The Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances. It is a type of rocket pack .
63-447: Bell Aerosystems began development of a rocket pack which it called the "Bell Rocket Belt" or "man-rocket" for the US Army in the mid 1950s. It was demonstrated in 1961 but 5 gallons of hydrogen peroxide fuel needed for 21 seconds of flight time did not impress the army. After U.S. patent 3,243,144 was applied for in 1964 and granted in 1966, development was cancelled. This concept
126-399: A Small Rocket Lift Device (SRLD). The experimental rig, which worked on compressed nitrogen, was prepared. Its steel tubing frame allowed a tester to be attached to the rig. Two hinged nozzles were set on the frame. Nitrogen at 35 atmospheres (3.5 MPa) was supplied to the nozzles by flexible hoses. An engineer-operator on the ground regulated the supply of nitrogen through a valve. Additionally,
189-616: A builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1 , the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters . Bell also developed the Reaction Control System for the Mercury Spacecraft, North American X-15 , and Bell Rocket Belt . The company was purchased in 1960 by Textron , and lives on as Bell Textron . As
252-482: A circle and turning on a spot. He flew over streams and cars, ten-meter hills, and between trees. From April through May 1961 Graham carried out 28 additional flights. Wendell Moore worked to achieve reliability from the pack and confident piloting from Graham in preparation of presenting the rocket pack to the public. In the course of testing, maximums of duration and distance were achieved: duration 21 seconds; range 120 m; height 10 m; speed, 55 km/h. On 8 June 1962,
315-449: A crash helmet containing hearing protection and the buzzer for the low-fuel warning timer. The rocket thrust-chamber's supersonic exhaust jet makes a deafeningly loud (130 decibels ), shrill screeching sound, very different from the roar of an airplane's jet engine. The jet exhaust is transparent and usually not visible in air. But in cold weather the water vapor, which is a large part of the steam-gas mixture, condenses soon after it leaves
378-644: A factory near Marietta, Georgia , just northwest of Atlanta . Online by mid-1943, the new plant produced hundreds of Consolidated B-24 Liberators and Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. In mid-1944, the production of the B-24 was consolidated from several different companies (including some in Texas) to two large factories: Consolidated Vultee in San Diego and Ford Motor Company 's Willow Run factory near Detroit, Michigan , which had been specially designed to produce B-24s. For
441-685: A pilot, Larry Bell saw his first plane at an air show, starting a lifelong fascination with aviation. Bell dropped out of high school in 1912 to join his brother in the burgeoning aircraft industry at the Glenn L. Martin Company , where by 1914 he had become shop superintendent. By 1920, Bell was vice president and general manager of Martin, then based in Cleveland . Feeling that he deserved part ownership, in late 1924, he presented Martin with an ultimatum. Mr. Martin refused, and Bell quit. Bell spent several years out of
504-419: A regulator assembly connected to a throttle handle on the right lever of the device. The handle on the left lever governed the slant of the (jetavators) nozzles. Tests of the pack began toward the end of 1960 and were performed in a large hangar with a safety tether. Wendell Moore completed the first 20 tethered takeoffs while making incremental improvements. On 17 February 1961, the pack veered sharply, reaching
567-714: A similar system was incorporated into the North American X-15 spaceplane. NASA selected Bell to develop and built the LLRV Lunar Landing Research Vehicle , three of which were built in the early 1960s to train the Apollo astronauts to land on the Moon. Bell also designed the rocket engine used in the Apollo LEM Ascent Propulsion System , which was responsible for getting NASA's astronauts off
630-412: A temperature of about 740 °C. This was led by two insulated curved tubes to two nozzles where it blasted out, supplying the propulsion. The pilot can vector the thrust by altering the direction of the nozzles through hand-operated controls. To protect from resulting burns the pilot had to wear insulating clothes. The Bell Rocket Belt was successful and popular but was limited in its potential uses to
693-413: A thrust of 280 pounds-force (1.25 kN or 127 kgf ) was chosen. The pack with its fuel weighed 125 lb (57 kg). The pack had a fiberglass frame contoured to fit the operator's body, secured with straps, and cylinders of fuel and nitrogen were attached to the frame. The motor was fastened using a hinged assembly that was controlled by levers under the shoulders while thrust was controlled through
