What are the smallest planes in the world?

The first miniature aircraft appeared long before the start of World War II. They were needed mainly to perform reconnaissance. The smallest aircraft in the world began to be actively created after 1945. Various biplanes, jets and monoplanes, designed for one person, received just huge demand. Let's look at this topic in more detail and get acquainted with the most popular models.

Review of X-12N

This aircraft was designed by a Russian citizen. Who would have thought, but the mass of it - only 80 kilograms. In the folded form it can be placed in a suitcase, and it is possible to assemble the device in working condition for half an hour. The cruising speed is about 105 kilometers per hour, the maximum speed is 125. This at a wingspan of 6.3 meters and a length of 3.6. It can be used practically in any locality, since for take-off it is enough 30 meters. The maximum carrying capacity is about 150 kilograms, taking into account the fuel tank. Therefore, the pilot must have a small weight.

The smallest aircraft in the world, such as the X-12N, are good because they do not need to be trained in a flight school or register a device to manage them. At the moment, there is a stage of flight tests, if it is completed successfully, then we can count on mass production.

History of Wee Bee

In California, worked three ambitious aircraft designer, who, despite everything, wanted to surprise the whole world with their invention. In the late 40's, the legendary Wee Bee (a tiny bee) was created. The name is completely justified, because the dimensions here are really tiny. The width is 5.5, and the length is 4.25 meters. We can safely say that the smallest aircraft in the world that already existed were significantly different from the Little Bee. It's all about control, which was carried out in a lying position on the roof of the aircraft. It was very inconvenient, but quite feasible.

The optimum speed was 121 kilometers per hour, and the maximum speed was about 132 kilometers. The flights were carried out for a short distance, up to 80 kilometers, and Wee Bee could climb up to 3 kilometers in height. The maximum load-carrying capacity is 186 kilograms, this together with the weight of the aircraft itself, which was 95 kilograms. At the moment, "Little Bee" is in the San Diego Museum, but since the plane suffered a fire, there is an exact copy of it.

The smallest jet aircraft in the world

Now we are talking about the BD-5J, which was developed in 1971 by the American aircraft designer Jim Bede. It was planned to use the aircraft exclusively for private flights or as a sport aircraft. Power plant with a capacity of only 65 horsepower allowed to disperse this crumb to a speed of 350 kilometers per hour. Thanks to this in 1972 he was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the lightest jet plane in the world.

For all the time of production the company has produced about 5,000 sets for self-assembly and about 500 ready-made models. Demand was not only in the US, but also in Europe. The empty plane weighed only 210 kilograms, and the maximum weight was about 390 kilograms, depending on the modification. Flight vehicle BD-5J could climb to a height of up to 8 kilometers, and the range was about 1,330 km. This is not only the smallest manned aircraft in the world, but also one of the most popular in the world.

Bumble Bee and Bumble Bee 2

The history of the creation of this aircraft began in 1979. It was then that Robert Starr decided to repeat the success of Ray Stets and even surpass him. Over "Bumble Bee" he worked for 5 years, from 1979 to 1984. As a result, a very heavy biplane with a weight of 248 kilograms and a maximum load of 328 kilograms was obtained. But the total length - only 2.9 meters with a wingspan of 2 meters brought Robert what he so wished. His creation received the title - the smallest aircraft in the world. You can see the photos of this unit in this article. The flight speed reached about 290 kilometers per hour.

But on the achieved, Robert did not stop and wanted to outdo himself. For this he created "Bumble Bi 2". Weight was reduced to 170 kilograms, and the length was only 2.7 meters. The wingspan also decreased. If in the first modification it was 2 meters, then in the second became 1.7. The plane developed a speed of 305 kilometers per hour. On the first tests on May 8, 1988, "Bumble Bi 2" crashed at an altitude of 120 meters. The reason is the engine failure. The biplane was administered by Robert himself and, during the fall, was seriously damaged.

The world's smallest aircraft

Colomban Cri-cri, designed by French designer Michel Colomban in 1973, was 3.9 meters long with a wingspan of 4.9 meters. In the Guinness Book of World Records, he hit the smallest plane with two engines. Its weight was only 79 kilograms. The average flight speed is 185 km / h, the maximum is 225 km / h. You can fly by plane for 2-2.5 hours, the maximum range is about 460 kilometers.

Unique technical characteristics made Colomban Cri-cri extremely popular and in demand. For today in France about 110 working copies, about 20 in the USA and 30 more in Germany, Canada and Great Britain. In 2010, the biplane was improved and received 2 more electric motors. Due to this, he again got into the Guinness Book of Records, as the smallest aircraft with 4 motors.

"Nano" and "Junior"

The seaplane, powered by an electric motor "Nano", was developed in Finland in late 2011. The wingspan is 4.8, and the length is 3.8 meters, and all this at a mass of only 70 kilograms. Significantly reduce the weight was due to the use of carbon fiber in the design. "Nano" is designed solely for takeoff and landing in water, so there is no chassis. It was planned to create 2 modifications of "Nano" with an electric and gasoline engine. But the second decided to refuse in favor of environmental friendliness and ease of use of the electric motor. Currently, only one copy has been released. With the launch of mass production "Nano" will be available to buyers for 35 000 euros.

"Junior" is the brainchild of Ray and Martin - American designers. The main goal was to get into the Guinness Book of Records at the expense of miniature sizes. The length of the biplane was 3.4 meters. Surprisingly, with such proportions, the wingspan is only 2.8. The cruising speed is 240 km / h. This is the smallest passenger aircraft in the world, for which I got into the Guinness Book of Records.

Let's sum up the results

We looked at the smallest aircraft in the world. Every year new models appear and old ones are modified. For the most part, designers are trying to beat existing records for cash profit. But not all biplanes and monoplanes are designed for this reason. Many are designed for further operation and distribution. Take at least the development of the Finns. The company did not try to make the dimensions very tiny. Here, emphasis is placed on safety and comfort. That is why such decisions will always have a demand. In addition, who would not want to buy a small-sized aircraft and make flights on it. Now, however, it is very difficult, but in the near future all this will become more than possible.