Heinkel He 176: Difference between revisions
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===Design=== |
===Design=== |
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The basic design of the He 176 was sketched out during the [[Neuhardenberg]] rocket motor and booster tests. In 1936, the [[Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany)|RLM]] awarded Heinkel the contract to build the world's first rocket aircraft. |
The basic design of the He 176 was sketched out during the [[Neuhardenberg]] rocket motor and booster tests. In 1936, the [[Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany)|RLM]] awarded Heinkel the contract to build the world's first rocket aircraft. It was decided to tailor-built the aircraft to specifically fit the test pilot [[Erich Warsitz]], to minimise the size of the [[cockpit]], along with the rest of the aircraft, to make the aircraft as lightweight as humanly possible.<ref name = "lepage 68">LePage 2009, p. 68.</ref> The resulting cockpit was so cramped that the pilot could not even flex his elbows while some controls were often placed in inconvenient positions. Furthermore, an unconventional reclined seating position was adopted to help the pilot cope with the aircraft's high rate of acceleration, it also helped reduce the frontal area and thereby had performance benefits.<ref name = "lepage 689">LePage 2009, pp. 68-69.</ref> A crude [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)|plexiglas]] glazed section was removable so that the pilot could enter the aircraft.<ref name = "lepage 68"/> A unique feature of the He 176 was its jettisonable nose escape system. Compressed air was used to separate the nose from the aircraft. A [[Drogue parachute|drogue chute]] was used to reduce the opening force required. After the drogue was deployed, the flush-fitting cockpit [[Aircraft canopy|canopy]] was released and a conventional pilot/parachute bailout occurred.<ref name="Tuttle">Tuttle 2002, {{page needed|date=May 2023}}.</ref> |
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It was a relatively compact and simple aircraft, composed almost entirely out of wood, but did possess an advanced and entirely enclosed [[cockpit]] with a frameless single-piece clear nose.<ref name = "lepage 69">LePage 2009, p. 69.</ref> The [[landing gear|undercarriage]] was a combination of [[Conventional landing gear|conventional]] and [[tricycle gear]] designs, for which the main gear's struts were intended to retract rearwards into the fuselage while the aerodynamically [[Aircraft fairing|faired]] nose wheel and strut were fixed.<ref name="Tuttle"/> The greatest diameter of the fuselage was only {{convert|700|mm|in}}. The overall surface area, including the fuselage, was {{convert|5|sqm|sqft}}, with a {{convert|5|m|ft}} wingspan, a fuselage length of {{convert|5.5|m|ft}}, a height with the undercarriage deployed at {{convert|1.44|m|ft}}, and a [[wheelbase]] of {{convert|700|mm|in}}. The [[elliptical wing]] had a [[wing sweep]] of 40% and a thickness of 9% at {{convert|90|mm|in}}.<ref name="Warsitz"/> The wing had a slight positive [[Dihedral (aeronautics)|dihedral]] so that sufficient stability would be maintained.<ref name = "lepage 68"/> The fuel tanks were also integrated into the interior of wings; a new [[welding]] technique has to be developed to manufacture these. Significant attention was paid to the reduction of [[Drag_(physics)#Aerodynamics|aerodynamic drag]].<ref name = "lepage 68"/> |
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The original model of the He 176 was designed to be powered by one of the new [[Hellmuth Walter Kommanditgesellschaft|Walter]] engines. This engine was similar to that of the He 112, the primary difference being the doubling of its thrust output to 6,000 Newtons, which was largely achieved via the addition of a pump to draw in propellant instead of using compressed air to push the fuel into the engine.<ref name = "lepage 68"/> The fuel used was 82% [[hydrogen peroxide]].<ref name = "lepage 68"/> |
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===Flight testing and cancellation=== |
===Flight testing and cancellation=== |
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===Impact=== |
===Impact=== |
