Device for gripping, guiding and transporting wheeled helicopters particularly for ship's decks

A device for displacing a helicopter on a ship or platform having a deck, comprising:

• at least one longitudinal guide forming a path for a helicopter leading to a parking location;
• means forming a transverse guide extending perpendicular to said longitudinal guide;
• a pair of crossmembers extending generally parallel to said longitudinal guide and transverse to said transverse guide;
• means for displacing said crossmembers independently along said transverse guide to approach said crossmembers to a helicopter disposed between said crossmember;
• respective carriages mounted on the crossmembers;
• means for independently displacing said carriages along said crossmembers to a gripping position in juxtaposition with opposite portions of the helicopter disposed between said crossmembers;
• respective support plates on said carriages displaceable laterally of said carriages and transverse to said longitudinal guide and formed with free ends facing one another;
• respective gripping means on free ends of the plates pivotal exclusively about respective axes extending perpendicular to the deck and in a plane parallel to the deck and engageable with the portions of the helicopter in said gripping position in any position of the helicopter portion relative to a longitudinal axis of the deck, thereby seizing said helicopter for further shifting;
• flexible means on said carriages for biasing said support plates inwardly toward said opposite portions of the helicopter in said gripping position during displacing the helicopter laterally and rotatably upon lifting so that a longitudinal axis thereof is parallel to and aligned with said longitudinal guide;
• and
• means displaceable along said longitudinal guide for receiving said helicopter from said gripping means when said helicopter has been shifted toward said longitudinal guide to displace said helicopter to said parking location.