US3618259A

US3618259A - Remotely powered flying device

Info

Publication number: US3618259A
Application number: US87974A
Authority: US
Inventors: Voorhis F Wigal
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-11-09
Filing date: 1970-11-09
Publication date: 1971-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 1988-11-09

Abstract

A TOY AIRPLANE THAT DEVELOPS LIFT AS IT PROPELS ITSELF IN A FORWARD DIRECTION SO AS TO BECOME AIRBORNE. THE AIRPLANE OR AIR FRAME IS REMOTELY POWERED THROUGH AN ENDLESS BELT REACHING FROM A MOTOR POSITIONED ON THE GROUND TO THE AIR FRAME. THE GROUND BASED MOTOR ROTATABLY DRIVES A LARGE DIAMETER PULLEY WHICH IS COUPLED TO A SMALLER DIAMETER PULLEY ON BOARD THE AIR FRAME. THE SMALL DIAMETER PULLEY ROTATABLY DRIVES A PROPERLLER THROUGH A JOURNALED SHAFT. THE ROTATING PROPELLER DEVELOPS SUFFICIENT THRUST TO MOE THE AIR FRAME IN A FORWARD DIRECTION. THE ENDLESS BELT, BEING EXTREMELY SMALL IN CROSS SECTION, E.G., COTTON SEWING MACHINE THREAD OR MONOFILAMENT FISHING LINE OR THE LIKE, IS KEPT TAUT BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ACTING THEREON AS THE AIR FRAME TENDS TO FLY A STRAIGHT COURSE BUT IS RESTRAINED BY THE ENDLESS BELT TO FOLLOW A CIRCULAR PATH. THE DEVICE INCLUDES STRUCTURE FOR REMOTELY VARYIN THE SPEED OF THE PROPELLER SO THAT THE AIR FRAME MAY BE REMOTELY MANEUVERED AND CONROLLED IN FLIGHT. THE MANEUVERS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LANDINGS AND TAKEOFFS.

Description

NOV. 9, 1971 w voo s 3,618,259

REMOTELY POWERED FLYING DEVICE Filed Nov. 9, 1970 12' FIG./ f6,

I7 112' 5 ZZZ HMJ 82 i 75 77 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. 9 69 VOORH/S F: W/GAL Unite States Patent O1 hoe 3,618,259 REMOTELY POWERED FLYING DEVICE Voorhis F. Wigal, 909 Highland, Jackson, Tenn. 38301 Filed Nov. 9, 1970, Ser. No. 87,974 Int. Cl. A63h 33/26 US. Cl. 46-243 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy airplane that develops lift as it propels itself in a forward direction so as to become airborne. The airplane or air frame is remotely powered through an endless belt reaching from a motor positioned on the ground to the air frame. The ground based motor rotatably drives a large diameter pulley which is coupled to a smaller diameter pulley on board the air frame. The small diameter pulley rotatably drives a propeller through a journaled shaft. The rotating propeller develops sufficient thrust to move the air frame in a forward direction. The endless belt, being extremely small in cross section, e.g., cotton sewing machine thread or monofilament fishing line or the like, is kept taut by centrifugal force acting thereon as the air frame tends to fly a straight course but is restrained by the endless belt to follow a circular path. The device includes structure for remotely varying the speed of the propeller so that the air frame may be remotely maneuvered and controlled in flight. The maneuvers including, but not limited to, landings and takeolfs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention relates to toy airplanes and is particularly directed toward remotely powered flying models.