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Prior to the cancellation of the programme, Heinkel had been in the process of designing a more sophisticated rocket powered aircraft, sometimes referred to the ''He 176 V2'', which was allegedly intended for operational use.<ref name = "lepage 68">LePage 2009, p. 68.</ref> No such aircraft were ever constructed, but because it bore the same designation as the aircraft that was actually flown, many books and websites mistakenly publish pictures of this aircraft when intending to illustrate its earlier namesake. This is primarily the post war Gerd Heumann airbrush job and the basis for this is unknown.{{CN|date=May 2023}} |
Prior to the cancellation of the programme, Heinkel had been in the process of designing a more sophisticated rocket powered aircraft, sometimes referred to the ''He 176 V2'', which was allegedly intended for operational use.<ref name = "lepage 68">LePage 2009, p. 68.</ref> For this model, a more powerful von Braun engine would have been used, which would have allegedly allowed the He 176 V2 to reach speeds of up to 1,000 kph or 620 mph.<ref name = "lepage 68"/> No such aircraft were ever constructed, but because it bore the same designation as the aircraft that was actually flown, many books and websites mistakenly publish pictures of this aircraft when intending to illustrate its earlier namesake. This is primarily the post war Gerd Heumann airbrush job and the basis for this is unknown.{{CN|date=May 2023}} |
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Germany did eventually fly an operational rocket-propelled fighter, the [[Alexander Lippisch]]-designed [[Messerschmitt Me 163|Me 163 ''Komet'']], but this was produced by the competing [[Messerschmitt]] firm. The Me 163 was powered by a similar rocket engine that was actually a further development of the unit that had powered the He 176. |
Germany did eventually fly an operational rocket-propelled fighter, the [[Alexander Lippisch]]-designed [[Messerschmitt Me 163|Me 163 ''Komet'']], but this was produced by the competing [[Messerschmitt]] firm. The Me 163 was powered by a similar rocket engine that was actually a further development of the unit that had powered the He 176. |
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Revision as of 18:40, 29 May 2023
| He 176 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Post war artist impression of the He 176 | |
| Role | Experimental |
| Manufacturer | Heinkel |
| First flight | 20 June 1939 |
| Status | Cancelled |
The Heinkel He 176 was a German experimental rocket-powered aircraft. It was the world's first aircraft to be propelled solely by a liquid-fueled rocket, making its first powered flight on 20 June 1939 with Erich Warsitz at the controls. It was a private venture by the Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight. The performance of the He 176 was not spectacular, but it did provide "proof of concept" for rocket propulsion.
All documents regarding the He 176 were destroyed during the war. The Warsitz biography suggests material is in the Soviet/Russian archives. The often quoted performance data of the aircraft, such as a speed reaching 750 km/h, or 800 km/h in Warsitz's biography, as well as some of the drawings, are not based on sound documents. Only two true pictures of the He 176 have survived which were probably taken in Peenemünde during tests.[1]
Design and development
Background
During the 1920s, German daredevils had experimented with using solid-fuel rockets to propel cars, motorcycles, railway carriages, snow sleds, and, by 1929, aircraft such as Alexander Lippisch's Ente and Fritz von Opel's RAK.1. Solid-fuel rockets, however, have major disadvantages when used for aircraft propulsion, as their thrust cannot be throttled, and the engines cannot be shut down until the fuel is exhausted.
In the late 1930s, Wernher von Braun's rocketry team working at Peenemünde investigated installing liquid-fuelled rockets in aircraft. Heinkel was an enthusiastic supporter of their efforts, initially supplying a He 72 and later a pair of He 112s to support these experiments. During early 1937, one of these aircraft was flown with its piston engine shut down during flight, thus being propelled by rocket power alone. At the same time, Hellmuth Walter's experiments into Hydrogen peroxide monopropellant-based rockets were leading towards light and simple rockets that appeared well-suited for aircraft installation, although at the price of considerable danger and limited duration.
