Free flight maneuvering toy airplane
OwnerJohn F. Chotia, deceased, by Susan M. Bowman, personal representativeinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A toy airplane adapted to be hand launched into free flight using an elastic band, the airplane being adapted to automatically perform a looping maneuver distantly from the launch point. A forward rigid wing section is provided, being integral with a rearward downwardly flexible wing section having an elevator section upturned along its trailing edge. The plane is adapted to initially dive shallowly after launch, and to thereafter turn upwardly into a complete looping maneuver, to glide thereafter in a nose-up attitude to a tail-down skidding landing. The remoteness of the maneuver from the operator is an important safety feature of the invention.
Claims8
A toy airplane adapted to be launched into unpowered free flight, comprising:
- a rearward wing of elastic material adapted for flexure transversely to the direction of flight in response to aerodynamic forces thereon, and having a trailing edge and a leading edge both transverse to the direction of flight, and a trailing elevator portion continuous the full width of the trailing edge, being angled rearwardly upwardly therefrom, so that the resultant aerodynamic force on said wing is downwardly directed at all flight velocities;
- a forward wing extending downwardly and forwardly from the leading edge of the rearward wing and adapted to be substantially rigid during flight;
- stabilizer fin means;
- and
- a rigid elongate central backbone member;
- and wherein
- the forward rigid and the rearward flexible wing are integral, being of a single sheet of elastic material, the rigid wing comprising a forward portion of the sheet secured fixedly to the backbone, and the flexible wing comprising a rearward portion of the sheet being free to bend downwardly from the backbone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.