- At the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ, part of Rostec), the production of the MAI-411 multipurpose aircraft, developed by OSKBES engineers, began. What role can this machine play in the revival of Russian small aviation?
- KEMZ is a long-term partner of the Moscow Aviation Institute, and MAI-411 was developed by his order.
Thus, it is the Kizlyar plant that will oversee the search for customers and approve production plans.
MAI as a developer participates in the MAI-411 certification process and prepares all necessary documents.
Currently, the aircraft has a certificate of a single aircraft (certificate of airworthiness. -
RT
).
The machine has yet to receive a type certificate
,
which allows its commercial operation.
If we talk about the device itself, then along with the LMS-901 "Baikal" it is intended to replace the aging fleet of An-2 ("Kukuruznik") and Western light-class aircraft.
MAI-411 is close to the European CS-23 and the American FAR-23, but surpasses them primarily in the ability to land on more sites.
I note that the MAI-411 and the Baikal are completely different aircraft, but both of them are designed to become the basis of Russia's small aviation.
It is expected that mainly these machines will be operated by local airlines.
In the passenger version, the MAI-411 is designed to carry three people (Baikal has nine), plus one crew member - the pilot.
In addition to passenger traffic, MAI-411 can be used in such areas as air ambulance, forest protection, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, air patrolling of oil and gas pipelines, aerial photography, flight crew training, and air tourism.
The aircraft meets all the main modern requirements for aircraft of this class.
It is comfortable, agile and handles well.
The length of the fuselage of the MAI-411 is 7.2 m, the takeoff weight is 1.25 tons, the takeoff and landing distance is 400 m, the maximum cruising speed is 270 km/h, the maximum payload is 325 kg, the flight range is up to 1, 5 thousand km.
The MAI-411 was developed on the basis of the OSKBES experience in creating light multi-purpose aircraft.
For example, in the 90s, the most difficult years for the entire Russian aviation industry, engineers successfully implemented the Aviatika-MAI-890 aircraft program.
In total, more than 350 devices of various modifications were produced.
They were delivered to more than 20 countries of the world, including the West.
- Frankly speaking, the low payload and passenger capacity of the MAI-411 confuses. A ticket for such a plane will be very expensive ...
- The ticket price will not be much higher than on large airliners.
If we talk about the cost of a flight hour, then, given the specifics of the operation of the MAI-411, it is much more appropriate to compare it not with other passenger aircraft, but with a helicopter, which is a disproportionately more expensive vehicle.
Deputy Chief Designer OSKBES MAI Mikhail Dryagilev
© MAI press service
Our device will be much cheaper to operate than the relatively new Ansat or the workhorse Mi-8, which is completely inappropriate to drive for transporting small loads or two or three people.
MAI-411 will definitely be useful in the Ministry of Emergency Situations and medical aviation in cases where evacuation of a person with limited mobility is required.
A stretcher and one escort are freely placed on the plane: if, for example, we are talking about sanitation, then a medical worker can be next to the patient.
Of course, the helicopter has its advantages over the MAI-411 and any other aircraft.
Its main advantage is the ability to take off and land on practically unprepared sites.
But the price for this will always be a significantly higher cost of a flight hour than that of an airplane.
- In which regions of Russia can the MAI-411 be used? And are there any restrictions on its use?
- In fact, there are no serious restrictions if there are unpaved airfields and runways with a soil strength of at least 3.5 kg / cm2.
First of all, this machine is necessary for communication between geographic points that do not have ground communication, that is, in conditions of complete impassability or mountainous terrain.
In addition, MAI-411 can be able to splash down and take off from the water surface.
To do this, it is necessary to install float landing gear on the aircraft, including the amphibious version (with wheels).
This will allow the device to both splash down and land.
In Russia, aircraft with float landing gear are relevant for Karelia, Siberia, Yakutia and other regions where there are many rivers and lakes.
MAI-411 at the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant
© JSC Concern KEMZ
With floats, the MAI-411 is able to take off and land on the surface with waves within 0.5 m. If necessary, ski chassis can also be installed on the aircraft.
In fact, restrictions on the operation of the MAI-411 are associated only with certain weather conditions (strong wind, frost below -25-30 ° C) and altitude.
The flight altitude ceiling is 4-4.5 thousand meters. One of the reasons for this limitation is that the cabin is not pressurized, and an oxygen supply system is necessary for the normal life of passengers and crew at high altitudes.
Flight altitude is also limited due to the peculiarities of the operation of piston engines.
