Amphibian Be-12
(C) Sergei Avgustinovskij, 1997
In 1997 one of the oldest design offices marks its 63d anniversary. This design office contributed the main pages to the development history of Soviet hydro-aviation.
In this design-experimental office, run by Georgy Mihailovitch Beriev, many hydro-planes and amphibians (MBR-2;BE-2/KOR-1,KOR-2/; MDR-5;MBR-7;BE-4;BE-6;BE-8;R-1;BE-10;BE-12;BE-32;A-40 Albatros) were created.
The books under the title "The aircrafts of the Design-Experimental Office named after G.M.Beriev" are all about famous aircrafts.
The first book is dedicated to amphibian BE-12. It has been defending the sea frontiers. There were used the materials of the archives and of the museum and the veterans' memories. The drafts of the amphibian were made on the basis of the technical documentation, given by TATSK named after G.M.Beriev (Taganrog Aviation Technico-Scientific Complex).
The projecting of amphibian BE-12 was begun in 1957. By the end of 1959 the working drawings had been completed and given to experimental production. The experimental amphibian has been built in cooperation with the serial plant. The first experimental amphibian was built in august, 1960 and its first flight was taken on the 18th of October, 1960 from a land aerodrome.
Taking the experimental flight over the Azov sea, hear Zhdanov, the first experimental amphibian BE-12 suffered catastrophe and sank. Three members of the crew died.
The second experimental amphibian BE-12 was built only in 1962. The test were continued. The second and third amphibians were tested by the plant test-pilots M.Muhailov, I.Kuprianov, E.Lahmostov.
During plant and state tests, begun on the 19th of July, 1963, the engineers of the design office had to greatly improve the amphibian on.
In 1964 the act about finishing of state test was signed and sense that time USSR Air Forces and Navy were armed with amphibians BE-12.
The machine has been in serial production for 10 years and it has been greatly changes technically, depending on purposes.
According to the construction scheme, amphibian is an all-metal boat with a highly situated plane of the "Chaica" type and vertical empennage. Transversal stability afloat is provided by under plane floats.
The undercarriage of the aircraft is of three supports, with tail wheel, that is retracted in the boat during the flight.
In amphibian two turboprops Ai-20D are installed. The Turbogenerator is installed for providing the autonomous launching of the engines on the land and afloat. It is also used to provide aircraftıs equipment with direct current afloat and in emergency cases.
The crew consists of 4 members:2 pilots, a navigator and a radioman. The place of the navigator is in the first, fore part of the boat. The cockpit of the pilots is in the upper part of the first compartment, behind the navigatorıs place. The pilots sit near each other.
The place of the radioman is in the upper part of the sixth compartment.
The glider of the amphibian consists of the boat, the plane with under plane floats and the empennage.
The boat has all-metal construction. It is divided into ten compartments, eight of them are waterproof, that guarantees that the boat want sink, if the first or two adjacent compartments are damaged.
Moving afloat, amphibian is ruled by water rudder, situated on the bilge of the boat, near frame N 56; meoring and towage are fulfilled with the help of cleats.
Between frames N 22 and N 26 on both sides of the boat and also in the tail part between frames N56 and N63 there are niches for fastening and retracting the undercarriage. The plane is fastened to frames N 26 and N 31.
The plane of amphibian is trapeziform, all-metal, freecarrying, of "Chaika" type; with positive angle of transversal V, equal 20o on the central plan and negative angle of 1o30' on the rest of the plane. The main parts of the plane: right-angled in the plan centroplan, two middle and two detachable parts of the plane. On the plane the engineers installed ailerons, back part of gondola and knots of tail boom of the engine. Inside of the plane there are soft fuel tanks and two hermetic fuel compartments.
Under plane onestepped float is attached to the detachable part of the plane with the help of pylon. The float is divided into 5 waterproof parts. The floatıs construction is all-metal, with lengthwise stringer set, transversal set of frames and working covering.
The freecarrying vertical empennage is attached to frames N 56 and N 60N of the boat.
Horizontal empennage is trapeziform in the plan, a bit arrowy (5o30') and with positive angle of transversal V equal to 12o. Stabilizer, elevator and two trimming tabs are its parts.
Vertical empennage is elliptical. It consists of two fins, two course rudders, two trimming tabs and two servocompensator.
