GB782788A - Drogue construction - Google Patents

Abstract

782,788. Parachute drogue. PATTERSON, R. F. Sept. 22, 1955 [Sept. 23, 1954; Aug. 30, 1955], No. 27062/55. Class 4. In air-to-air refueling apparatus for aircraft wherein the tanker aircraft trails a re-fueling hose 189, Fig. 16, which is normally stored in a bell-mouth container 180 enclosed within a cavity 187 in the aircraft, the hose is stabilized by a parachute drogue 60. As shown in Fig. 5, the drogue comprises a refueling reception coupling 62 having a funnel-shaped opening 68, for reception of a probe on an aircraft to be refueled, and a peripheral flange 70 to which are attached a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs 74 to each of which are pivotally attached a pair of radially-spaced arms 96 and 98 of aerofoil cross section. Lashings 116 and 121 interconnect arms 98 to limit outward movement and the extremities of arms 96 also may be connected by a lashing such as 116. The canopy 114 of the drogue, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14, comprise three spaced-apart ring-shaped panels 150, 152, 154 each consisting of a plurality of sections 144 interconnected by radially disposed webs 158 looped at their ends for attachment to peripheral tapes 156 and 160. The edges of the panels forming vents 146 and 148 are reinforced by tapes 162. The drogue, when withdrawn into the container 180 is collapsed so that arms 96, 98 lie substantially parallel to each other and the drogue compresses a spring- loaded ejection mechanism. On release the drogue is ejected from the aircraft and the ring canopy 114 automatically extended by relative airflow to the limit imposed by the lashings. Specification 676,430 and U.S.A. Specification 2,582,609 are referred to.