GB370441A - Improvements in landing and beaching gears for land and water aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

370,441. Amphibious aeroplanes. WINTER, L. W., Pinewood, Bluebell Hill, near Rochester, Kent. Dec. 8, 1930, No. 36913. [Class 4.] In amphibian landing gear of the type in which a wheel or wheels is or are housed in recesses in a float or hull bottom which recesses are closed to maintain the planing bottom shape when the wheel is retracted, a closing plate and wheel are mounted to swing about a common pivotal centre in the buoyant body. In one form, Figs. 1 and 2, applied to a float amphibian a float 10 has a semicircular recess 12 formed in advance of a step 11 in which is housed a wheel 13 and a closing plate 14 each attached to opposite arms of a bridge-piece 16 connecting shafts 15 journalled in the float and adapted to be rotated through worm gear 19 by means of a shaft 20 operable by the pilot. The closing plate comprises two watertight compartments 18 and is shaped to act as a mudguard for the wheel 13 in the position shown in Fig. 1 and to continue the shape of the float when in the position of Fig. 2. The rear part of the float is hinged at 22 and is tilted upwardly to allow a tail skid to be employed when wheel landing is to be effected, the tilting means comprising links 23 connected to cranks or eccentrics on shafts 15. In a modification, Figs. 5 and 6, the tail of the float carries a nut 28 engaging a threaded portion of a shaft 29 which portion is connected to the shaft by a universal joint. Shafts 29 are rotated by worm gear operated by shafts 32 having intermediate universal joints and housed in tubes 35 forming part of the float framework supporting the floats. The floats are pivotally mounted on joints in such tubes and are connected to the machine by shock absorbers 36. The shafts 32 are coupled together for simultaneous operation. Shafts 29 may also carry worms operating the shafts 15, in which case the shafts 20 may be omitted. In a further modification, Fig. 8, the bridge-piece connecting the shafts 15 carries shock absorbers 36 upon which the wheel axle 37 is supported. The closing plate may be provided with a vent, drain hole or valve and the wheels may be fitted with brakes. According to the Provisional Specification means may be provided to form additional steps in the planing surfaces of the floats which may be reversed in order to form water brakes. The worm gears operating the wheel cranks may be directly operated by handles fitted to the worms in the case of an aircraft fitted with two hulls or when the wheels are to be used for beaching purposes only.