WO2003078250A1

WO2003078250A1 - Device and method for displacing an aircraft on the ground

Info

Publication number: WO2003078250A1
Application number: PCT/FR2003/000804
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrice Mallet
Original assignee: Patrice Mallet
Priority date: 2002-03-15
Filing date: 2003-03-13
Publication date: 2003-09-25
Also published as: FR2837167B1; FR2837167A1; AU2003227834A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for displacing an aircraft on the ground, characterized in that it takes control of said displacement in an autonomous manner without the use of propulsion means proper to the aircraft from the parking area (3) to the strip (1) and from the strip (1) to the parking area (3). The invention also relates to a device for displacing the aircraft, comprising means of acceleration, braking, interruption of take-off and/or guidance which are independent from those of the aircraft and means for controlling the movement of the aircraft by the device, said device transferring all the power required for the displacement of the aircraft to said aircraft during rolling phases and at least part of the power required to bring the aircraft to take-off speed.

Description

"Device and method for moving an aircraft on the ground"

The present invention relates generally to the management of the movements of aircraft on the ground and more particularly to a method of moving an aircraft on the ground as well as the device allowing the implementation of the method.

Air travel is by far the least dangerous mode of travel. According to the criterion of the number of accidents per passenger / kilometer traveled, the ratio is established from 1 to 3 compared to the railroad, from 1 to 13 compared to the automobile and from 1 to 323 compared to the motorcycle , according to a British study of 1998 quoted in CEAC INFO n ° 19 of July 19, 2001. However, on May 25, 2000 in Roissy Charles De Gaulle an English apparatus of type Shorts 330 engages by an intermediate ramp on the track on which French MD83, coming from his right and on the back, has just taken off to take off. The pilot of the Shorts cannot see the other approaching aircraft before the last seconds. The pilot of this one sees the Shorts which will cut him off the road but none of the crews manages to stop his machine before the end of the left wing of the MD83 strikes the Shorts at the level of the cockpit, killing on suddenly the co-pilot of the English plane.

Exactly two months later at Roissy Charles De Gaulle, an Air France Concorde suffered serious damage at take-off; he is still driving on the runway when the crew becomes aware of it but has exceeded the speed at which it would be possible ^{for him} to stop before the end of the runway; the crew applies the instruction which is in this case to continue takeoff; the plane devastated by a fire takes the air, turns out to be uncontrollable and crashes shortly after on a hotel of Gonesse, killing all the occupants of the apparatus and four people in the hotel which is entirely destroyed.

On October 8, 2001 in foggy weather, at Milan Linate airport, a small twin-jet aircraft mistakenly entered the runway taken by an MD $ 7 transport aircraft during takeoff. The 114 occupants of the two aircraft, as well as several airport employees at work in a hangar where the transport plane crashed after the collision, died in the disaster.

The accidents mentioned above represent only the submerged part of a massive and threatening iceberg. The public report on the accident investigation of 25 May 2000 relates that between ¹ January and 30 June 2000, there were twenty "significant events" of type "runway incursion" at Roissy Charles de Gaulle , of which sixteen represented a risk of collision during the take-off phase and four during the landing phase.

For this airport alone and the first six months of 2000, an event that could have had dramatic consequences occurred every nine days. An accident on the ground, before takeoff or after landing, is not one of the risks that immediately come to mind when thinking about air transport security; Yet it is indeed a collision on the ground that must be attributed the heaviest assessment to date of an air disaster (582 dead in Tenerife on March 27, 1977).

The risks linked to the movement of aircraft on the ground are for certain linked to infrastructure. Anyone who has observed the plan of a major aerodrome must have been struck by the complexity of an interlacing of runways and taxiways which can only be compared with the plan of these "interchanges" which, on motorways, bypasses and the so-called fast lanes, are for each of us the occasion of frequent discharges of adrenaline; with the difference that an airplane that takes off for take-off or has just landed travels at a speed much higher than that of land vehicles, weighs ten times heavier, can neither change its trajectory nor its speed, and that airplanes move on the ground in a single plane while road interchanges are generally equipped with bridges and tunnels effectively reducing the risk of collision. Other risk factors are related to "flying equipment"; this expression often used to designate aircraft is significant insofar as it expresses the very general indifference to the. fact that all aircraft begin and end their journey as rolling stock, and should therefore have enabling characteristics. to be employed as such in good security conditions. ... .

