Jet propelled model airplane
OwnerVictor Stanzelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A line-controlled, centrifugal fan, jet-propelled model airplane is disclosed in which the impeller of a fan contained within the fuselage of the aircraft is driven from a remote drive unit by an elongated flexible cable contained within a flexible sheath. The impeller rotates about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the airplane and is driven in a direction of rotation tending to rotate the airplane about its lateral axis in a nose-up direction, due to the frictional contact of the compressed air between the rotating impeller and the housing of the centrifugal fan mounted within the fuselage. A flywheel powered by the electric motor in the remote drive unit controls the rate of acceleration and deceleration of the aircraft as an electric motor in the drive unit is switched on and off.
Claims12
A toy aircraft comprising:
- an elongated body having wings and a tail assembly attached thereto;
- centrifugal fan means housed within said body for powering said aircraft;
- a hand-held remote drive unit for driving said fan means, said remote drive unit comprising,
- an electric motor, and
- switch means for selectively operating said electric motor;
- an elongated flexible drive cable extending between and operatively connected to said remote drive unit and said centrifugal fan means for rotatively driving said centrifugal fan means from said drive unit;
- and
- means for controlling the rate of acceleration of said fan means when said electric motor is switched on and for controlling the rate of deceleration of said fan means when said motor is switched off, said means comprising a flywheel disposed in said hand-held remote drive unit and operatively connected to at least one of said electric motor and said elongated flexible drive cable.
A model aircraft comprising:
- a body having at least one air inlet opening on the side thereof, and an air outlet opening on the rear end thereof simulating a jet exhaust;
- wings, a tail assembly and landing gear suitably attached to said body;
- centrifugal fan means housed within said body and adapted to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft body to compress air taken in through said air inlet opening and to direct said compressed air rearwardly through said air outlet opening for reactive forward jet propulsion of said aircraft;
- a hand-held remote drive unit for powering said fan means, said remote drive unit comprising,
- an elongated cylindrical housing,
- a direct current electric motor mounted in said housing,
- a direct current power supply mounted in said housing and operatively connected by electrical circuit means to said electric motor,
- a flywheel mounted in said housing and powered by said electric motor,
- at least one air inlet opening in said housing,
- at least one air outlet opening in said housing between said flywheel and said motor, and
- electrical switch means in said housing for completing said electrical circuit means to thereby selectively operate said electric motor;
- and
- elongated flexible drive means interconnecting said remote drive unit and said fan means, whereby when said electrical switch means is operated to complete said electrical circuit between said direct current supply and said electric motor, said flywheel will control the acceleration of the rate of rotation of said elongated flexible drive means and said centrifugal fan means to thereby simulate the accelerating sound of a jet engine, and when said electrical switch means is operated to break said electrical circuit between said direct current supply and said electric motor, said flywheel will control the deceleration of the rate of rotation of said elongated flexible drive means and said centrifugal fan means to thereby simulate the powering down phase of operation of a jet engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.