The Aviator Shershen' (russian: Шершень; en,
Hornet) is a Russian two seat
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
, sold in
kit
Kit may refer to:
Places
*Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit
* Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province
* Kit Hill, Cornwall, England
People
* Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kit (surname)
Animals
* Young animals:
...
form. It first flew in 2005 and several variants have been produced, with a choice of engines.
Design and development
The Shershen' is a development of the company's earlier
Retro. It is a
kit built tandem seat
single bay biplane; the prototype, Shershen'-3 and -14 have V-form
interplane struts, their forward members in
broad chord fairings, but the Shershen'-2 has more slender, N-form struts. All have diagonal
flying wire
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
bracing and an upper wing 8° of quarter-chord sweep, with an unswept lower wing. The -2 is rigged with 3° of
dihedral (aircraft) on the upper wing and 2.33° on the lower one. The upper wing is held well above the
fuselage, above the forward open
cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft.
The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
, by a pair of N-form
cabane strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
s; the wing has a
trailing edge cut-out to improve the upward vision from this cockpit. The prototype had
flaperons on the lower wings only but later versions have separate
flaps and
aileron
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
s on both planes, the latter externally rod connected.
[
The Shershen' has a fabric covered flat sided fuselage with a steel tube frame. Rounded decking is cut away locally for the two cockpits. Both have windscreens and the rear cockpit has a prominent headrest. The Shershen's tailplane is mounted at mid-fuselage height, with an ]angle of incidence
Angle of incidence is a measure of deviation of something from "straight on" and may refer to:
* Angle of incidence (aerodynamics), angle between a wing chord and the longitudinal axis, as distinct from angle of attack
In fluid dynamics, ang ...
that can be adjusted for trimming. Additionally, there is a port elevator trim tab. The rudder is broad and rounded, extending down to the keel on all models, though two styles of fin have been used. The prototype and the -14 variant have fins with a full rounded leading edge but those of the -2 and -3 are straight edged and vertical. A fixed, conventional undercarriage
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
with a small tailwheel has mainwheels on faired V struts hinged on the lower fuselage. On all but the -3, half-axles with bungee cord shock absorber
A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...
s run to a central compression frame. The -3 variant has instead oleo legs attached to the outside of the V struts and to the mid fuselage sides.[
Two different engine types have been used. The prototype and the -2 variant have the Subaru EJ25 flat-four, driving a three blade, ground adjustable pitch ]propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
, whereas the -3 has a Walter Minor III inline, inverted four cylinder unit driving a wooden, fixed pitch, two blade propeller.[
]
Variants
;Shershen': Prototype. Subaru engine, 3 blade propeller, round fin, span, bungee undercarriage. Airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
RII, thickness/chord ratio 12%. First flown 2005.
;Shershen'-2: Subaru engine, 3 blade propeller, straight fin, bungee undercarriage. As specifications. Airfoil NACA 23012, thickness/chord 12%. First flown 2007.
;Shershen'-3: Walter engine, 2 blade propeller, straight fin, oleo undercarriage. First flown 2008.
;Shershen'-14: Subaru engine, round fin, bungee undercarriage. First flown 2009.
Specifications (Shershen'-2)
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite book , title= Jane's All the World's Aircraft : development & production : 2013-14, last= Jackson , first= Paul A. , edition= , year=2013, publisher=IHS Global, location=, isbn=978-0-7106-3040-7 , pages=514–515]
External links
NACA 23012 airfoil
Homebuilt aircraft
Biplanes
2000s Russian sport aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2005