BICh-3

BICh-3
Role	Research Aircraft
National origin	USSR
Designer	Boris Ivanovich Cheranovsky (Черановский)
First flight	1926.
Number built	1
Developed from	BICh-1

The BICh-3 (Russian: БИЧ-3) was a tail-less research aircraft designed and built in the USSR from 1926.

Development

After the relative success of Cheranovsky's first tail-less gliders, the BICh-1 and BICh-2, he continued the tail-less theme with the BICh-3. The BICh-3 was built of wood with a parabolic wing planform and a central nacelle, containing cockpit and engine, which faired into a large and powerful fin and rudder. The undercarriage consisted of a trousered central mono-wheel with wing-tip skids. The BICh-3 was flown in Moscow in 1926. Tests found it to be unstable, so consequently the handling was improved, after minor modifications, enough for the aircraft to be re-assessed as safe to fly.

Specifications (BICh-3)

Data from Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 20 m² (215 ft²)
• Empty weight: 140 kg (309 lb)
• Gross weight: 230 kg (507 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Blackburne Tomtit, 13.4 kW (18 hp)

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Lippisch Delta I
• Horten H I
• Horten H.III
  

Related lists

• List of aircraft
  

References

• Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9

External links

• http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/RAM/bich-3.html
• http://web.archive.org/web/20091027081510/http://www.geocities.com/unicraftmodels/on/bich3/bich3.htm
• http://www.jroger.net/berliweb/tcheranovsky/page_tcheranovsky.htm - archival photographs