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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorHarold J. Walker
Estimating the term…
An annular wing particularly suited for use in supporting in flight an aircraft characterized by the absence of directional stabilizing surfaces. The wing comprises a rigid annular body of a substantially uniformly symmetrical configuration characterized by an annular positive lifting surface and cord line coincident with the segment of a line radiating along the surface of an inverted truncated cone whereby a decalage is established for the leading and trailing semi-circular portions of the body, relative to instantaneous line of flight, and a dihedral for the laterally opposed semi-circular portions of the body, relative to the line of flight, the direction of flight and climb angle or glide slope angle being established by selectively positioning the center of gravity of the wing ahead of the aerodynamic center along the radius coincident with an axis for a selected line of flight.
In combination with a tailless aircraft an improved wing when in flight having a direction of flight, a climb angle, a geometric center, an aerodynamic center, and a center of gravity located forwardly of the aerodynamic center of the wing, relative to the direction of flight, comprising:
In combination with a tailless aircraft an unitary wing capable of achieving in-flight longitudinal and lateral stability and abrupt changes in direction of flight while remaining substantially stabilized relative to its axis of yaw, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.