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#1732883920980756-502: A vacant spot near the Niagara Falls airport, the first free flight of a rocket pack was performed. Harold Graham reached a height of approximately 4 feet (1.2 meters), and then flew smoothly forward at a speed of approximately 10 km/h for a distance of 108 feet (less than 35 meters) and then landed. The flight lasted 13 seconds. In subsequent flights Graham learned how to control the pack and perform more complex maneuvers: flying in
819-480: Is a non-standard gravitational metric unit of force . It is not accepted for use with the International System of Units (SI) and is deprecated for most uses. The kilogram-force is equal to the magnitude of the force exerted on one kilogram of mass in a 9.806 65 m/s gravitational field ( standard gravity , a conventional value approximating the average magnitude of gravity on Earth). That is, it
882-520: Is the weight of a kilogram under standard gravity. One kilogram-force is defined as 9.806 65 N . Similarly, a gram-force is 9.806 65 mN , and a milligram-force is 9.806 65 μN . The gram-force and kilogram-force were never well-defined units until the CGPM adopted a standard acceleration of gravity of 9.80665 m/s for this purpose in 1901, though they had been used in low-precision measurements of force before that time. Even then,
945-643: The 1984 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies. It has also been seen in movies and on television. This type of rocket belt was used in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball . It also made an appearance in the Lost in Space television series as well as the 1976 CBS Saturday morning children's live action TV show Ark II . Wendell F. Moore began working on a rocket pack as early as 1953 (possibly, after learning about Thomas Moore's work) while working as an engineer at Bell Aerosystems . Experiments began in
1008-646: The P-63 Kingcobra , this warplane addressed many of the shortcomings of the P-39, though it was produced too late in the war to make any significant contribution. 2,971 P-63's were built between 1943 and 1945, many delivered to the Soviet Union. Also, by that time, the Army Air Forces already had the superior P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning fighter-bombers . In October 1942, The Bell-built twin-jet P-59 Airacomet
1071-412: The specific impulse in seconds. The term "kilopond" has been declared obsolete. The tonne-force , metric ton-force , megagram-force , and megapond ( Mp ) are each 1000 kilograms-force. The decanewton or dekanewton ( daN ), exactly 10 N, is used in some fields as an approximation to the kilogram-force, because it is close to the 9.80665 N of 1 kgf. The gram-force is 1 ⁄ 1000 of
1134-777: The Army due to limited fuel storage. As a result, the Army turned its attention to missile development, and the Rocket Belt project was discontinued. One Bell Rocket Belt is on display at the Smithsonian Institution 's National Air and Space Museum annex, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center , located near Dulles Airport . Another resides at the State University of New York at Buffalo's Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering . It has been used in presentations at Disneyland and at
1197-537: The Bell Aerosystems contract. Bell spent an additional $ 50,000. The army refused any further expenditure on the SRLD program, and the contract was cancelled. The rocket could carry a man over 9-m-high obstacles and reached a speed of 11 to 16 km/h. However, its flying time was limited to 20 seconds. A later advancement during the years 1995–2000 could not improve the flying time to any more than 30 seconds. Apart from
1260-486: The Bell Test Pilot. In this book Mr. Suitor describes the rocketbelt in great detail, including servicing, fueling, and even step by step flying lessons. This is the first book ever published on the rocketbelt device by a man that has actually flown it over the years. General characteristics Performance Bell Aircraft Corporation The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer ,
1323-463: The Moon. Société d'Étude et de Développement des Aéroglisseurs Marins (SEDAM) was a French-based unit of Bell founded in 1965 and builder of N500 Naviplane hovercraft, as well as N.300 Naviplane and Naviplane N102 . SEDAM ceased operations in 1982 and factory site re-developed for non-aviation usage. Kilogram-force The kilogram-force ( kgf or kg F ), or kilopond ( kp , from Latin : pondus , lit. 'weight'),
