Apparatus and method of indicating stall using proximity sensing

Abstract

A stall indicator for use on an aircraft comprises: a structure for mounting a housing at a leading edge of a wing of the aircraft; a paddle disposed to air flow at the leading edge of the wing and movable in response to the air flow; and a proximity sensor disposed at the housing for detecting movement of the paddle at a sensing area. Also disclosed is a method of indicating when an aircraft is approaching a stall condition comprising the steps of: permitting a paddle, disposed at a leading edge of a wing of the aircraft, movement with respect to a sensing area in response to air flow at the wing; detecting movement of the paddle by proximity sensing with electrical energy in the vicinity of the sensing area; and effecting an electrical signal representative of the detected movement of the paddle, which signal being indicative of an approaching stall condition at the wing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.