. For comparison, the. motor vehicles are subject to precise technical standards aimed at guaranteeing safety in use: a land vehicle is only authorized: to be used as such after verification of its compliance with rigorous requirements concerning in particular the possibility for the driver * to see and be seen, to maneuver with precision, to detect the presence of an obstacle in its path and to stop his vehicle before hitting it..,,.

In view of these rules, which are the most basic, it would be doubtful if a vehicle with the same maneuvering capabilities as a modern transport aircraft on the ground obtains authorization to be used as thousands of thousands of planes in the world.

The safety of the driver of a land vehicle and its passengers depends on the skill of the driver and the functioning of devices to which we know we can trust when we board our car, that of a friend or a coach: glass panels and mirrors providing an almost total vision of the environment, precise and sensitive direction control, an accelerator and brakes whose efficiency, always improved since the invention of the automobile, solves most driving problems.

The pilot of a transport aircraft who moves his machine on the ground to go from the terminal to the runway where 1 will take off, or from the runway where he has just landed towards the terminal, is most often competent but deaf, almost blind and almost paralytic.

He hears nothing of outside noise and very little of that produced by his own machine; his vision of the world is limited by a "blind spot" which in the best of cases hides 70% of what surrounds him horizontally, more than 90% upwards and 100% downwards where the almost all sources of danger during taxiing (vehicles, track personnel, shorter devices, objects accidentally detached from a previous aircraft or vehicle, etc.). Its steering control is a small joystick with mediocre ergonomics and providing a maneuvering capacity with regard to which the maneuverability of a road transport of the fifties would seem a dream. The accelerator (the gas controls) is almost untouchable on pain of causing serious damage to everything. found in the blast zone on which the pilot, having no rear view mirror, has no information. The brakes are not very usable: while those of the. more modest - land vehicles are designed to stop it effectively, -, and do. are fitted to the vehicle only after it has been checked that they are actually able to do so, especially in the event of a fault. . emergency, those of a transport aircraft, when requested with a certain energy, - quickly lose all efficiency and reach -temperatures risking, to trigger one. . fire and justifying the intervention of the airport firefighters. -.: '.. ..

As for the plane's take-off run, it takes place in even more problematic safety conditions: once it reaches the speed above which the aircraft cannot stop on its own before crossing the end of the track with. most., strong chances of dislocating. and igniting, which takes only a few seconds, the plane is - only a projectile condemned even in the presence of alarms signaling serious anomalies to leave the ground , For the best or for the worst.

The last factor of insecurity to be mentioned - although this "human factor" undoubtedly deserves the first rank in statistical terms - is the characteristic of man, which is to be wrong. We have already mentioned the condition of the pilot locked in a cabin cut off from the world and deprived of effective means of maneuver; we must also talk about the one who has the function of helping him to overcome his visual, hearing and motor handicaps: the controller who, from the top of his lookout, observes the platform and provides each crew with the information he needs. are necessary to move his machine between the terminal and the runway, where he will often be taken care of by another controller.

The controller currently has material aids on the best equipped airports to help him design and transmit the correct instructions: a radar allows him to "see" traffic on the ground in foggy weather; computer screens, documents provide him with information communicated by his colleagues, themselves human, ie fallible. Armed with this information, the controller must devise clear and judicious instructions and transmit them by radio, in his own language if he is speaking to a crew who speaks them, or in English Contrary to what occurs during a telephone communication all the pilots circulating on the platform hear all the instructions issued, which has the advantage of allowing each of them to be informed about what is happening nearby but also the disadvantage to saturate the attention of the crews and to cause misunderstandings and misunderstandings, either that a pilot believes himself concerned by the instruction addressed to another, or that he misunderstands (the two languages, of which often none- is the its own, heard on the frequency can only increase the risk of such misunderstandings) on the meaning of that intended for it. Recall that in Tenerife, on a foggy day, nearly six hundred people died according to a scenario which has just happened exactly in Milan almost twenty-five years later. . -; * • '

Land vehicles have been made relatively reliable, with many improvements being made daily in design, construction, maintenance and upkeep; aircraft handling and operation is evolving towards ever greater safety, at least in the aerial phase of their use, constantly improved working methods and material aids tend to constantly reduce the number of human errors and the seriousness of their consequences .

With regard to infrastructures, it is however obvious that they are no longer suited to their role. And if that is already the situation, what will happen on aerodromes around 2020 when the number of aircraft movements has doubled?

