Hinged raked wing tip

An aircraft comprising:

• a fuselage;
• wing assemblies attached to the fuselage, each wing assembly including:
• an inboard section with moveable flight control surfaces, the inboard section including a main wing spar, an upper skin panel and a lower skin panel, and a stub spar door is formed in one of the upper skin panel and the lower skin panel;
• a raked wing tip rotatably coupled to the inboard section by a hinge defining a hinge line about which the raked wing tip rotates relative to the inboard section, the raked wing tip having no moveable flight control surfaces and being rotatable about the hinge line between a folded position and an extended position, in which the raked wing tip is approximately co-planar with the inboard section;
• a stub spar coupled to the raked wing tip, the stub spar extending from an end of the raked wing tip and positioned to pass through the stub spar door as the wing tip rotates about the hinge line between the folded position and the extended position, the stub spar being configured for insertion into the inboard section and alignment with the main wing spar when the raked wing tip is in the extended position, wherein a free end of the stub spar defines a locking location for coupling to the main wing;
• a locking assembly for locking the free end of the stub spar to the main wing spar, thereby to secure the wing tip in the extended position;
• and
• an actuator coupled to the free end of the stub spar and configured to rotate the outboard raked wing tip portion about the hinge line between the folded position and the extended position.

A method of enhancing performance of an aircraft including wings with raked wing tips, the method comprising folding outboard portions of the raked wing tips in a folded position for taxiing, extending the outboard portions in an extended position, in which the raked wing tips are approximately co-planar with associated main wings, to increase wingspan for flight;

• wherein each of the outboard portions is rotatably coupled to the associated main wing by a hinge defining a hinge line about which the outboard raked wing tip portion rotates relative to the associated main wing;
• wherein each of the outboard portions further includes a stub spar extending from an end of the outboard portion and positioned to pass through a stub spar door formed in one of an upper skin panel and a lower skin panel provided on an associated main wing as the outboard portion rotates about the hinge line between the folded position and the extended position, wherein each stub spar is configured for insertion into the main wing when the outboard portion is in the extended position;
• wherein a free end of each stub spar defines a locking location for coupling to a main wing spar of the main wing;
• wherein a locking assembly locks the free end of the stub spar to the main wing spar to secure each wing tip in the extended position;
• and wherein an actuator is coupled to the free end of each stub spar and configured to rotate the associated outboard portion about the hinge line between the folded position and the extended position.