In order for the plane to rise higher, it will be necessary to install turbines to maintain their power.
But all these issues can be resolved by creating, if necessary, a separate modification of the MAI-411.
- If we talk about engines, then the plane has two Austrian Rotax 912S with a capacity of 100 hp. With. each. The Rotax 912 family has received very favorable reviews in Russia and abroad. However, in the current sanctions realities, even the civil aviation industry of the Russian Federation is deprived of access to high-tech Western components. Is it possible to replace the Austrian engine?
- Rotax 912 is a high-quality type of piston engines, but in the not so distant future, its deliveries to the Russian Federation may indeed stop.
A replacement can be domestic products such as APD, on the line of which UZGA (Ural Civil Aviation Plant) and CIAM (Central Institute of Aviation Motors) are currently working.
As far as I can tell, very serious work is being done in this direction.
After all, an aircraft piston engine is a complex product.
The cycle of its finishing takes several years, since it is very difficult to calculate local thermal stresses under conditions of alternating loads.
There are many nuances that affect the resource.
This is the main problem with piston engines.
The piston engine is relatively easy to design, but with a small resource it loses its commercial appeal.
— The MAI-411 has modern aerodynamic shapes and an aesthetically attractive appearance. What are the design features of this aircraft?
- Structurally, the MAI-411 is a high-wing aircraft.
The wing of the apparatus is located above the fuselage.
It houses two engines closed in engine nacelles.
With respect to the fuselage, they are symmetrical.
The screws are located high enough from the surface.
Thus, they are protected from mechanical damage that may occur when exposed to flying gravel, grass, water or snow masses.
The MAI-411 stabilizer and elevator are made one-piece in span, which reduces weight and improves flight efficiency.
The wing is made of classic materials - aluminum alloys, and the fuselage is made of fiberglass.
The aircraft has four automobile-type doors and a floor height that does not require stepladders and steps.
Cabin height - 1220 mm;
width in the area of accommodation of the crew and passengers - 1275 mm.
This provides comfortable accommodation for people in winter clothes.
Rescue system on MAI-411
© JSC Concern KEMZ
The advantage of the aircraft can be called a rescue system developed by the Kazan company MVEN.
The principle of its operation is as follows: in the event of a double failure (both engines stop working. -
RT
), a wing breakage and other critical damage, the parachute in the container is released.
The system is activated by the pilot.
A squib is fired, a parachute flies out, the dome of which is filled with air.
The system is designed in such a way that in case of contact with the ground, the pilot and passengers will not receive life-threatening injuries.
As you understand, in air crashes and during hard landings, in principle, there are few chances to survive.
Here, the rescue system ensures that people stay alive.
- You said that the aircraft has a fiberglass hull, and here one involuntarily recalls the project of the TVS-2DT light aircraft, which also had a composite fuselage, but it lost to Baikal, which was made of aluminum in the old fashioned way. Why OSKBES finally settled on fiberglass?
- The choice of composites is due to the complex aerodynamic shape of the fuselage.
It is easier to produce it from them.
Yes, fiberglass is heavier than metal, but another alternative is carbon fiber, which is much more expensive.
- Can the MAI-411 land on any flat surface, for example, on a rocky one?
- The site for any light aircraft still needs to be prepared.
With standard chassis MAI-411 can land on dirt roads and runways covered with slush, sleet, dust or sand.
MAI-411 will not land on a plowed agricultural field due to too soft soil.
It will not be possible to safely land the car on a field where there are holes of half a meter or a surface with rocky soil.
Gravel is also dangerous for MAI-411.
However, these are completely normal takeoff and landing restrictions for aircraft of this class.
Moreover, the MAI-411 has a much larger number of takeoff and landing areas than Western light aircraft, which often require exceptionally smooth asphalt surfaces.
Our plane will not break down, even if it hits a bump up to 150 mm high.
— To what extent did you manage to install modern radio-electronic equipment at MAI-411, given the sanctions and the rather weak presence of domestic manufacturers on the market?
— I will not hide the fact that there were certain difficulties with avionics.
This situation is the result of the long orientation of the civil aviation industry of the Russian Federation to the products of Boeing, Airbus and other foreign companies.
However, very active work has been carried out lately to saturate the market with precisely Russian civil avionics.
The MAI-411 has a mixed flight and navigation complex, that is, it contains both digital and analog systems.
Almost all elements of the onboard equipment are made in Russia, the software is also domestic.
The OSKBES team has created a modern car that is convenient for passengers and crew.