(2.) Description of the prior art The prior art known by the applicant consists of the Vlahov Pat. No. 1,852,340 and the Ernst Pat. No. 2,756,- 537. Both of the above patents teach techniques in remotely powering a flying device, however, the power is transmitted through a flexible shaft and the flying model is provided with a plurality of heavy gears, etc. There are several disadvantages in transmitting power through a flexible shaft: (1) The friction generated by rotating a flexible shaft housed within a flexible tuning consumes an excessive amount of energy. (2) The weight of the gear structure carried by the air frame adds to the power requirements of the device. (3) The radius of the circle which the flying air frame generates is relatively small and is fixed by the physical length of the flexible shaft. (4) The heavy structure of the flexible shaft extending from the power source to the air frame and the stiffness thereof greatly negates the appreciation that the air frame is actually flying. The natural illusion, particularly for a child, is that the flexible shaft is merely causing the propel ler to spin, and that the flexible shaft carries the air frame about the circle. Also, devices like those taught in the above patents are rather complex, expensive to produce, and the power requirements are high so that there is a considerable drain on the batteries whereby the batteries dont last long.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed towards overcoming the disadvantages and problems relative to previous remotely powered flying devices. The concept of the present invention is to provide a unique means of transmitting power from a ground based relatively heavy motor or the like to the lightweight air frame. The main advantage of the power transmission means of the present invention is 3,618,259 Patented Nov. 9, 1971 that practically no friction is generated in transmitting the power. Accordingly, very little power is required to operate the device.

Other advantages of the device of the present invention are: (1) There is substantially no visible linkage between the ground based motor and the airborne air frame, i.e., the thread or nylon monofilament line having a cross sectional dimension approximating that of a hair may be the only linkage between the air frame and the motor. This feature, in itself, greatly enhances the realism and the excitement experienced in operating the device.

(2) The airborne air frame may be remotely maneuvered by varying the power output, i.e., the r.p.m. of the propeller is remotely varied by controlling the r.p.m. of the ground based motor. This feature injects further realism and excitement into the activity of operating the device. The operator actually experiences sensations similar to those experienced when actually flying a full size airplane, i.e., a degree of technique is required to operate the device so as not to crash the air frame. Additionally, the height, speed, pattern of flight, take-off and landing maneuvers are controlled by the application or reduction of the power to give control responses very similar to that in full size aircraft.

(3) The device allows for the use of a relatively heavy power source, i.e., an electric motor, without expending energy to lift the power source which is ground-based but operably connected to the propeller by means of a thread tied in a loop to act as an endless transmission belt between the motor and the propeller shaft.

(4) Since the radius of operation around the power source is governed by the length of thread cut for the transmission belt, the operator has the flexibility of easily choosing and varying the radius of operation so as to be compatible with small rooms, large rooms, and/or in definite length for out-of-doors operation.

(5) The air frame is very light in weight. However, it can be made strong while still very light because it is void of the heavy flexible shaft and gears, etc. This feature has significant value when one considers an intended use thereof, e.g., when being operated by children inside a home having the usual household furnishings. Obviously, the likelihood of the air frame crashing into household furnishings, e.g., lamps, pictures, television picture tubes and other fragile furnishings, must be assumed. However, the device of the present invention presents little or no concern in this regard because the weight of the air frame is so small that an incident of this nature would not significantly damage these fragile household furnishings.

(6) The device may be powered by a battery pack that can be clipped to the belt of the operator, reduced voltage from a transformer or the like connected to volts AC household voltage, or larger models may be powered by a 115 volt motor connected to the 115 volt AC household voltage. The battery feature provides greater safety, particularly for children, i.e., the battery voltage being harmless. Additionally, the device may be operated at remote locations, e.g., a park or ball field or the like where commercial power is not readily available.

The concept of the present invention may be implemented for various airborne devices, e.g., toy airplanes, helicopters, autogyros, etc., and is particularly directed towards providing a source of power outside the airborne air frame for turning the propeller or lifting air foil. The operator can cause the airborne air frame to take off, land, zoom up, dive down, taxi and various other controlled maneuvers by merely changing the r.p.m. of the motor. In other words, operating the device of the present invention closely resembles the actual characteristics of operating a full size aircraft. This feature has great appeal, particularly for the younger children, who like to have the feeling of accomplishment in flying an airplane. This feeling of accomplishment is denied the operator when a flexible shaft interconnects the air frame with the motor, lik that of the known prior art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the air frame portion of the device of the present invention, showing a break in the endless belt leading to the ground-based motor.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken as on the line IIII of FIG. 1, showing the preferred relationship between the longitudinal axis of the air frame and the ground or surface supporting the air frame.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken as on the line IIIIII of FIG. 1, showing the ground based portion of the device in connection therewith.

FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of the device of the present invention, showing the motor fixedly attached to a tripod.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken as on the line VV of FIG. 4, showing a pair of guide eyelets for receiving the endless transmission belt.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The remotely powered flying device 11 of the present invention generally includes an air frame 13 (FIG, 1) having a propeller 15 rotatably driven by a deeply grooved pulley 17, a ground based prime mover (FIG. 3), e.g., an electric motor 19 being powered by a battery pack 21, a deeply grooved drive pulley 23 being rotatably driven by the motor 19, and an endless transmission belt 25 extending from the ground based drive pulley 23 to the pulley 17 on the flyable air frame 13.

The air frame 13 includes a main frame member 27, preferably formed from semi-rigid plastic or the like and having a shape substantially as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of fixed wings or

air foils

29, 31, preferably formed from light weight balsa wood or the like and being fixedly attached at the root portions thereof to the main frame member 27 in any well known manner, e.g., a plurality of bolts 33 extending through suitably aligned apertures and secured by the usual nuts (not shown). Since thin balsa wood is easily ripped or torn, I prefer to include a pair of

reinforcement plates

35, 37 for distributing the holding force over a wider area of the root portion of the fixed air foils or

wings

29, 31, as best viewed in FIG. 1. The

respective plates

35, 37, preferably formed from. semi-rigid plastic or the like, contiguously engage the upper surfaces of the

air foils

29, 31, and the main frame member 27 contiguously engages the lower surfaces of the

air foils

29, 31. It will be understood, however, that

air foils

29, 31 ma be attached to frame member 27 by means other than that above described, as for example, by rubber bands in a well known manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention The air frame 13 additionally includes a boom 39, formed from balsa wood or the like having the forward end thereof fixedly attached to the main frame 27 in any well known manner, e.g., a suitable bonding agent or the like. The boot 39, extending along the longitudinal axis of the air frame 13 has an empennage 41 fixedly attached to the rearward end thereof in any well known manner, e.g., a suitable bonding agent or the like, or in suitable slots in the boom receiving the empennage 41, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

The air frame 13 also includes a pair of main landing gears 43, 45 and a rearward landing gear 47. The landing gears 43, 45, 47, preferably formed from a resilient steel, e.g., piano wire or the like, have the upper ends thereof fixedly attached to the main frame member 27 in any well known manner, e.g., the upper end having a U-shaped bent portion which is received in a pair of juxtaposed apertures (not shown) in the main frame member 27 and the end thereof being clinched so as to contiguously engage the underneath surface of the frame member 27, in a manner like that illustrated in FIG. 2 for the rearward landing gear 47. The landing gears 43, extend outwardly and downwardly from the main frame member 27 and respectively rotatably support a pair of

wheels

49, 51 in an well known manner, e.g., the

wheels

49, 51 being provided with a concentric aperture for receiving the piano wire-like structure of the landing gears 43, 45, the lower ends of the

respective landing gears

43, 45 having portions thereof bent horizontally and the final ends thereof having sharp 90 bends for retaining the

rotatable wheels

49, 51. The rearward landing gear 47 extends rearwardly and downwardly from the frame 27 and supports at the lower end thereof a tail Wheel 53 in any well known manner, like that just described for the

wheels

49, 51.

The air frame 13 longitudinally supports an elongated shaft 55, i.e., the shaft 55 being journaled to the frame member 27 by a pair of

nylon bearings

57, 59, as best viewed in FIG. 2. The pulley 17 is fixedly attached to the shaft 55 adjacent the rearward end thereof in any well known manner, e.g., the pulley 17 being provided with a concentric aperture for receiving the shaft 55 and the pulley 17 being press-fitted about the shaft 55. The shaft 55', preferably formed from rigid steel or the like, extends along the longitudinal axis of the air frame 13 terminating a distance beyond the leading edge of the main frame member 27, as best viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2. The forward end of the shaft 55 supports the propeller or rotatable air foil means 15 in any well known manner, e.g., a bolt, having an elongated aperture extending along the length thereof for receiving the end of the shaft 55 is fixedly attached thereto as with solder or the like, extends through a concentric aperture in the propeller 15 and a nut 61 secures the propeller 15 thereto.

