Safety link assembly for an aerial delivery apparatus

An aerial delivery apparatus, comprising:

• an aerial delivery platform;
• an extractor parachute configured to extract the aerial delivery platform from an aircraft;
• and
• a safety link assembly, wherein
• the safety link assembly comprises:
• a main body,
• an ejectable connector,
• a retaining mechanism comprising a retaining lever rotatably mounted on a rotary axis on the main body and rotatable between a first retaining position, in which a first region of the retaining lever acts on the ejectable connector to retain the ejectable connector adjacent the main body, and a second releasing position, in which the ejectable connector is ejectable from the main body, and
• a securing mechanism comprising a securing member moveable between a first securing position, in which a first region of the securing member acts on a second region of the retaining lever to secure the retaining lever in its first retaining position, and a second non-securing position, in which the retaining lever is not secured in the first retaining position,
• wherein a distance from the first region of the retaining lever to the rotary axis is less than a distance from the second region of the retaining lever to the rotary axis,
• wherein the first region and second region of the retaining lever are both on the same side of the retaining lever with respect to the rotary axis,
• wherein the safety link assembly connects the aerial delivery platform to the extractor parachute via the ejectable connector, the safety link assembly being configured to release the connection between the aerial delivery platform and the extractor parachute once the aerial delivery platform has been sufficiently extracted from the aircraft, and
• wherein the retaining mechanism is configured to release the ejectable connector whilst the ejectable connector is under tension as a result of being retained by the retaining mechanism and being pulled in a direction away from the retaining mechanism.

A safety link assembly, comprising:

• a main body,
• an ejectable connector,
• a retaining mechanism comprising a retaining lever rotatably mounted on a first rotary axis on the main body and rotatable between a first retaining position, in which a first region of the retaining lever acts on the ejectable connector to retain the ejectable connector adjacent the main body, and a second releasing position, in which the ejectable connector is ejectable from the main body,
• a securing mechanism comprising a securing member moveable between a first securing position, in which a first region of the securing member acts on a second region of the retaining lever to secure the retaining lever in its first retaining position, and a second non-securing position, in which the retaining lever is not secured in the first retaining position,
• wherein the distance from the first region of the retaining lever to the first rotary axis is less than the distance from the second region of the retaining lever to the first rotary axis,
• wherein the assembly further comprises a drop arm arranged to rest on an aircraft floor and to move when the drop arm loses contact with the aircraft floor during an extraction of the aerial delivery platform from the aircraft,
• wherein movement of the drop arm causes the securing mechanism to move to the second non-securing position, and
• the safety link assembly is configured to connect an aerial delivery platform to an extractor parachute for extracting the aerial delivery platform from an aircraft, the safety link assembly being configured to release the connection between the aerial delivery platform and the extractor parachute once the aerial delivery platform has been sufficiently extracted from the aircraft.