Kotelnikov Gleb Evgenievich - the inventor of the parachute: biography, the history of invention

One of the main inventions of aviation - the parachute - appeared due to the dedication and diligence of just one person - the self-taught designer Gleb Kotelnikov. He had to not only solve many of the most difficult technical tasks for his time, but also long to achieve the beginning of mass production of the rescue kit.

early years

The future inventor of the parachute, Gleb Kotelnikov, was born on January 18 (30), 1872 in St. Petersburg. His father was a professor of higher mathematics at the Moscow University. The whole family was fond of art: music, painting and theater. Amateur performances were often staged in the house. Therefore, it is not surprising that the inventor of the parachute, which was not yet established, dreamed of a stage in childhood.

The boy played excellent piano and some other musical instruments (balalaika, mandolin, violin). At the same time, all these hobbies did not prevent Gleb from becoming interested in technology. From birth he received a golden hand, he always did something and created (for example, at the age of 13 he managed to assemble a working camera).

Career

The future that the inventor of the parachute chose himself was determined after the family tragedy. Father Gleb died prematurely, and his son had to leave his dreams about the conservatory. He went to the Kiev Artillery School. The young man graduated in 1894 and thus became an officer. Then three years of service in the army followed. After retiring, Kotelnikov became an official in the provincial excise department. In 1899 he married a friend of his childhood Yulia Volkova.

In 1910, a family with three children moved to St. Petersburg. In the capital, the future inventor of the parachute became an actor in the People's House, taking for the stage the pseudonym of Glebov-Kotelnikov. St. Petersburg presented him with new opportunities for implementing the inventive potential. All previous years the nugget continued to be engaged in designing on the amateur level.

Passion for airplanes

At the beginning of the 20th century, the development of aviation began. In many cities of Russia, including in St. Petersburg, began to be held indicative flights, which were vividly interested in the public. This is how the future inventor of a backpack parachute Gleb Kotelnikov got acquainted with aviation. After all his life he was not indifferent to technology, he could not help becoming interested in aircraft.

At random coincidence, Kotelnikov became an unwitting witness to the first death of the pilot in the history of Russian aviation. During the demonstration flight, the pilot Matzievich broke from the seat and died, crashing to the ground. After him fell a primitive and less stable aircraft.

The need for a parachute

The catastrophe with Matveyevich was a natural consequence of the insecurity of flights on the very first aircrafts. If a person went into the air, he put his life on the line. This problem arose even before the advent of aircraft. In the nineteenth century, from a similar unresolved issue, balloons suffered. In the event of a fire, people were trapped. They could not leave the vehicle in distress.

This dilemma could only be solved by the invention of a parachute. The first experiments on its production were carried out in the West. However, the task of its technical characteristics for its time was extremely difficult. For many years, aviation was stamping on the spot. The inability to provide a guarantee of saving lives for pilots seriously hampered the development of the entire aeronautical industry. Only desperate daredevils went into it.

Work on the invention

After the tragic episode on the demonstration flight, Gleb Kotelnikov (who invented the parachute) turned his apartment into a full-fledged workshop. The designer was obsessed with the idea of creating a rescue device that would help the pilots survive in the event of a plane crash. The most surprising thing was that the amateur actor started on his own for a technical task, over which many specialists from all over the world had fought for many years without result.

Kotelnikov invented all his experiments at his own expense. With the money was tight, often had to spare on the details. Copies of the rescue device were dropped from kites and St. Petersburg roofs. Kotelnikov acquired a bale of books on the history of flying. The experience passed one after another. Gradually the inventor came to an approximate configuration of the future life-saving device. It had to be a strong and lightweight parachute. Small and folding, he could always be with a man and help out at the most dangerous moment.

Solving technical problems

The use of a parachute with an imperfect design was fraught with several serious flaws. First of all, this is a powerful leap that awaited the pilot during the opening of the dome. Therefore, Gleb Kotelnikov (the one who invented the parachute) devoted a lot of time to designing a suspension system. He also had to rework the fasteners several times. When using the wrong design of the rescue device, a person could chaotically rotate in the air.

The inventor of an air knapsack parachute checked his first models on dolls-mannequins. As a fabric, he used silk. In order for this substance to lower the person to the ground at a safe speed, about 50 square meters of canvas was required. At first Kotelnikov folded the parachute into the head helmet, but there could not have been so much silk in it. The inventor had to come up with an original solution for this problem.

