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US 12,103,677 B2Granted
Fabric covered aircraft wings and method for folding wings
AssigneeDenis A. Pettee
InventorMarc Stefan Witt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flying vehicle comprising a wing ship body having a pair of wing spars secured thereto; and a plurality of hinged wing-rib assemblies disposed along each wing spar that allows the wings to be folded against the body of the flying vehicle. Fabric-coupling members connect wing fabric to the wing-rib assemblies. A method for folding or collapsing the wings of a wing-in-ground-effect wing ship comprising providing a wing-in-ground-effect wing ship having a pair of wings, and folding the wings toward and against the body of the wing-in-ground-effect wing ship.
Claims20
A method for collapsing fabric-covered wings of an aircraft comprising:
- (a) providing an aircraft including a first wing assembly having at least one first rib assembly supported by a first wing spar, and a second wing assembly having at least one second rib assembly supported by a second wing spar;
- (b) covering the first wing assembly with a first wing fabric, and covering the second wing assembly with a second wing fabric;
- (c) coupling the first wing fabric to the at least one first rib assembly with at least one fabric-coupling member;
- (d) coupling the second wing fabric to the at least one second rib assembly with at least one fabric-coupling member;
- (e) pivoting at least one front wing rib of the at least one first rib assembly in a first direction;
- (f) pivoting at least one rear wing rib of the at least one first rib assembly in a second direction which is a direction opposite to the first direction;
- (g) pivoting at least one front wing rib of the at least one second rib assembly in the second direction;
- and
- (h) pivoting at least one rear wing rib of the at least one second rib assembly in the first direction.
6 more elements
An aircraft comprising comprising:
- (a) a wing body having a first wing spar and a second wing spar pivotally coupled thereto;
- (b) at least one first wing-rib assembly coupled to the first wing spar, said at least one first wing-rib assembly comprising at least one first front rib member and at least one first rear rib member;
- (c) at least one second wing-rib assembly coupled to the second wing spar, said at least one second wing-rib assembly comprising at least one second front rib member and at least one second rear rib member;
- (d) a first wing fabric covering said first wing spar and said first wing-rib assembly;
- (e) at least one first fabric-coupling member coupling the first wing fabric to the first wing-rib assembly;
- (f) a second wing fabric covering said second wing spar and said second wing-rib assembly;
- (g) at least one second fabric-coupling member coupling the second wing fabric to the second wing-rib assembly;
- (h) said at least one first front rib member being adapted for pivoting in a first direction, and said at least one first rear rib member being adapted for pivoting in a second direction which is a direction opposite to the first direction;
- and
- (i) said at least one second front rib member being adapted for pivoting in the second direction, and said at least one second rear rib member being adapted for pivoting in the first direction.
7 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- (a) a wing body having a first wing spar and a second wing spar pivotally coupled thereto;
- (b) at least one first wing-rib assembly coupled to the first wing spar, said at least one first wing-rib assembly comprising at least one first front rib member and at least one first rear rib member;
- (c) at least one second wing-rib assembly coupled to the second wing spar, said at least one second wing-rib assembly comprising at least one second front rib member and at least one second rear rib member;
- (d) said at least one first front rib member being adapted for pivoting in a first direction, and said at least one first rear rib member being adapted for pivoting in a second direction which is a direction opposite to the first direction;
- and
- (e) said at least one second front rib member being adapted for pivoting in the second direction, and said at least one second rear rib member being adapted for pivoting in the first direction.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.