The dead loop is an aerobatics figure, which has become the embodiment of the technical progress of aviation technology and the skill of pilots. On September 9, 2013, this trick turned exactly one hundred years old. The first person who successfully completed the loop is the pilot of the Russian Empire P. N. Nesterov. The dead loop in his performance was the first successful implementation of this trick. At the same time, attempts to successfully make a maneuver were made long before that. The trick got its name from a series of failed trials that led to death.
The occurrence of the maneuver
So, for example, the American Huxey on a plane designed by the Wright brothers tried to make a vertical loop. However, the power of the engine was very weak in order to keep the aircraft at the top. After that, several more attempts were made to perform the loop, but the vast majority of them ended tragically. The design of the aircraft of that time did not allow it to withstand such loads, which is why the aircraft began to simply crumble during a vertical rise or at the top point. It should be said that at that time there were even special regulations that prohibitedpilots to make sharp turns and roll due to the high fragility of aircraft. For some time, it was even believed that a complete rotation in the vertical plane was simply impossible to perform.
After a number of unsuccessful attempts, aircraft engineers realized that for normal flight with the wheels up and the return of the aircraft to its starting point, it is necessary to create an absolutely stable mechanism. That is, the aircraft must be well balanced, and the point of aerodynamic resistance and the point of driving forces should be as close as possible to each other (ideally, coincide).
Features of the modern Nesterov loop
The dead loop at the dawn of aviation was a kind of challenge to the skill of pilots and engineering. Today, this aerobatics 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 performance of the stunt requires the development of skills in controlling the aircraft under conditions of changing loads, pitch, altitude and speed. Only after fully experiencing the capabilities of your aircraft, you can begin to perform the trick. In addition, the dead loop has laid the foundation for a number of other aerobatics, which are used both for skill development and during real combat.
A loop is considered correct if all points of the aircraft's trajectory lie in the same vertical plane, while the G-force remains positive throughout the entire maneuver and does not exceed the limit in which the aircraft goes into a tailspin.
The first half of the loop is performeddue 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 thrust of the engines.
Nesterov's loop by helicopter
The first helicopter to perform this maneuver was the Ka-50. The design of the machine allows you to perform a full loop of 360 degrees. However, such a maneuver is quite risky due to the fact that the carrier blades of the apparatus can collide. Therefore, the so-called "oblique loop" is performed at the air show. In this case, the helicopter's trajectory is not in the vertical plane, but slightly inclined relative 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 turn 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 entertaining motorcycle shows.
Thus, the plane makes the loop in the most subtle and beautiful way. This maneuver is truly fascinating to watch.
