Downed aircraft position indicator

Abstract

Apparatus for visually indicating the position of a downed aircraft to rescue personnel. A bright yellow or lime-like in color substance is stored in at least one pressurized tank during flight, and means are provided whereby said substance is expelled from said aircraft responsive to separation of the craft's wings from the craft's fuselage, to operator-initiated control signals, or responsive to signals from a timing device. Rupturable substance-containing or substance-transmitting lines disposed in fluid communication with said tank or tanks, extend at least in part from the fuselage to the wings so that removal of a wing automatically causes the expulsion of at least a portion of the substance. The storage tanks are preferably chambered so that such line rupture allows only one chamber of such tank or tanks to empty, so that the remaining substance-containing chamber may be emptied responsive to operator-initiated signals or to timing device signals.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.