing a "slide".
• Flip the aircraft on the vertical.
• "Corkscrew" - a combination of the figure "barrel" with a "corkscrew."

Aerobatics

This includes all unrepresented figures, as well as the so-called reverse aerobatics. Three deserve special attention:

• “Bell” - the nose of the aircraft is directed upward at zero speed, then the device abruptly capsizes with the nose part down, which in some way resembles a swing of the tongue of a bell. It is used to deceive enemy radars - executing a figure, the car freezes in the air for several seconds, becoming invisible for these devices.
• "Cobra" - during the execution of this figure, the pilot demonstrates masterful pitch control during the flight, showing the super maneuverability of the jet apparatus.
• "Frolova Chakra". We will talk about this figure especially.

Description of the Frolov Chakra

Such an interesting name is called a “dead loop with a very small turning radius; somersault, characterized by a 360 ° turn in the plane of the airplane’s body. It seems to observers that the plane literally turns around its tail. At the same time, the device moves at low speeds, which adds even more entertainment.

"Frolova Chakra" - aerobatics, has never been used during a real air battle. It is mainly demonstrated by top-class pilots at demonstrations and air shows. Like no other, it shows the aerodynamic perfection of the propulsion systems of generation 4+ fighters.

In practice, the Frolov’s chakra can be successfully used in battle - it allows you to quickly attack an enemy who is behind the pilot’s back. It is also an instant maneuver of the retreat into a counteroffensive, when the enemy is close, skipping him forward by looping, finding himself behind him.

Aircraft performing the Frolov Chakra

Only devices with a deflected thrust vector are capable of fulfilling this highly aerobatic figure - with it, the jet stream of the engine deviates to the side of the line of direction of movement of the aircraft.

In particular, these are the following fighters:

• SU-30 MKI / SM.
• SU-35.
• SU-37.
• SU-47.
• SU-57 (PAK-FA).
• MiG-29 OVT.
• F22 Raptor

If you are wondering where such an interesting name for the figure came from - "Frolov’s Chakra", read on.

What is a chakra?

The word "chakra" comes from Sanskrit. चक्र, which means “ring”, “circle”, “disk”. This is the name given to throwing weapons among the Indians. By the way, according to Hinduism, the human energy centers are also chakras, and they appear to be spherical, spherical.

The Chakra is a very simple-looking weapon. This is a metal ring with a pointed edge. The diameter can be from 12 to 30 cm, its thickness is 1-3.5 mm, and the width of the metal strip is 1-4 cm. Its wearing looked interesting - on cone-shaped hats reminiscent of tall caps of wizards. Some warriors tied a chakra to a belt. But the Sikhs strung this weapon on their high turban.

How does this invention relate to aerobatics? Its movement during throwing is very similar to the movement of an airplane performed by Frolov's "dead" loop. Weapons were launched very simply - they were unwound around the index finger and sent to the enemy. The chakra could fly up to 50 m and seriously injure the enemy. How this all looked in practice, can be seen by reviewing the legendary Xena - the Queen of Warriors. The main character in the film threw a weapon that strongly resembles a chakra.

Test Pilot Frolov

Evgeny Ivanovich Frolov, born in 1951, is a test pilot who first performed this aerobatics on a fourth-generation super-maneuverable experimental fighter SU-37. Not surprisingly, his surname became a household name.

The honored test pilot of the Soviet Union, as well as the Hero of the Russian Federation, E. I. Frolov first demonstrated the "chakra" in 1995. This happened at the base of the air show in Le Bourget.

"Frolova Chakra" is far from the only merit of this ace. Let's look at the list of achievements of Evgeny Ivanovich:

• Four world-class aviation records.
• The development of landings and take-offs from the deck of the aircraft carrier cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR Kuznetsov".
• Both development and implementation of three high-flying figures into the pilot training system, one of which was the Frolova Chakra.
• He was the first to fly into the sky and carry out the whole range of necessary tests of a number of fighters: SU-26, SU-27SM, SU-29, SU-38, as well as the first Russian aircraft with a varying thrust vector - SU-37 in 1996.
• In 1988, E.I. Frolov successfully landed the aircraft after a direct lightning strike.
• In 1994, to participate in the air show, he made a flight on a fighter in the direction of Moscow-Chile, covering a total of 20 thousand km. The return trip was complicated by damage to the engine - a bird got into its air intake. The pilot was able to crash-land his car.
• In 2007, the number of modifications and types of aircraft mastered by Eugene Frolov exceeded 60 units.

"Frolova Chakra" is a spectacular high-flying figure, whose age is already just over 20 years. The “dead” loop, during which the plane revolves around its tail, like an Indian chakra throwing weapon, is not only an impressive trick, but also a turn that can go on the counteroffensive in a real battle.