GB1100376A - Improvements in aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

1,100,376. Variable-geometry aircraft; controlling aircraft. J. E. CHACKSFIELD. 3 Aug., 1966 [21 May, 1965], No. 21640/65. Headings B7G and B7W. An aircraft includes a pair of wings 5 that are pivotally attached to the fuselage 1 at points H between a foreplane 2 and a tailplane 3 such that when the wings are retracted into a sweptback attitude they abut the tailplane to form a lifting surface of substantially delta-shape, Fig. 1, whereas when the wings are moved into a fully-spread attitude they form with the foreplane associated lifting-surfaces, Fig. 2, for lowspeed flight. The foreplane may be situated at a higher level than the wings so that its trailing edges lie abaft the leading edges of the wings when the wings are fully-spread thereby defining with the upper surface of each wing a slot (Y), Fig. 3 (not shown), which is said to improve the flow of air across said surface. Alternatively, the wings abut the trailing edges of the foreplane when they are fully-spread, the wings being pivotally attached to portions (11), Figs. 6 and 7 (not shown), of the foreplane at the roots thereof adjacent the fuselage. In this arrangement, pitch-control surfaces 6 on the foreplane are split and contrived to embrace the leading-edges of the wings when the wings are fully-spaced, Figs. 8 and 9 (not shown), so as to form a continuous lifting surface. Flaps and ailerons 7, 8 on the wings may also be split and contrived to embrace the leading-edges of the tailplane when the wings are retracted. A linkage-system containing a toggle-mechanism that is actuated by an hydraulic ram (14), Figs. 11 and 12 (not shown), may be lodged within each of the split control-surfaces to effect displacement of the upper and lower portions thereof relative to each other when the attitude of the wings is changed, the said system being combined with a torque tube (12) and hydraulic actuator (15) for pivotal movement of the control surface about the axis of the tube. The pivots for the wings may have limited freedom to move in a fore-and-aft direction, Figs. 4 and 5 (not shown), when the attitude of the wings is being changed.