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#17328839209801386-424: The P-39 placed the engine in the center of the aircraft, with the propeller driven by a long shaft through which a 37mm cannon was also mounted, firing through the propeller's spinner. Due to persistent development and production problems, the original turbosupercharger was deleted from production models, instead using a single-stage, single-speed supercharger, as was standard on all other Allison-powered products, with
1449-498: The P-59 that was cancelled. The Bell XF-109 was a supersonic vertical takeoff fighter that was cancelled in 1961. Perhaps Bell Aircraft's most important contribution to the history of fixed-wing aircraft development would be the design and building of the experimental Bell X-1 rocket plane , the world's first airplane to break the sound barrier , and its follow-on, the Bell X-2 . Unlike
1512-461: The RB-2000 to an unknown location. A year later Stanley successfully sued Barker, who was ordered to return the RB-2000 to Stanley and pay 10 million dollars in costs and damages. When Barker refused to deliver, Stanley kidnapped him and held him captive in a box, from which Barker managed to escape after eight days. Stanley was arrested in 2002 for the kidnapping, and served an eight years sentence. Wright
1575-445: The aid of the flexible thrusts, be slanted forward or back. The pilot inclines the handle forward or back and slants both nozzle tips at the same time to fly straight . If pilot must turn, he turns handle, to slant the nozzles in opposite directions, one forward, another back, turning the pilot and the pack around its axis. By the combination of different motions of lever handles the pilot can fly any way, even sideways, to turn, rotate on
1638-463: The air-to-air role, where they found it to excel as a front-line fighter against some of the best pilots and aircraft of the Luftwaffe . The Soviet-flown P-39s were the main reason that the aircraft is credited with highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. A somewhat larger and more powerful version of the P-39 was produced shortly before the end of World War II . Called
1701-457: The aviation industry, but in 1928 was hired by Reuben H. Fleet at Consolidated Aircraft , in Buffalo, New York , where he was guaranteed an interest in the company. Before long, Bell became general manager and business was booming, but he still wanted to run his own company. Although he could raise local capital, he knew he would not be able to compete with either Consolidated or Curtiss-Wright ,
1764-400: The center of gravity of both the pilot and pack that allowed for directional control. Wendell Moore and other members of his group participated in the test flights. These first flights were just sharp leaps, but proved the concept and persuaded the military to fund development. The Bell company was awarded a contract to develop, flight test, and demonstrate a practical SRLD. A rocket motor with
1827-587: The company was in financial difficulty. Textron purchased the Bell Aerospace division on 5 July 1960. Bell Aerospace was composed of three divisions of Bell Aircraft, including the helicopter division. Bell Aerospace Textron continued to play a significant role in NASA's mission to land men on the Moon in the 1960s. Bell designed and built the Reaction Control system for Project Mercury 's Redstone command module and
1890-409: The construction of the "Bell Rocket Belt" pack, developed from 1960–1969 by Wendell Moore. Moore's pack has two major parts: The whole construction is simple and reliable; except for the regulator valve and steerable nozzles, the rocket engine has no moving parts. The pack has two levers, rigidly connected to the engine installation. Pressing on these levers, the pilot deflects the nozzles back, and
1953-410: The end of the safety tether, which then broke, causing Moore to fall approximately 2.5 meters, breaking his kneecap and rendering him unfit for further flights. Engineer Harold Graham took over as test pilot and testing resumed on 1 March. He then carried out 36 more tethered tests which enabled them to achieve stable control of the pack. On 20 April 1961 (the week after Yuri Gagarin 's flight), on
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2016-565: The exception of the P-38. The P-39 performed poorly at high altitudes compared to newer, late-war designs. Most Allied forces thought the Airacobra effective only for ground attack roles, as demonstrated by a few U.S. Army Air Forces units that flew P-39s, such as the so-called Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal in 1942–43. However, the Soviet Air Force used their Lend-Lease P-39s primarily in
