Opel RAK.1
Encyclopedia
The Opel RAK.1 was the world's first purpose-built rocket-powered aircraft. It was designed and built by Julius Hatry
under commission from Fritz von Opel
who flew it on September 30, 1929 in front of a large crowd at Rebstock airport near Frankfurt-am-Main.
During the late 1920s, von Opel had undertaken a variety of publicity stunt
s involving rocket-powered vehicles, Opel-RAK
s, for the Opel
company. He was assisted in these endeavours by pyrotechnics
manufacturer Friedrich Sander
and rocketry advocate Max Valier
. In June 1928, he had purchased an Alexander Lippisch
-designed sailplane, the Ente, and fitted it with rockets. Opel did not get the chance to fly it, however, as the aircraft was destroyed by an engine explosion on its second test flight.
The RAK.1 had a typical sailplane wing
, under which a pod was suspended to accommodate the pilot and sixteen solid rocket engines. The tailplane
was mounted on booms behind the wing and high out of the way of the rocket exhaust. Opel successfully piloted it over 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) in 75 seconds of flight, but landed hard, damaging the aircraft beyond repair. Opel planned to build a second rocket plane, but apparently lost interest before the project was completed.
The aircraft is sometimes referred to as the Opel-Hatry RAK.1 or Opel-Sander RAK.1 in acknowledgment of its builder or the supplier of its engines respectively. In still other references it is called the RAK.3 to distinguish it from Opel's previous RAK.1 and RAK.2 rocket cars. As it happened, all three names, Opel, Sander, and Hatry were painted on the aircraft (with Opel’s most prominent), as was the RAK.1 designation.
Julius Hatry
Julius Hatry was a German aircraft designer and builder. He is remembered for his contributions to sailplane development in the early twentieth century and for building the world's first purpose-built rocket plane, the Opel RAK.1.Hatry was born in Mannheim and developed an early interest in...
under commission from Fritz von Opel
Fritz von Opel
Fritz Adam Hermann Opel, since 1918 von Opel , was the only child of Wilhelm von Opel, and a grandson of Adam Opel, founder of the Opel Company...
who flew it on September 30, 1929 in front of a large crowd at Rebstock airport near Frankfurt-am-Main.
During the late 1920s, von Opel had undertaken a variety of publicity stunt
Publicity stunt
A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized or set up by amateurs...
s involving rocket-powered vehicles, Opel-RAK
Opel-RAK
Opel-RAK were a series of rocket vehicles produced by Fritz von Opel, of the Opel car company, in association with others, including Max Valier and Friedrich Wilhelm Sander largely as publicity stunts....
s, for the Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
company. He was assisted in these endeavours by pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
manufacturer Friedrich Sander
Friedrich Sander
Friedrich Wilhelm Sander was a German pyrotechnics engineer and manufacturer remembered for his contributions to rocket-powered flight....
and rocketry advocate Max Valier
Max Valier
Max Valier was an Austrian rocketry pioneer. He helped found the German Verein für Raumschiffahrt that would bring together many of the minds that would later make spaceflight a reality in the 20th century.-Biography:Valier was born in Bozen , South Tyrol and in 1913 enrolled to study Physics at...
. In June 1928, he had purchased an Alexander Lippisch
Alexander Lippisch
Alexander Martin Lippisch was a German pioneer of aerodynamics. He made important contributions to the understanding of flying wings, delta wings and the ground effect. His most famous design is the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered interceptor.Lippisch was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria...
-designed sailplane, the Ente, and fitted it with rockets. Opel did not get the chance to fly it, however, as the aircraft was destroyed by an engine explosion on its second test flight.
The RAK.1 had a typical sailplane wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
, under which a pod was suspended to accommodate the pilot and sixteen solid rocket engines. The tailplane
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
was mounted on booms behind the wing and high out of the way of the rocket exhaust. Opel successfully piloted it over 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) in 75 seconds of flight, but landed hard, damaging the aircraft beyond repair. Opel planned to build a second rocket plane, but apparently lost interest before the project was completed.
The aircraft is sometimes referred to as the Opel-Hatry RAK.1 or Opel-Sander RAK.1 in acknowledgment of its builder or the supplier of its engines respectively. In still other references it is called the RAK.3 to distinguish it from Opel's previous RAK.1 and RAK.2 rocket cars. As it happened, all three names, Opel, Sander, and Hatry were painted on the aircraft (with Opel’s most prominent), as was the RAK.1 designation.