Flight control surface
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorOliver Family
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft wing with an array of moveably flight control surfaces is disclosed. Each flight control surface includes a trailing edge with a moveable tab attached to the flight control surface trailing edge. A flight control system coupled to a flight control surface drive system which moves the flight control surfaces; a tab drive system which moves the moveable tabs and one or more aircraft angle of attack sensors. The flight control system stores a set of angular deflections to deflect the tabs upwardly when the angle of attack reaches a threshold.
Claims15
An aircraft comprising:
- a wing with a wing leading edge and a wing trailing edge, and an array of moveable flight control surfaces attached along the wing trailing edge, each flight control surface having a trailing edge with a moveable tab attached at the flight control surface trailing edge;
- one or more flight control surface drive systems for moving the flight control surfaces with respect to the wing trailing edge;
- tab drive systems for moving the tabs with respect to the flight control surface trailing edges;
- one or more aircraft angle of attack sensors;
- and
- a flight control system coupled to the one or more aircraft angle of attack sensors, the one or more flight control surface drive systems, and the tab drive systems, and
- wherein the flight control system stores a set of angular deflections for the tabs for deflecting at least some of the tabs upwardly with respect to their respective flight control surfaces when the aircraft angle of attack reaches a threshold.
A method of operating an aircraft having a wing with a wing leading edge and a wing trailing edge, and an array of moveable flight control surfaces attached along the wing trailing edge, each flight control surface having a trailing edge with a moveable tab attached at the flight control surface trailing edge, the method comprising:
- moving at least some of the tabs to achieve differential upward angular deflections of the tabs with respect to their respective flight control surfaces when the aircraft angle of attack reaches a threshold according to a predetermined set of angular deflections for the tabs.
A method of conducting a flight test campaign for an aircraft having a wing with a wing leading edge and a wing trailing edge, and an array of moveable flight control surfaces attached along the wing trailing edge, each flight control surface having a trailing edge with a moveable tab attached at the flight control surface trailing edge, the method comprising:
- flying the aircraft through a range of angle of attack:
- moving at least some of the tabs to achieve differential upward angular deflections of the tabs with respect to their respective flight control surfaces to change the wing loading;
- analysing and recording the wing loading performance;
- recording a set of angular deflections for the tabs when the wing loading performance is optimised at a selected aircraft angle of attack;
- and,
- recording the set of angular deflections for the selected aircraft angle of attack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.