The dead loop is an aerobatics figure that has become the epitome of the technical progress of aircraft and the skill of pilots. September 9, 2013 this trick was exactly one hundred years old. The first person who successfully completed the loop is the pilot of the Russian Empire P.N. Nesterov. The loop in his performance was the first successful implementation of this trick. Moreover, attempts to successfully make a maneuver were undertaken long before that. The trick got its name because of a number of failed samples, which led to death.
Maneuver
So, for example, the American Hussei on an airplane designed by the Wright brothers tried to make a vertical loop. However, the engine power was very weak in order to keep the aircraft at its highest point. After this, several more attempts were made to complete the loop, but the vast majority of them ended tragically. The design of the aircraft of that time did not allow to withstand such loads, which is why when the plane rises vertically or at the top point, the plane simply began to crumble. It should be said that at that time there were even special regulations that forbade pilots to make sharp turns and tilt due to the high fragility of aircraft. For some time it was even believed that a complete revolution in the vertical plane was simply impossible to complete.
After a series of unsuccessful attempts, aircraft engineers realized that for a normal flight with the wheels up and the plane returning to the starting point, it was necessary to create an absolutely stable mechanism. That is, the aircraft should be well balanced, and the point of aerodynamic drag and the point of the driving forces should be as close to each other as possible (ideally, coincide).
Features of the modern Nesterov loop
The loop at the dawn of aviation was a kind of challenge to the skill of pilots and engineering. To date, this aerobatics figure is widely used as an element of an air show, as well as a means of training young pilots. This is due to the fact that the implementation of the stunt requires the development of skills for controlling an airplane under conditions of changing loads, pitch, altitude and speed. Only after fully feeling the capabilities of your aircraft, you can begin to perform the trick. In addition, the dead loop laid the foundation for a number of other aerobatics, which are used both for practicing skills and during real combat.
The loop is considered correct if all points of the aircraft trajectory lie in one vertical plane, while overload remains positive throughout the maneuver and does not exceed the limit at which the plane breaks into a tailspin.
The first half of the loop is performed due to the thrust of the power plant and the gained speed, the second - due to the weight of the aircraft and its attraction to the ground, as well as the engine thrust.
Nesterov's loop in a helicopter
The first helicopter to carry out this maneuver was the Ka-50. The design of the machine allows you to complete a full loop of 360 degrees. However, such a maneuver is quite risky in view of the fact that the carrier blades of the apparatus can overlap. Therefore, the so-called “oblique loop” is performed at the air show. In this case, the helicopter trajectory does not lie in a vertical plane, but slightly inclined with respect to the horizon.
Ground dead loop
Nesterov’s loop can also be performed on the ground. So, in order for the car to complete a 360 degree revolution in a vertical plane, it is necessary to build a special track. With sufficient speed, the machine easily passes the highest point of the ring. The same goes for motorcycles. Such tricks are quite common in various circus and entertainment motorcycle shows.
Thus, the plane makes the dead loop the most sophisticated and beautiful. Watching this maneuver is really exciting.