Gleb Kotelnikov
Encyclopedia
Gleb Yevgeniyevich Kotelnikov (Котельников, Глеб Евгеньевич in Russian
, – November 22, 1944), was the Russia
n-Soviet
inventor of the knapsack parachute (first in the hard casing and then in the soft pack), and braking parachute.
In 1894, Kotelnikov graduated from the Kiev
Military School. In 1911, he created his first parachute RK-1 (which stands for Rantseviy (knapsack) Kotelnikova (by Kotelnikov), 1st model), that was successfully employed in 1914 during the World War I
. Later on, Kotelnikov significantly improved the design of his parachute, creating new models, including RK-2 with a softer knapsack, RK-3, and a few cargo
parachutes, all of which would be adopted by the Soviet Air Force
.
Having witnessed the death of a talented Russian pilot Lev Matsivich and been shocked by it, he became obsessed with the idea of constructing a parachute, to which he devoted several years of his life as well as all his personal savings. In 1911 he applied for a patent to the Committee on Inventions granted to him in France under the number 438612.
That is how he summarized the working principle of his parachute:" The working principle of the apparatus is as follows:
in case of emergency a pilot, wearing it on its back, could throw himself out of an aircraft, opening a knapsack by pulling a cord attached to its lock. In case of an unexpected fall the device can work quite automatically. For that purpose the lock of the parapack is connected with a carriage of an aircraft by means of a cord which would open the lock of a parapack being stretched under the weight of a falling man ". At first G.Kotelnikov called his invention a safety apparatus, a knapsack-parachute and later on it got the name of RK-1 (Russian, Kotelnikov, Model 1).
In 1912, on a road near Tsarskoye Selo
(now part of St. Petersburg) Kotelnikov successfully demonstrated the braking effects of parachute by accelerating a Russo-Balt
automobile to the top speed, and then opening a parachute attached to the back seat, thus inventing the drogue parachute
. In aviation, however, drag chutes were used for the first time only in 1937 by the Soviet airplanes in the Arctic
that were providing support for the famous polar expeditions of the era, such as the first manned drifting ice station North Pole-1
, launched the same year. The drag chute allowed to land safely on the ice-floes of smaller size.
Kotelnikov continued to be an important figure in the development of parachutes and parachuting in the Soviet Union. In 1924 Kotelnikov for the first time applied the soft packing of parachute instead of a hard casing. He produced some of the earliest cargo parachutes, and was a contemporary to the start of the parachuting sport in Russia in 1930 and the creation of the Soviet Airborne Troops the same year (the first paratrooping force in history). In his late years, Kotelnikov wrote a book about the invention and subsequent development of parachutes.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, – November 22, 1944), was the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
inventor of the knapsack parachute (first in the hard casing and then in the soft pack), and braking parachute.
In 1894, Kotelnikov graduated from the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
Military School. In 1911, he created his first parachute RK-1 (which stands for Rantseviy (knapsack) Kotelnikova (by Kotelnikov), 1st model), that was successfully employed in 1914 during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Later on, Kotelnikov significantly improved the design of his parachute, creating new models, including RK-2 with a softer knapsack, RK-3, and a few cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
parachutes, all of which would be adopted by the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
.
Having witnessed the death of a talented Russian pilot Lev Matsivich and been shocked by it, he became obsessed with the idea of constructing a parachute, to which he devoted several years of his life as well as all his personal savings. In 1911 he applied for a patent to the Committee on Inventions granted to him in France under the number 438612.
That is how he summarized the working principle of his parachute:" The working principle of the apparatus is as follows:
in case of emergency a pilot, wearing it on its back, could throw himself out of an aircraft, opening a knapsack by pulling a cord attached to its lock. In case of an unexpected fall the device can work quite automatically. For that purpose the lock of the parapack is connected with a carriage of an aircraft by means of a cord which would open the lock of a parapack being stretched under the weight of a falling man ". At first G.Kotelnikov called his invention a safety apparatus, a knapsack-parachute and later on it got the name of RK-1 (Russian, Kotelnikov, Model 1).
In 1912, on a road near Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
(now part of St. Petersburg) Kotelnikov successfully demonstrated the braking effects of parachute by accelerating a Russo-Balt
Russo-Balt
Russo-Balt was one of the first Russian companies that produced cars between 1909 and 1923.- Russo-Baltic Wagon Corp. :...
automobile to the top speed, and then opening a parachute attached to the back seat, thus inventing the drogue parachute
Drogue parachute
A drogue parachute is a parachute designed to be deployed from a rapidly moving object in order to slow the object, or to provide control and stability, or as a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute...
. In aviation, however, drag chutes were used for the first time only in 1937 by the Soviet airplanes in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
that were providing support for the famous polar expeditions of the era, such as the first manned drifting ice station North Pole-1
North Pole-1
North Pole-1 was the first Soviet manned drifting station, primarily used for research.North Pole-1 was established on May 21, 1937, and officially opened on June 6, some from the North Pole by the expedition into the high latitudes Sever-1, led by Otto Schmidt. The expedition had been airlifted...
, launched the same year. The drag chute allowed to land safely on the ice-floes of smaller size.
Kotelnikov continued to be an important figure in the development of parachutes and parachuting in the Soviet Union. In 1924 Kotelnikov for the first time applied the soft packing of parachute instead of a hard casing. He produced some of the earliest cargo parachutes, and was a contemporary to the start of the parachuting sport in Russia in 1930 and the creation of the Soviet Airborne Troops the same year (the first paratrooping force in history). In his late years, Kotelnikov wrote a book about the invention and subsequent development of parachutes.
External links
- History, at margaret.imec.msu.ru