Float plane technology
AssigneeWipaire, Inc.
InventorRobert D. Wiplinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides a float plane having a fuselage, a wing, and two floats mounted to the fuselage. In one group of embodiments, the float plane is a firefighting float plane that includes a water tank and a water scooping assembly. In another group of embodiments, the float plane includes a spreader bar suspension assembly. In certain embodiments, the float plane is a firefighting float plane that includes a water tank, a water scooping assembly, and a spreader bar suspension assembly.
Claims16
A firefighting float plane comprising a fuselage, a wing, a water tank, first and second floats, and a scoop assembly, the water tank including a fore compartment and an aft compartment, the scoop assembly comprising a scoop tube, at least part of the scoop tube being external to the fuselage, the scoop tube being part of a flow line that enters the fuselage and branches into first and second flow lines, the first flow line extending into the aft compartment and having a discharge outlet located in the aft compartment, the second flow line passing through the aft compartment and extending into the fore compartment and having a discharge outlet located in the fore compartment.
A firefighting float plane comprising a fuselage, a wing, a water tank, first and second floats, and a scoop assembly, the water tank including a fore compartment and an aft compartment, the scoop assembly comprising a scoop tube, at least part of the scoop tube being external to the fuselage, the scoop tube being part of a flow line that enters the fuselage and branches into first and second flow lines, the first flow line extending into the aft compartment and having a discharge outlet located in the aft compartment, the second flow line passing through the aft compartment and extending into the fore compartment and having a discharge outlet located in the fore compartment, and wherein the first and second flow lines extend through openings in a rear side of the aft compartment of the water tank.
A firefighting float plane comprising a fuselage, a wing, a water tank, first and second floats, and a scoop assembly, the water tank including a fore compartment and an aft compartment, the scoop assembly comprising a scoop tube, at least part of the scoop tube being external to the fuselage, the scoop tube being part of a flow line that enters the fuselage and branches into first and second flow lines, the first flow line extending into the aft compartment and having a discharge outlet located in the aft compartment, the second flow line passing through the aft compartment and extending into the fore compartment and having a discharge outlet located in the fore compartment, wherein the flow line is part of a flow path along which water scooped from a body of water travels before reaching the water tank, and wherein the flow path does not turn so much that any portion of the flow path is located between lateral sidewalls of the water tank and an adjacent skin of the fuselage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.