Fuel is placed in 13 tanks: 12 tanks are symmetrically situated in the right and left parts of the plane; 1 tank is in the boat. In a shipping compartment installation of two suspended tanks is foreseen. Fuelling is centralized. Besides, fuelling through the tanks' necks is also foreseen. To prevent the explosion of fuel's steams, the tanks above fuel space is filled with carbonicacid gas. When engaging the system of neutral gas, the gas is fed from side gas-bags uninterruptedly during all the flight.
Amphibian is equipped with the fire-prevention system. It guarantees timely finding out of fire inside of the engine or in the compartments and its safe extinguishing.
Due to hydrosystem the following operations are fulfilled: letting out and retracting of under-carriage and flaps, braking of wheels of the main undercarriage's feet, turning of the tail wheel, drive of water rudder, drive of side winch and glasscleaners, opening and closing of shipping hatchway's folds. The hydrosystem of amphibian cousists of the main and spare systems.
Pneumatic system of amphibian provides the work of exploitation mechanisms (folds, valves, touring cleats), stopping of tail wheel, supercharge of equipment, hermetization of hatchuaysılids and doors.
To protect amphibian from icing there are air-thermal and electro-thermal anti-icing equipment, providing safe flight in case of icing.
Electrical equipment of amphibian consists of tree centrolized electrosystems.
Amphibian BE-12 can carry battle cargo either in the bomb compartment or under planes. As a cargo may be used hydro-acoustic dam-buoys, that are thrown down from air to find out submarines by the noise. For defeating aims BE-12 can carry different types of self-aiming torpedoes and rockets, aviation anti-submarine bombs. On board there are also different types of mines for mining sea aquatory. To fulfil rescue operations amphibians can carry dropping aviation rescue containers, that are placed in the shipping compartment or under the planes.
There is also oxygen equipment for providing high-altitude flights.
In order to make normal conditions for the navigator, pilots and the radioman during the flight, their cabins are equipped with the ventilation and heating installations.
Amphibian is supplied with all necessary rescue means and wrecking-rescue equipment. All the crew have parachutes, emergency stores, parachute oxygen devices and sea rescue costumes. Emergency hatchways are foreseen for emergency leave of amphibian.
Marine equipment consists of the ground anchor, the spare anchor hawser, two floating anchors, two folding pushing hooks, the grapnel with throwing end, signal flags, megaphone. For dropping and elevating of the ground anchor there is the side winch with hydraulic and hand drive.
| THE MAIN GEOMETRIC AND FLYING-TECHNICAL FEATURES OF AMPHIBIAN. |
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1. Amphibians length | 30,110 m |
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2. Amphibians height with let out undercarriage | 9,1 m |
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3. Diameter of propellers | 5,0 m |
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4. Undercarriages rut | 5,0 m |
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5. Undercarriages base (on the stop) | 14,657 m |
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6. Area of the plane | 99 m2 |
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7. Wing-span | 19,842m |
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8. Ailerones' area | 6,784 m |
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9. Flaps' area | 18,928 m |
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10. Area of horizontal empennage | 21,6 m2 |
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11. The elevator's area | 6,38 m2 |
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12. Area of vertical empennage | 18 m2 |
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13. Area of direction rudders | 6,3 m2 |
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14. Boat's displacement | 127,3m2 |
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15. Normal take-off weight of amphibian | 35000kg |
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16. Type of angines | 2 x AI-20D 3 series or AI-20 4series |
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17. Maximum speed | 530 km/h |
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The whole packet of documents for publishing the book about amphibian BE-12 includes:
40 pages:
- History of creative development of design office of marine aircraftbuilding (1934-1997).
- The history of construction of amphibian BE-12.
- Modification of amphibian BE-12.
- Technical description of amphibian BE-12.
- boat
- undercarriage
- force installation
- empennage
- amphibian's control
- The main geometrical and flying-technical features of amphibians BE-12.
Graphic part:
- 36 drafts, giving all information about amphibian's construction;
Text part is illustrated by 22 colors slides and 32 black-and-white photo, three colors drawings for 2,3,4 cover pages.
Sergei Avgustinovsky (olcs@public.donetsk.ua) is looking for a partner or a sponsor for publishing the book about amphibian BE-12.