2079-411: The extremely limited working time, this rocket belt did not allow for a controlled landing should its drive fail, as it would operate at altitudes far too low for a parachute to function. This represents a substantial safety risk and differentiates the rocket belt from airplanes and helicopters , which can land safely without power by gliding or autorotation . All existing rocket packs are based on
2142-620: The first engine until March 1942. Also, General Henry "Hap" Arnold had forbidden use of wind tunnels to test and optimize the design, but later relented somewhat, only allowing the group to use the low-speed tunnel at Wright Field , Ohio . Bell engineers could only guess at the performance characteristics. Originally intended initially as a production aircraft, the P-59 nevertheless became an important experimental testbed for jet technology, providing invaluable data for development of later jet airplanes. During World War II, Bell also built heavy bombers under license from other aircraft companies at
2205-424: The flight it is necessary to hold legs together and straight, and to control flight by the pack's levers and handles. This is the only way to learn to competently pilot the pack and to confidently carry out complex aerial maneuvers. The throttle handle is on the right lever. In the closed position it completely shuts the fuel regulator valve, stopping fuel from reaching the engine. Turning the handle counterclockwise,
2268-534: The goal of developing a new version of the rocket pack. By 1994 they had a working prototype, which they named "RB 2000 Rocket Belt". The "RB 2000" essentially reimplemented Wendell Moore's design using light alloys ( titanium , aluminium ) and composite materials . It featured increased fuel stock and increased power, and the maximum duration of flight was increased to 30 seconds. It was flown on 12 June 1995 by Bill Suitor. The partnership broke down soon thereafter, with Stanley accusing Barker of fraud and Barker taking
2331-423: The mid-1950s. Developing the engine did not present difficulties — the application of hydrogen peroxide was well developed by missilemen . The main problem was achieving stable and steady flight; for this, a reliable and convenient control system had to be developed. In 1959 the U.S. Army contracted Aerojet General to conduct feasibility studies on a Rocket Belt and contracted Bell Aerosystems to develop
2394-626: The nozzle, enveloping the pilot in a cloud of fog (for this reason, the very first tethered flights of the Bell Rocket Belt were carried out in a hangar). The jet exhaust is also visible if the fuel is not decomposed completely in the gas generator, which can occur if the catalyst or the hydrogen peroxide is contaminated. In 1992 a company was formed by Brad Barker (a former insurance salesman), Joe Wright (a Houston-based businessman), and Larry Stanley (an engineer and owner of an oil well ), after inviting professional inventor Doug Malewicki , with
2457-643: The only part of Bell Aircraft still producing aircraft when Bell was purchased by the Textron Corporation . That part of Textron is now known today as Bell Helicopter . After a series of successful helicopter designs, the UH-1 Iroquois became the most famous helicopter of the War in Vietnam , and Bell Helicopter still designs and manufactures helicopters today. Lawrence Bell died in 1956, and for several years afterwards
2520-417: The pack flies forward. Accordingly, raising this lever makes the pack move back. It is possible to lean the engine installation to the sides (because of the ball and socket joint) to fly sideways. Control with the aid of the lever is somewhat rough; for finer control the pilot uses a handle on the left lever. This handle governs the tips of the jet nozzles. The tips (jetavators) are spring-opposed and can, with
2583-504: The pack was publicly demonstrated for the first time before several hundred officers at the Fort Eustis military base. Other public demonstrations then followed, including the famous flight in the Pentagon courtyard. On that day Harold Graham flew before 3000 members of the military department, who observed with enthusiasm. On 11 October 1961, (according to other data, 12 October) the pack
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2646-406: The pilot increases the engine thrust. During servicing of the pack with compressed nitrogen the handle is held in the closed position with a shear pin for safety. The pilot's timer is on the same handle. Since the pack has fuel for only for 21 seconds of flight, it is critical to know when the pack will run out of fuel, so that the pilot can safely land before his tanks are empty. Before the flight
