Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft sustentation – Sustaining airfoils
Patent
1983-10-21
1986-06-24
Barefoot, Galen L.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft sustentation
Sustaining airfoils
244 13, 244 16, 244DIG14, B64C 338
Patent
active
045963681
ABSTRACT:
An ultralight aircraft of lightweight minimal construction includes a collapsible Rogallo type wing from which a hang cage is suspended by a main hinge assembly. The wing includes a longitudinal keel of lightweight tubular construction, leading edge members and a cross brace. A flexible lifting panel is secured along and between the wing members to define a lifting surface. The hinge includes a pitch hinge bracket having an upper longitudinal sleeve in which the keel is clamped. A ball joint connection secured to the bracket is connected to upwardly extending hang cage struts by means of hinge connecting plates to permit free rotation of the wing about a spanwise axis extending longitudinally through the cross brace. Rotation of the wing without pilot intervention induced by positive or negative wind gusts striking the flexible wing panel causes the angle of incidence between the wing and hang cage to vary so that the wing presents a relatively constant angle of attack to relative wind enabling the aircraft to be essentially stall free during flight. A cable and spreader tube arrangement interconnecting forward and trailing ends of the keel to the cross brace undergoes tension and compression loading to distribute bending stress acting on the keel during excessive wind loading to other parts of the aircraft.
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