Irkut A-002
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Irkut A-002 | image= Irkut A-002.jpg | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Three seat autogyro | national origin=Russia | manufacturer=Irkut Corporation | designer=Andrey Tatarnikov | first flight=21 April 2002 | introduced=2012 (expected) | retired= | status=development | primary user=IrkutskEnergo | more users= | produced= | number built=5 | program cost= | unit cost=8.05 mln roubles (about 270 thousand dollars) }} |
The Irkut A-002 is a three-seat, pusher configuration autogyro developed in Russia through the 2000s by the United Constructor Bureau for Light Aircraft team of the Irkutsk Aircraft Production Association (IAPO) "Irkut" as the first independent product. Take-off is possible when wind speed exceeds 8 m/s, otherwise a running start of up to 15 m is necessary. The riveted covering is made of duralumin. The first produced consignment consisted of five autogyros. The A-002M is a further development.
Design and development
The A-002 has an enclosed, streamlined cabin accessed by large, windowed side doors. The two front seats have dual control, and there is a third seat behind. The fully enclosed, pusher-configuration flat-four AviaSmart engine is situated behind the cabin with a pair of cooling air intakes above its roof. The propeller thrustline is at cabin roof height. The two-blade rotor is mounted on a tall streamlined pylon at the rear of the cabin. In flight the rotor is undriven, but it can be spun up by the engine for jump starts made with no take-off run. Without this spin-up, take-off requires a run of {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}.
The A-002 has composite tail surfaces mounted on a short boom joined to the bottom of the cabin/engine pod. The fin carries a mass- and horn-balanced rudder and an all-moving tailplane at ⅓ fin height. The A-002 has a fixed, wide track tricycle undercarriage with main wheels on cantilever spring legs.
The first flight was on 6 July 2002. Production of five A-002s began in August 2002, but production was halted for further development and no deliveries were made until 2004,. Several revisions were made, including much-enlarged engine air intakes and the addition of endplate fins to the tailpane. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the A-200 increased from {{convert|900|to|950|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and both the rotor and fuselage were significantly extended. The more recent A-002M upgrade further raised the MTOW to {{convert|1,030|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. There have been tests of four- and six-bladed propellers.
In 2005 the autogyro project participated in the Russian Innovation Contest where it was declared that at least 150 units should be sold to pay back the project. In 2006 a renewed version with an AviaSmart engine and a new extended main rotor was named A-002M. In 2008 it was declared about the certification of such autogyro type that year according to the actual aviation rules{{Clarify|date=February 2023}}, however, even by 2012 the certificate has not been received yet. In 2010 they published a specification for a heavier version of A-002M at higher cost. The possibility of jump take-off remained, but it is not considered regular any more due to enhanced load on the bearing structure. It was also reported about developing of the unmanned version. One case of the autogyro's experimental operation by the IrkutskEnergo company in 2006 is known; no further cooperation with this company was reported.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}
Operational history
Variants
;A-002: Original version.
;A-002M: Heavier upgrade, specification released 2010.
Failures and incidents
On July 24, 2012, at 17:15 local time the autogyro Irkut-A002M made an emergency landing to the moorland near Bokovo, the Irkutsk region. The lone pilot was uninjured. The preliminary version stated that the failure was caused by a crack in the oil header of the main rotor forced-start drive, which caused oil leakage in the autogyro's general oil system. The inexperienced pilot did not notice loss of oil pressure and continued the flight. The apparatus crash-landed on the main rotor autorotation and suffered severe damage attributed to poor piloting. {{citation needed|date=October 2012}}
Specifications (A-002M prototype)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12.
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew=1
|capacity=2 passengers or 350 kg of cargo
|length m=4.98
|length note= fuselage, not including rotor
|width m=2.40
|width note=wheeltrack
|height m=3.20
|height note=without rotor
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=420
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=800
|max takeoff weight note=overloaded (normal=750 kg)
|fuel capacity=108 kg: 150L (39.6 US gal, 33.0 Imp gal)
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 type=flat-four cylinder piston with fluid cooling; digital control unit
|eng1 hp=265
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=
|prop dia m=1.90
|prop dia note=fixed pitch, pusher configuration
|rot number=2-blade rotor, 1
|rot dia m=10.30
|rot area sqm=83.32
|rot area note=swept
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=210
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=180
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=40
|stall speed note=minimum speed in level flight
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=620
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=3h 30min
|ceiling m=3000
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=5
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|disk loading kg/m2=12.36
|disk loading note=maximum
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
{{aircontent
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