2709-486: The property of the Lockheed Corporation , which has used it for producing C-130 Hercules , C-141 Starlifter , and C-5 Galaxy transport planes . Although Bell designed several more fighter plane designs during and after WW II, none of these ever entered mass-production. The XP-77 was a small fighter using non- strategic materials ; it was not successful. The XP-83 was a jet escort fighter similar in layout to
2772-679: The proposal to define kilogram-force as a standard unit of force was explicitly rejected. Instead, the newton was proposed in 1913 and accepted in 1948. The kilogram-force has never been a part of the International System of Units (SI), which was introduced in 1960. The SI unit of force is the newton . Prior to this, the units were widely used in much of the world. They are still in use for some purposes; for example, they are used to specify tension of bicycle spokes , draw weight of bows in archery , and tensile strength of electronics bond wire , for informal references to pressure (as
2835-577: The rest of the war, Bell's Marietta plant , under the management of Carl Cover and James V. Carmichael concentrated on producing B-29s, producing 668 of them by the time contract expired in the fall of 1945. Bell ranked 25th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. As the postwar defense industry downsized, Bell consolidated its operations at the Wheatfield plant, near Buffalo. The aircraft factory in Marietta later became
2898-476: The rocket pack in action before the public. However, the army was disappointed. The maximum duration of flight of the rocket pack was 21 seconds, with a range of only 120 m. A large contingent of service personnel needed to accompany the rocket pack. During flight 5 U.S. gallons (19 liters) of hydrogen peroxide was expended. In the opinion of the military, the "Bell Rocket Belt" was more a spectacular toy than an effective means of transport. The army spent $ 150,000 on
2961-452: The spot, etc. The pilot can control his rocket pack's flight differently, by changing the center of gravity of his body. For example, if we bend the legs and raise them to the stomach, the center of gravity will move forwards, and pack will be inclined and it will also fly forward. Such a control of pack, with the aid of the body, is considered incorrect and is characteristic of novices. Most experienced pilot Bill Suitor asserts that during
3024-440: The technically incorrect kilogram per square centimetre , omitting -force , the kilogram -force per square centimetre being the technical atmosphere , the value of which is very near those of both the bar and the standard atmosphere ), and to define the " metric horsepower " (PS) as 75 metre-kiloponds per second. In addition, the kilogram force was the standard unit used for Vickers hardness testing . In 1940s, Germany,
3087-406: The tester regulated the thrust using levers under his shoulders. The tester inclined the nozzles forward and backward, trying to reach stable hovering at a limited height. A safety tether was attached from below, so that the rig and tester could not fly too high. The first tests showed that the human body was a very unstable platform. Testing found the best arrangement for the jet nozzles relative to
3150-472: The thrust of a rocket engine was measured in kilograms-force, in the Soviet Union it remained the primary unit for thrust in the Russian space program until at least the late 1980s. Dividing the thrust in kilograms-force on the mass of an engine or a rocket in kilograms conveniently gives the thrust to weight ratio , dividing the thrust on propellant consumption rate ( mass flow rate ) in kilograms per second gives
3213-471: The time, with gyro stabilized weapons sighting and a thermionic fire control system. Including the prototype, just 13 Airacudas were produced, and these saw only limited service with the USAAC before being scrapped in 1942. Bell enjoyed much success the following year with the development of the single engine P-39 Airacobra, which 9,588 were built. Putting their previous experience with Allison engines to good use,
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#17328839209803276-423: The timer is set for 21 seconds. When the pilot turns the handle for the takeoff, the timer begins counting and will give second-by-second signals to a buzzer in the pilot's helmet. In 15 seconds the signal becomes continuous, telling the pilot that it is time to land. The pack's pilot wears protective overalls made of thermal resistant material, since the exhaust jet and the engine's pipes are very hot. He also wears