A pair of

thrust bearings

63, 65 minimize the end play and/or disengagement of the shaft 55 from its

bearings

57, 59, i.e., the bearing 63, preferably, although not necessarily formed from nylon or the like and provided with an aperture for press-fitting about the shaft 55, is fixedly attached to the shaft forward of the bearing 57 adjacent thereto and the bearing 65, preferably formed from nylon or the like having an aperture for press-fitting about the shaft 55, is fixedly attached to the shaft 55 adjacent the bearing 57 rearward thereof, as best viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It should be pointed out that in order to obtain optimum performance, the plane of the pulley 25 preferably is positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the air frame 13 and is positioned concentrically along the length thereof at a point substantially coinciding with the center of gravity of the air frame 13 so that the pull from the driving apparatus, yet to be described, minimizes or eliminates any tendency of the air frame 13 to yaw about its vertical axis while it is in flight.

Further, I have discovered that a propeller 15 having a low pitch, e.g., a three bladed propeller having a pitch angle of 2 /2 is preferable, for reasons which will become more apparent as the remaining structure is disclosed.

Further yet, 'I have discovered that an optimum ratio between the diameter of the pulley 17 and the generatrix of the propeller 15 exists, for reasons which will be more apparent as the remaining structure is disclosed. Accordingly, I prefer that the diameter of the pulley '17 be approximately 36% of the generatrix of the propeller 15.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing wherein it may be seen that the motor 19 has the usual rotating power output shaft 67 for receiving the drive pulley 23, i.e., the drive pulley 23 being fixedly attached to the shaft 67 in any well known manner, e.g., the pulley 23 being provided with a concentric aperture for rigidly receiving the shaft 67 in a press-fitted manner. In the preferred embodiment (FIG. 3) the motor housing preferably is fitted with a handle or plurality of ridges 69, i.e., the motor 19 having a size compatible for gripping in the hand of the operator.

The ratio of the drive pulley 23 to the driven pulley 17 is predetermined and depends upon the sustained operating r.p.m. of the motor 19, i.e., it is calculated so that the propeller .15 may be rotatably driven at an optimum speed for the particular propeller selected.

The motor 19 is connected to the battery pack 21 by a pair of conductors 71. The battery pack 21 comprises suflicient individual cells so as to deliver the optimum voltage to the motor 19. However, a rheostat 73, being interposed between the battery pack 21 and the conductors 71, may be manually rotated so as to variably reduce the voltage from the battery pack 21 which in turn varies the rpm. of the motor 19, for reasons yet to be fully disclosed. The rheostat 73- preferably serves a dual purpose of an on and off switch in addition to being a variable resistor.

Obviously, in order to minimize the drag, the endless transmission belt 25' preferably is of a lightweight sub stance and has a very small cross section, e.g., ordinary cotton sewing machine thread, or if no visible linkage is preferred, a nylon monofilament fishing line may be used.

'It should be understood that the valley between the flanges of the

pulleys

17, 23 has a width slightly less than the cross section of the endless belt 25 so that a portion of the belt 25 engages the flanges of the pulleys 17, 23', as best viewed in FIG. 2. However, the annular crevice of the

pulleys

17, 23 should not taper too sharply as this will tend to grip the endless belt so tightly that it will not be freed therefrom as the pulleys r17, 23 rotate. The thread or monofilament making up the belt 25 is cut to a predetermined length, i.e., any desirable length within reason, and after being threaded about the pulley 17, the two ends thereof are tied in a knot. It should be understood that the remotely powered flying device 11 of the present invention may be used in a room where space restricts the circular path of the air frame 13 to a five foot radius, or in a room having dimensions 20 feet from wall to wall, i.e., the circular path of the air frame 13' may have substantially a ten foot radius, ad infinitum.

