# US 4,399,963 A · Elastic tail skid for gliders and light air planes

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- Number: US 4,399,963 A
- Document ID: US4399963A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/356,156
- Filed: 1982-03-08
- Granted: 1983-08-23
- Earliest claimed: 1981-03-13
- Inventors: Herbert Schafer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4399963A

## CPC

- B64C 25/64: using rubber or like elements
- B64C 2025/005: {Tail skids for fuselage tail strike protection on tricycle landing gear aircraft}
- B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS

## Abstract

A tail skid mounted to the airframe of a glider of a light air plane comprises a body of elastic material, a support plate imbedded in the elastic body and a skid wheel yieldingly supported in a metal frame mounted to the skid body and elastically connected to the support frame.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An elastic tail skid for gliders and light air planes, comprising a tail skid body to be mounted on the airframe, said body being made out of elastic material and formed with a recess; a skid element establishing a ground support when the glider or air plane is landed, said skid element being mounted in said recess; a support plate imbedded in said body, said skid element being yieldingly supported on said support plate; and a vertical spacer bolt rigidly mounted on said support plate, said skid element having a front end and being pivotally supported with said front end relative to said vertical spacer bolt.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tail skid as defined in claim 1, said skid body being injection molded around said support plate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The tail skid as defined in claim 1, wherein said tail skid body has an upper face which engages the airframe when the tail skid is mounted thereon, said upper face being mechanically roughened.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The tail skid as defined in claim 3, wherein said upper face is coated with an adhesive.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The tail skid as defined in claim 4, wherein said adhesive is a rubber adhesive.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The tail skid as defined in claim 3, further including a metal frame mounted in said recess, said recess having a wall engaging said metal frame.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The tail skid as defined in claim 6, wherein said skid element is mounted in said metal frame.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The tail skid as defined in claim 7, said metal frame having a bottom wall on its front end, said skid body having a support face in said recess, said bottom wall facing said support face.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The tail skid as defined in claim 8, said bottom wall being formed with an opening, said spacer bolt extending through said opening into said metal frame.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The tail skid as defined in claim 9, further including at least one leaf spring, said recess having a bottom surface, said leaf spring engaging said support face and said bottom surface of said recess.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The tail skid as defined in claim 10, said bottom wall of said metal frame being pressed against said leaf spring.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The tail skid as defined in claim 10, said leaf spring is made out of steel.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The tail skid as defined in claim 9, wherein said bottom wall is pressed against said support face.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The tail skid as defined in claim 13, further comprising means for pressing said bottom wall, said pressing means including an intermediate bushing mounted on said spacer bolt and a nut screwed onto an end of said spacer bolt, said nut and said bushing pressing said bottom wall of said metal frame in its position in said recess.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The tail skid as defined in claim 14, wherein said intermediate bushing is made out of elastic material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The tail skid as defined in claim 15, wherein said skid element is a yieldingly supported tail skid wheel.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The tail skid as defined in claim 15, wherein said support plate is formed with anchoring means for ensuring the connection of said support plate in said skid body.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The tail skid as defined in claim 17, wherein said anchoring means are defined by corrugations formed at opposite ends of said support plate.