3339-592: The two major aircraft builders also based in Buffalo. Fortunately, in 1935 Fleet decided to move Consolidated Aircraft to San Diego , and Bell stayed behind to establish his own company, the Bell Aircraft Company, on 10 July 1935, headquartered in the former Consolidated plant at 2050 Elmwood Avenue in North Delaware area of Buffalo. Bell was the third major aircraft builder to occupy the site. The factory complex
3402-523: The usual designations for American aircraft, the X-1 models were successive (mostly identical) units of the X-1 program: the X-1, X-1A, X-1B, X-1C, X-1D, and X-1E. Bell went on to design and produce several different experimental aircraft during the 1950s. These helped the U.S. Air Force and the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) explore the boundaries of aircraft design, and paved
3465-528: The way for the founding of NASA and the exploration of outer space . The X-2 Starbuster achieved Mach 3 (2,100 mph) and a height of 126,000 ft in 1955, blazing a technological trail for the development of spacecraft. Bell played a crucial role in the development of rocket propulsion after WWII, spearheaded by the likes of some of the most brilliant minds in rocket science like Walter Dornberger (ex-commander of Nazi Germany Peenemünde Army Research Center ) and Wendell Moore. Bell developed and fielded
3528-556: The world's first nuclear-tipped Air-to-Surface cruise missile, the GAM-63 RASCAL in 1957. Wendell Moore developed the Bell rocket belt , utilizing peroxide monopropellant rocket engines. While the rocket belt failed to be commercially developed, the rocket technology proved invaluable in future Bell programs. Bell's crowning achievement in the realm of rocketry was the Agena rocket engine. The Agena
3591-524: Was a 12,000 lbf bi-propellant rocket that is considered to this day to be one of the most reliable rockets ever built. 360 units were produced starting in the late 1950s and it was responsible for inserting into orbit most of the satellites launched by the United States in the 1960s. Helicopter development began at Bell Aircraft in 1941 with the Bell Model 30 first flying in 1943. Bell Helicopter became
3654-539: Was demonstrated personally to President John F. Kennedy in the course of experimental maneuvers on the military base Fort Bragg. Graham took off from an amphibious LST , flew over a strip of water, and landed in front of the President. Harold Graham and a support crew travelled to many cities in the USA. They visited Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, and France, as well as other countries. Each time they successfully demonstrated
3717-421: Was murdered at his home in 1998, and the crime remains unsolved. The rocketbelt was never recovered. The story is recounted in the book The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder by Paul Brown, and fictionalized in the 2008 movie Pretty Bird . In 1993 a book was published by Derwin M. Beushausen entitled "Airwalker: A Date with Destiny", Rocketbelt History and Construction Plans. This
3780-473: Was originally built in 1916 for the Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Company , and during World War I had been considered the largest airplane factory in the world. Bell's first military contract followed in 1937 with the development of the ill-fated YFM-1 Airacuda , an unconventional bomber-destroyer powered by two Allison -powered pusher propellers . The YFM-1 incorporated groundbreaking technology for
3843-414: Was revived in the 1990s and these packs can provide powerful, manageable thrust. This rocket belt's propulsion works with superheated water vapour. A gas cylinder contains nitrogen gas, and two cylinders containing highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide. The nitrogen presses the hydrogen peroxide onto a catalyst, which decomposes the hydrogen peroxide into a mixture of superheated steam and oxygen with
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#17328839209803906-613: Was the first American jet aircraft to fly. Unfortunately, performance was below expectations, roughly on par with contemporaneous propeller-driven aircraft, an outcome generally attributed to the extremely short development timeframe required by the USAAF, as well as the intense secrecy imposed on the project. Design had begun in September 1941, during which time the Bell team was guided mostly by theory, as General Electric would not finish and begin testing
3969-408: Was the first book ever published that went into great detail describing the history of this device and how to actually build it. In 2000 another book was published by Derwin M. Beushausen entitled "The Amazing Rocketbelt" in which you could find the history and more construction plans for the rocketbelt device. In 2009 William P. Suitor published a book entitled "Rocketbelt Pilot's Manual" A Guide by
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