In other words, when it is desired to operate the device -11 in a small room or the like, the thread or line making up the endless belt 25 is merely broken and shortened to the desired length. Conversely, when it is desired to operate the device 11 in a larger room, the existing belt 25 is simply discarded and a new belt 25 is instantly made up from thread or monofilament line, etc. Additionally, the device 11 may be operated outside a building where there is no limit to the circle size which the air frame 13 may travel. However, the diameter of the circle size which the air frame 13 may travel is restricted to its size, or, more specifically, the weight and the speed of the air frame 13, i.e., velocity and mass being a function in calculating centrifugal force. Obviously, the centrifugal force acting on the endless transmission belt 25 must be of sufficient magnitude to cause the endless belt 25 to be taut and frictionally engage the

pulleys

17, 25, i.e., ideally there would be no lost motion between the drive pulley 23 and the driven pulley 17.

In operation, the air frame 13, being aerodynamically trimmed to fly in a straight line, is restrained by the endless belt 25 to fly concentrically relative to the drive pulley 23 for developing the required centrifugal force while the air frame 13 is airborne. The Wheels 49, '1, 53 are positioned so that they direct the remaining structure of the air frame 13 along a path parallel with the longitudinal axis thereof while the air frame 13 is not airborne. This causes the air frame 13 to tend to travel in a straight line as it is propelled on the ground by the propeller 15. However, it is restrained by the endless belt 25 to travel concentrically about the drive pulley 23 so that the endless belt 25 is maintained taut so as to frictionally engage the

pulleys

17, 23 while the air frame 13 is not airborne.

The empennage 41, substantially comprising the usual left and right

horizontal stabilizer

75, 77 and the vertical stabilizer 79, may be adjustably attached to the boom 39 for adjustably trimming the glide angle of the airframe 13 in any well known manner obvious to those skilled in the art, e.g., the rearward end of the boom 39 may have a vertical slit (not shown) for receiving the vertical stabilizer 79 and an endless rubber band (not shown) encircles the boom 39 forward of the vertical stabilizer 79 and extends rearwardly beneath the integrally formed left and right

horizontal stabilizers

75, 77 thence upwardly encircling the boom 39 rearwardly of the vertical stabilizer 79.

The plane of the fixed airfoils or

wings

29, 31 preferably is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the airframe 13, as best viewed in FIG. 2. From FIG, 2 of the drawings, it may also be seen that when the airframe '13 is supported by the

Wheels

49, 51, 53 contacting the ground 81 or other support surface, i.e., not being airborne, the plane of the

wings

29, 31 have a positive angle of attack so that when the propeller 15 develops sufficient thrust to propel the airframe 13 forward with sufiicient air speed, the airframe 13 automatically becomes airborne. The normal structure of an empennage 41 includes elevator control surfaces which must be manually operated to lower the rearward end of the airframe when sufficient air speed has been achieved for take-off. I prefer approximately a 10 angle of attack which is obviously achieved by fitting the main landing gears 43, 45 so they may support the forward end of the airframe 13 a higher distance above the surface 81 than does the rear landing gear 47.

Immediately after the airframe 13 becomes airborne, the pull on the transmission belt 25 being developed by the

Wheels

49, 51, 53, directing the remaining structure of the airframe 13 away from the pulley 23, is eliminated, i.e., the velocity of the airframe 13 has not reached optimum speed so as to develop optimum centrifugal force for keeping the transmission belt 25 taut. This diminishment of pull immediately becomes apparent to the operator while operating the device 11 of the present invention in the principal embodiment thereof, which causes the operator to experience a sensation similar to that when actually flying a full size airplane.