The idea of a backpack

Perhaps the name of the inventor of the parachute would have been different if Gleb Kotelnikov had not guessed to solve the problem of folding a parachute using a special knapsack. In order to fit the matter into it, I had to come up with an original drawing and an intricate pattern. Finally, the inventor proceeded to create the first prototype. In this case, his wife helped him.

Soon was ready RC-1 (Russian - Kotelnikovsky). Inside the special metal knapsack was a shelf and two spiral springs. Kotelnikov made a design so that she could open as quickly as possible. For this, the pilot needed only to pull the special cord. Springs inside the knapsack opened the dome, and the fall became smooth.

Final touches

The parachute consisted of 24 canvases. Through the whole dome there were lines that were connected on hanging straps. They were fastened with hooks to the base, worn on a man. It represented a dozen waist, shoulder and chest straps. Legs were also provided for the legs. The device of the parachute allowed the pilot to control it when he descended to the ground.

When it became clear that the invention would be a breakthrough in aviation, Kotelnikov was worried about copyrights. He did not have a patent, and therefore any stranger who saw the parachute in action and understood the principle of its functioning could steal the idea. These fears forced Gleb Evgenievich to transfer his tests to the remote places in Novgorod, which the inventor's son advised. It is there that the final version of the new rescue device will be tested.

The fight for a patent

The amazing history of the invention of the parachute continued on August 10, 1911, when Kotelnikov wrote a detailed letter to the War Ministry. He described in detail the technical characteristics of the novelty and explained the importance of its introduction into the army and civil aviation. Indeed, the number of aircraft only increased, and this threatened the new deaths of courageous pilots.

However, the first letter of Kotelnikov was lost. It became clear that now the inventor had to fight with a terrible bureaucratic red tape. He began to occupy the thresholds of the War Ministry and various commissions. In the end, Gleb Evgenevich broke into the committee on inventions. However, the functionaries of this department rejected the idea of the designer. They refused to issue a patent, considering the invention useless.

Confession

After the failure at home, Kotelnikov achieved official registration of his invention in France. The long-awaited event occurred on March 20, 1912. Then it was possible to organize general tests, which were attended by pilots and other persons involved in the young Russian aviation. They passed June 6, 1912 in the village of Salouzi near St. Petersburg. After the death of Gleb Evgenievich, this settlement was renamed Kotelnikovo.

On the morning of June, in front of the amazed public, the pilot of the balloon cut the end of the loop, and a specially prepared mannequin began to fall to the ground. The audience watched the events in the air with the help of binoculars. After a few seconds, the mechanism worked, and the sky dome opened. That day there was no wind, because of which the dummy landed directly on his feet and, standing still for a few seconds, fell. After this public test for the whole world, it became known who the inventor of the airborne knapsack parachute.

Mass production of parachutes

The first series production of RC-1 began in France in 1913. The demand for parachutes increased by an order after the First World War soon began. In Russia, rescue kits were needed for pilots of the Ilya Muromets aircraft. Then for many years RK-1 remained indispensable in Soviet aviation.

Under Bolshevik rule Kotelnikov continued to engage in modifications of his original invention. He worked a lot with Zhukovsky, who shared his own aerodynamic laboratory. Experienced jumps with trial models of parachutes turned into a mass spectacle - they were visited by a huge number of spectators. In 1923, the model RC-2 appeared. Gleb Kotelnikov supplied it with a semi-soft knapsack. Then followed a few more modifications. Parachutes became more convenient and practical.

Simultaneously with his inventive activity, Kotelnikov spent a lot of time helping the flying clubs. He delivered lectures, was a welcome guest in sports communities. At age 55, because of age, the inventor stopped experimenting. He gave all his legacy to the Soviet state. For numerous services Kotelnikov awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Retired, Kotelnikov continued to live in the northern capital. He wrote books and textbooks. When the Great Patriotic War began, the elderly and weakly seeing Gleb Evgenievich, nevertheless, took an active part in the organization of the air defense of Leningrad. Blockade winter and famine struck a blow to his health. Kotelnikov was evacuated to Moscow, where he died on November 22, 1944. The famous inventor was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery.