FLIGHT RESEARCH OF MI-26 HELICOPTER TRANSPORTATION OF EXTERNAL PARALLELEPIPED CARGO WITH STABILIZING AND AERODYNAMIC DRAG REDUCTION MEANS

There exists a strong demand for transportation of external bulky cargoes by different types of helicopters, including MI-26 type. The weight of such cargoes can reach 20000 kg (44000 feet). Parallelepiped cargoes such as cottages, containers, etc., prove to occupy a considerable part of bulky cargoes. Their external transportation is connected with hazard because they are difficult to prognoses and tend to progressing swing while accelerating flight speed. Several flight accidents with helicopters of MI-6T and MI-10K types of Russian civil aviation were connected with bulky cargo transportation. The mentioned factors limit the transportation speed. Operational helicopter flight speed of 60-80 km/h (37,3-49,8 ml/h) considerably aggravates economic indicators. Research work with the results given in the presentation was devoted to the problem of safe speeding up of the external parallelepiped cargo transportation by helicopter. The goal of the research work was the study of cargo stabilizing and aerodynamic drag reduction means. Selection of the means for cargo stabilizing and aerodynamic drag reduction (squares of stabilizers and a frontal plate, the distance between the frontal plate and the frontal butt-end of the cottage) was made through mathematical simulation: static aerodynamics (Cx, Cy, Cz, My) were calculated on computers. Non-static ones (my wy) were determined during the tests in the wind tunnel.