The operator may vary the rpm. of the propeller 15 by changing the setting of the rheostat 73. In this regard, the higher the rpm. of the propeller 15, the more altitude the airframe 13 will gain, conversely, the lower the rpm. of the propeller 15 the more inclined the airframe 13 is to dive or lose altitude. Accordingly, the operator may easily remotely control the height, speed, pattern of fiight, takeoff and landing maneuvers, etc., by the application or reduction of power to give control responses very similar to that in full size aircraft. Additionally, a degree of technique is required in operating the device 11 of the present invention, particularly immediately after the airframe 13 becomes airborne, as above described. The momentary reduction of pull on the transmission belt 25 is felt by the operator, of the principal embodiment, and abrupt changes of power settings at this time may cause the airframe 13 to crash. This feature greatly enhances the thrill and excitement, particularly for children, in operating the device 11.

A small weight 82 of any suitable construction, such as being molded into the wing, is preferably provided on the outer wing 31 to provide a slight excess of weight to prevent barrel roll.

In the preferred embodiment, the motor 19 is simply held in the hand, i.e., the ridges 69 thereon forming a handle means resembling a pistol grip for manually grasping, a feature which introduces a further degree of realism into the activity of operating the device 11. It should be understood that while the motor 19 is shown in FIG. 3 with the power output shaft 67 thereof being vertically disposed, the motor 19 may be manually rotated so that the power output shaft 67 thereof is horizontally disposed and/ or infinite variations thereabout. Obviously, when the power output shaft 67 is horizontally disposed, the operator must pivot about the circle which the air frame 13 is flying, i.e., preferably facing the air frame 13 along its flight path, a rather diflicult task when the belt 25 is relatively short, e.g., 5 feet or the like. However, when the power output shaft 67 is vertically disposed as shown in FIG. 3, the operator may simply place the motor 19 over his head and the air frame 13 simply flies in an orbital concentric circle thereabout as the drive pulley 23 I- tates about its axis, i.e., the handle or ridges 69 on the motor 19 being held rigid by the operator.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings wherein a second embodiment of the device 11 is depicted, the second embodiment generally comprises the addition of a tripod 83. The tripod 83 supports a motor 219 which r0- tatably drives a drive pulley 223, i.e., the respective motor 219 and pulley 223 being like the motor 19 and drive pulley 23 previously described in the principal embodiment, except with this difference: the motor 219 is provided with a shoulder portion 85 which circumferentially engages the power output shaft 267 but is fixedly attached to the motor housing so as to pivotally support a collar 87. The collar 87 is free to pivot about the shoulder portion 85. A guide member 89, preferably formed from steel wire or the like having a shape substantially as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, is fixedly attached to the collar 87 in any Well known manner, e.g., welding or tne like.

An endless belt 225, being like the belt 25 previously described for the principal embodiment, frictionally engages the pulley 223 and extends to the air frame 13 and frictionally engages the driven pulley 17 thereon. The guide member 89 includes a pair of eyelets 91 for guidingly constraining the belt 225, i.e., the belt 225 being circumferentially engaged loosely by the eyelets 91, as best viewed in FIG. 5.

Obviously, the second embodiment includes a battery pack 221, a reostat 273, and a pair of conductors 271 respectively like the battery pack 21, the rheostat 73, and the conductors 71 previously described in the principal embodiment. Accordingly, when the motor 219 is energized, the air frame 13 is caused to fly a concentric circle about the tripod 83 in the same manner as previously described for the principal embodiment.

When the air frame 13 is flying a concentric circle about the tripod 83 at an elevation substantially equal to the height 0 fthe pulley 223, the guide member 89 has substantially no functional purpose, however, the guide member 89, being pivotally attached to the stationary motor 219, is caused to pivot about the shoulder 85 of the motor 219 by the endless belt 225 as the air frame 13 flies along a circular path. In this regard, when the altitude of the air frame 13 is increased, the guide member 89 guidingly constrains the belt 225 adjacent the pulley 223, as best viewed in FIG. 4, so as to preclude the belt 225 from riding up off the pulley 223.

The length of the conductors 271 may be such that the operator may conveniently position himself outside the radius of the circle described by the air frame 13 and remotely control the air frame 13 with the rheostat 273, in the same manner previously described for the principal embodiment.