The experimental flights of the He 112 had been subject to the close attention of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) (the German Reich Aviation Ministry), which had became interested in the potential for a rocket-propelled interceptor aircraft.[2] Heinkel decided to establish a secret department at its Rostock facility to pursue such endeavours. Unlike the He 112, the design team wanted to produce an aircraft that would be purpose-built to harness this new form of propulsion, and thus achieve superior performance from it; it would be from this effort that the He 176 would emerge.[3]
Design
The basic design of the He 176 was sketched out during the Neuhardenberg rocket motor and booster tests. In 1936, the RLM awarded Heinkel the contract to build the world's first rocket aircraft. It was decided to tailor-built the aircraft to specifically fit the test pilot Erich Warsitz, to minimise the size of the cockpit, along with the rest of the aircraft, to make the aircraft as lightweight as humanly possible.[4] The resulting cockpit was so cramped that the pilot could not even flex his elbows while some controls were often placed in inconvenient positions. Furthermore, an unconventional reclined seating position was adopted to help the pilot cope with the aircraft's high rate of acceleration, it also helped reduce the frontal area and thereby had performance benefits.[5] A crude plexiglas glazed section was removable so that the pilot could enter the aircraft.[4] A unique feature of the He 176 was its jettisonable nose escape system. Compressed air was used to separate the nose from the aircraft. A drogue chute was used to reduce the opening force required. After the drogue was deployed, the flush-fitting cockpit canopy was released and a conventional pilot/parachute bailout occurred.[6]
It was a relatively compact and simple aircraft, composed almost entirely out of wood, but did possess an advanced and entirely enclosed cockpit with a frameless single-piece clear nose.[7] The undercarriage was a combination of conventional and tricycle gear designs, for which the main gear's struts were intended to retract rearwards into the fuselage while the aerodynamically faired nose wheel and strut were fixed.[6] The greatest diameter of the fuselage was only 700 millimetres (28 in). The overall surface area, including the fuselage, was 5 square metres (54 sq ft), with a 5 metres (16 ft) wingspan, a fuselage length of 5.5 metres (18 ft), a height with the undercarriage deployed at 1.44 metres (4.7 ft), and a wheelbase of 700 millimetres (28 in). The elliptical wing had a wing sweep of 40% and a thickness of 9% at 90 millimetres (3.5 in).[8] The wing had a slight positive dihedral so that sufficient stability would be maintained.[4] The fuel tanks were also integrated into the interior of wings; a new welding technique has to be developed to manufacture these. Significant attention was paid to the reduction of aerodynamic drag.[4]
The original model of the He 176 was designed to be powered by one of the new Walter engines. This engine was similar to that of the He 112, the primary difference being the doubling of its thrust output to 6,000 Newtons, which was largely achieved via the addition of a pump to draw in propellant instead of using compressed air to push the fuel into the engine.[4] The fuel used was 82% hydrogen peroxide.[4]
Flight testing and cancellation
On 20 June 1939, the He 176 performed its maiden flight, the occasion being the first manned rocket flight in the world. Warsitz later described the flight: "On quite another heading from that originally intended she leapt into the air and flew with a yaw and a wobble. I kept her close to the ground while gaining speed, then pulled back gently on the control stick for rapid ascent. I was at 750 kms/hr and without any loss in speed the machine shot skywards at an angle somewhere between vertical and 45°. She was enormously sensitive to the controls...Everything turned out wonderfully, however, and it was a relief to fly round the northern tip of Usedom Island without a sound at 800 kms/hr. I banked sharp left again to straighten up for the airstrip, losing such speed and altitude as I could, and during this steep turn the rocket died as the tanks dried up. The abrupt loss of speed hurled me forward in my restraint straps. I pressed the stick forward, hissed rapidly over the Penne and came in at 500 kms/hr. I crossed the airfield boundary and after several prescribed little bounces the machine came to a stop."[9]
