The Antonov A-11 is a single-seat, high performance, all-metal
sailplane
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailpla ...
built in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
in the late 1950s. 150 were produced.
Design and development
The almost all-metal A-11 was Antonov's first non-wood framed sailplane.
It is a
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...
mid-wing monoplane, with straight tapered wings mostly swept on the
trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...
and set with 1.5° of
dihedral but no
washout. A single
spar
SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
with a metal-skinned
leading edge
The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...
forward of it and
fabric covering aft forms most of the span but the curved tips are supported by twin spars. The fabric-covered
ailerons are
slotted, with set-back hinges and
mass balances. They can be drooped together through 8° to act as
flaps. Inboard, there are slotted flaps on the trailing edges and
spoilers, mounted at
mid-chord and quite close to the
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
, of the gapless kind opening upwards only.
The fuselage of the A-11 is a metal
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
of pod and boom form, with a gradual transition between the two. It carries an all-metal, straight edged
90° V- or butterfly tail, its control surfaces mass-balanced with external weights. The three-piece
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...
stretches smoothly from the nose to above mid-chord without a stepped windscreen. There is a retractable
monowheel undercarriage, sprung but without brakes, assisted by a rubber-mounted skid forward of the wheel and a tail bumper aft, formed by a short, shallow
ventral
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...
[
The A-11 first flew on 12 May 1958. It was approved for ]aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
, spins
The spins (as in having "the spins")Diane Marie Leiva. ''The Florida State University College of Education''Women's Voices on College Drinking: The First-Year College Experience"/ref> is an adverse reaction of intoxication that causes a state of ...
and cloud flying.
Aircraft on display
''Information from'' Ogden
*Central Russian Air Force Museum, Monino
Monino (russian: Мо́нино) is an urban locality (a work settlement) in Shchyolkovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of Moscow. Population:
History
Monino was founded in the Muninskaya Wasteland (russian: Мунинс ...
* Panevezys Airfield Monument
Specifications (Antonov A-11)
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
{{Antonov aircraft
1950s Soviet sailplanes
A-11
A11, A 11 or A-11 may refer to:
Military
* Aero A.11, a Czechoslovakian bomber produced before World War II
* Consolidated A-11, an attack version of the Consolidated P-30 fighter plane of the 1930s
* HMS ''A11'', an A-class submarine of the Roy ...
Glider aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1958
V-tail aircraft