It should be understood that the battery pack 21 and/or the battery pack 221 may be substituted so that the

respective motors

19, 219 may be operated from commercial voltage, e.g., straight 115 volts AC or reduced by a transformer or the like. In this regard, the

respective rheostats

73, 273 would conveniently be interposed in the electrical circuit so as to enable the operator to change the power settings of the

respective motors

19, 219 in like manner as previously described.

Although the embodiments depicted in describing the device 11 of the present invention relate to a conventional air frame having fixed air foils, it should be understood that the spirit and scope of the present invention is intended to encompass non-conventional air frames, e.g.,

a canard-configured air frame, an air frame having numerous fixed air foils, helicopters, and/or autogyros, etc.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it is not to be so limited since changes and modifications may be made therein which are within the full intended scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A remotely powered flying device comprising an airframe means, a shaft journaled to said airframe means, first pulley means fixedly attached to said shaft for rotatably driving said shaft, rotatable airfoil means fixedly attached to said shaft for developing thrust to move said airframe means, second pulley means remotely positioned from said airframe means and said first pulley means, a prime mover for rotatably driving said second pulley means, and an endless power transmission belt means frictionally engaging said first and second pulley means for remotely rotatably driving said first pulley means as said prime mover is energized.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the plane of said first pulley means is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said airframe means and being positioned concentrically along the length thereof at a point substantially coinciding with the center of gravity of said airframe means.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the diameter of said first pulley means is approximately thirty six percent of the generatrix of said rotatable airfoil means.

4. The device of claim 1 in which said endless transmission belt consists of breakable monofilament line.

5. The device of claim 1 in which is included means for remotely varying the speed of said rotating airfoil means to remotely maneuver and control said airframe means while in flight.

6. The device of claim 1 in which the plane of said second pulley means is horizontally disposed for enabling the propelled airframe means to fly in an orbital concentric circle thereabout as said second pulley rotates about its axis while the non-rotating structure of said prime mover remains stationary.

7. The device of claim 1 in which said airframe means is aerodynamically trimmed to fly in a straight line but being restrained by said endless belt to fly concentrically relative to said second pulley means for developing centrifugal force to cause said endless belt to be taut and frictionally engage said first and second pulley means while said airframe means is airborne.

8. The device of claim 7 in which said airframe means includes wheel means for ridably supporting the remaining structure thereof while said airframe means is not airborne, and the respective planes of said wheel means being aligned parallel with the longitudinal axis of said airframe means for directing said airframe means in a straight line as it moves forward but is restrained by said endless belt to travel concentrically about said second pulley means for causing said endless belt to be taut and frictionally engage said first and second pulley means while said airframe means is not airborne.

9. The device of claim 1 in which is included support means for rotatably supporting said second pulley means.

10. The device of claim 9 in which said support means includes handle means for manually grasping to introduce a degree of realism into the activity of operating the device.

11. The device of claim 9 in which said support means includes tripodal means for fixedly positioning said prime mover thereon.

12. A remotely powered flying device comprising a fixed wing airframe means, a shaft journaled to said airframe means, a first pulley means fixedly attached to said shaft adjacent the rearward end thereof for rotatably driving said shaft, propeller means fixedly attached to said shaft adiacent the forward end thereof for developing thrust to move said airframe means in a forward direction, said first pulley means being positioned so that the plane 9 thereof is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said airframe means thereof at a point which substantially coincides with the center of gravity of said airframe means, second pulley means remotely positioned from said airframe means and said first pulley means, a motor 5 for rotatably driving said second pulley means, an endless power transmission 'belt means frictionally engaging said first and said second pulley means for remotely rotatably driving said first pulley means, and means for remotely varying the speed of said propeller means to remotely 1Q maneuver and control said airframe means while in flight.

13. The device of claim 12 in which is included support means for rotatably supporting said second pulley means. 14. The device of claim 12 in which said support means includes handle means for manually grasping and holding while operating said device.

15. The device of claim 12 in which said support means includes tripodal means for fixedly positioning said motor thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,852,340 1932 Vlahov. 2,756,537 195 6 Ernst. 3,018,585 1962 Stanzel 46-243 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner A. HEINZ, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.