Following the initial test flight, the aircraft received alterations; allegedly the fixed nose wheel was removed at this point as the design team intended for regular landings to use only the two main wheels and the tail.[4] Following an initial round of flight testing, Heinkel demonstrated the He 176 to the RLM, however, the organisation displayed a lack of official interest in the aircraft. According to Warsitz, speaking of Von Braun's cooperation during the tests at Pennemunde, "Although not technically part of the He 176-V1 project with the Walter rocket engine, naturally everything affecting it was of interest to himself and his colleagues because the He 176-V2 was to have the von Braun engine..."[8] The RLM's unfavourable attitude towards the aircraft promptly led to the abandonment of Heinkel's rocket propulsion programme. Only the one aircraft was ever completed prior to the termination of flight testing. After its retirement, the sole He 176 prototype was put on static display at the Berlin Air Museum, it was destroyed by an Allied bombing raid during 1943.[6]
Impact
Prior to the cancellation of the programme, Heinkel had been in the process of designing a more sophisticated rocket powered aircraft, sometimes referred to the He 176 V2, which was allegedly intended for operational use.[4] For this model, a more powerful von Braun engine would have been used, which would have allegedly allowed the He 176 V2 to reach speeds of up to 1,000 kph or 620 mph.[4] No such aircraft were ever constructed, but because it bore the same designation as the aircraft that was actually flown, many books and websites mistakenly publish pictures of this aircraft when intending to illustrate its earlier namesake. This is primarily the post war Gerd Heumann airbrush job and the basis for this is unknown.[citation needed]
Germany did eventually fly an operational rocket-propelled fighter, the Alexander Lippisch-designed Me 163 Komet, but this was produced by the competing Messerschmitt firm. The Me 163 was powered by a similar rocket engine that was actually a further development of the unit that had powered the He 176.
Specifications (He 176 V1)
Data from Heinkel: An aircraft album[10]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 5.21 m (17 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in)
- Height: 1.435 m (4 ft 8.5 in)
- Wing area: 5.4 m2 (58 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 900 kg (1,985 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,620 kg (3,572 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Walter HWK R1-203 liquid-fuelled rocket engine, 5.88 kN (1,323 lbf) thrust , 50 s burn time
Performance
- Maximum speed: 750 km/h (466 mph, 405 kn) estimated
- Cruise speed: 710 km/h (441 mph, 383 kn) estimated
- Range: 109 km (68 mi, 59 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,500 ft)
- Rate of climb: 60.6 m/s (11,930 ft/min)
- Time to altitude: 2.5 minutes to 8,000 m (26,250 ft)
See also
Related lists
References
Citations
- ^ Koos, Volker . Heinkel He 176 – Dichtung und Wahrheit, Jet&Prop 1/94. pp. 17–21.
- ^ LePage 2009, p. 67.
- ^ LePage 2009, pp. 67-68.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i LePage 2009, p. 68.
- ^ LePage 2009, pp. 68-69.
- ^ a b c Tuttle 2002, [page needed].
- ^ LePage 2009, p. 69.
- ^ a b Warsitz 2008, pp. 69–85.
- ^ Warsitz 2008, pp. 97–98.
- ^ Turner 1970, pp. 100–101.
Bibliography
- LePage, Jean-Denis G.G. (2009). Aircraft of the Luftwaffe, 1935-1945: An Illustrated Guide. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5280-4.
- Turner, St. John P. (1970). Heinkel: An aircraft album. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 07110-01731.
- Tuttle, Jim (2002). Eject! The Complete History of U.S. Aircraft Escape Systems. St. Paul, Minnesota, US: MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-1185-4.
- Warsitz, Lutz (2008). The First Jet Pilot: The Story of German Test Pilot Erich Warsitz. Barnsley: Pen and Sword aviation. ISBN 9781844158188.
External links
- Myhra, David (2013). Heinkel He 176: The untold story of the first liquid-fuelled rocket aircraft in history. RCW Ebook Publishing.