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US 5,156,358 AGranted
Aircraft outboard control
AssigneeNorthrop Corporation
InventorHeinz A. Gerhardt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An outboard control surface for an aircraft. The control surface is operably connected to wing side edges of the aircraft and includes a forward flap and a rearward flap with at least one of the flaps being movable into and out of alignment with the plane of the wing.
Claims16
An aircraft having a longitudinal axis and adopted for airborne flight through an airstream comprising:
- a main wing having a general wing plane said wing extending laterally to long side edges in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and free of structure therealong which would interfere with tip vortex upwash formation as the aircraft moves through said airstream;
- leading edge flaps operably connected to a front portion of said main wing;
- trailing edge flaps operably connected to a rear portion of said main wing;
- and
- outboard control surfaces operably connected to wing tips of said main wing proximate said main wing rear portion so that as said aircraft moves through said airstream a tip vortex is created along said edge which extends along said edge producing an upwash in the region of said control surfaces for interaction therewith, said outboard control surfaces each including a forward flap and a rearward flap, at least one of said flaps for each of said outboard control surfaces being movable into and out of alignment with said plane of said main wing.
2 more elements
A tailless aircraft comprising:
- a main wing having a front, a rear, and two distal wing side edges, said side edges being in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and free of structure therealong which would interfere with tip vortex upwash formation as the aircraft moves through said airstream;
- leading edge flaps operably connected to said main wing front;
- trailing edge flaps operably connected to said main wing rear;
- and
- outboard control surfaces operably connected to said main wing proximate each of said wing side edges so that as said aircraft moves through said airstream a tip vortex is created along said edge which extends along said edge producing an upwash in the region of said control surfaces for interaction therewith, said outboard control surfaces each having two movable sections that are generally perpendicular to each other and movable relative to said main wing in two paths.
2 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- a main wing extending laterally to side edges in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and free of structure therealong which would interfere with tip vortex upwash formation as the aircraft moves through said airstream;
- leading edge flaps operably connected to said wing;
- trailing edge flaps operably connected to said wing;
- and
- outboard control surfaces connected to distal ends of said wing so that as said aircraft moves through said airstream a tip vortex is created along said edge which extends along said edge producing an upwash in the region of said outboard control surfaces for interaction therewith, said outboard control surfaces each having two independently movable flaps, a forward flap and a rearward flap, said forward and rearward flaps being movable into and out of alignment with a plane of said wing.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.