Although almost everything has changed in fifty years as regards the airplane in flight, everything contributes to the observation that the transport airplane is today if not the worst, at least a very ill-suited means of moving on the ground, not only for the security reasons we have mentioned but also for energy saving and ecological considerations: think of the space occupied and the pollution produced by planes traveling in single file on traffic lanes, per tonne (approximately) of fuel consumed by a the only four-jet engine to cover the space separating the terminal from the runway where it will take off, due to noise and accelerated wear and tear from engines not designed for this use ...

In order to remedy these drawbacks, the inventor proposes a movement method and a device for moving an aircraft on the ground which: improves the economy and safety of air transport by optimized use of infrastructure (parking areas, taxiways and take-off and landing runways),

-improves the economy and the safety of air transport by an optimized use of aircraft making it possible to avoid or limit the use of their autonomous means of propulsion, steering and braking under conditions (taxiing and waiting on the ground, acceleration in sight take-off) where they are affected by poor performance, cause serious pollution and are subject to stresses causing premature wear or even ruptures.

Improves air transport security through the use of aircraft allowing the ground to be interrupted, without compromising its safety, the movement of an aircraft without. . still lifted off when .des; or information reveals that it is ou_ estΛ;.,. likely to be the object of an attempt of diversion or sabotage. - _" . ^• -.:

To this end, the process according to the invention is characterized, in that it supports, so . ; autonomous and without the use of its own propulsion means, the movement of the latter from the parking area to the runway; take off and / or from the lamp, landing from the parking area. • ^• -. . :. . , ^•

More particularly, the method according to the invention will use ^•• means - human and / or control and / or management equipment placed at the control tower, ^' in the cockpit of said aircraft and / or in a station provided for this purpose located on the airport site to control and / or manage the movement of the aircraft,. . .

Thus it will then be possible both for the track staff, at. the aircraft crew, control tower agents and / or runway personnel provided for this purpose to react effectively and at all times to information revealing malfunctions and / or anomalies detrimental to movement on the ground and / or when the aircraft takes off Advantageously, the method according to the invention comprises:

- the attachment of a movement device, provided for this purpose, to the aircraft once installed, and

- the training of said aircraft from the airstrip to the assigned location on the parking area. This procedure is particularly advantageous for bringing the aircraft on the runway to its parking location without requesting the engines of the aircraft or its running gear (steering, brakes, etc.)

As regards the movement of the aircraft before takeoff from the terminal to the runway, the method according to the invention comprises:

The attachment of a movement device, provided for this purpose, to said aircraft at its location on the parking area,

The training of said aircraft from its location on the parking area to the taxiway,

Aircraft training on the taxiway to the runway, and

The stall of said device. These two procedures can be implemented on a given airport site independently or together, and this in order to take care of all the movements of an aircraft in the airport site from its landing to the stages preceding its take-off. One, the other or both procedures will be implemented according to the desired infrastructure, to be constructed or constructed in accordance with the implementation of the process which is the subject of the invention. ,,! : •. :. ' -. :. . ....; -

More particularly still, the process according to the invention may include an additional step of take-off assistance. .-:. ^' , -. . -. . ;, - ..: „. _ •. ^' •, •

In. in particular, this step makes it possible to assist the aircraft in all of its movements and to relieve the forces to which the aircraft is subjected during the acceleration preceding takeoff. This take-off assistance may include the supply to said aircraft of at least one "<•" part of the speed necessary for take-off ...- '• - ... *'.,.

In this case, the engines of the aircraft will be less stressed and this assistance will make it possible to, in particular, preserve the rotating elements of the engine as well as the engine-airframe junctions, subjected to high stresses therefore at the risk of immediate or deferred rupture during the take-off phase where the engine provides its maximum power. To provide the speed required for a modern twin-engine airplane to take off three times heavier than a four-engine aircraft from the 1950s, the engine-airframe connections are subjected to an effort at least six times greater, and the same calculation applies to constraints. caused by deceleration after landing when using reverse thrust engines; metallurgy and design have certainly made progress, but the aging of the fleets, both in terms of age and "number of cycles", is unprecedented and therefore poses little-known problems; it is also necessary to bear in mind in this respect that an airplane modern reaction undergoes twice as many stresses and shocks linked to takeoff and landing as a four-piston engine which, because of its lower speed, "lived" in the same period of time twice as long when cruising, that is to say in a flight phase not involving exceptional efforts. From this point of view an airplane which flies another thirty years after its manufacture is therefore in reality at least four times "older" than its ancestor reformed after fifteen years of operation

According to another characteristic, the method according to the invention implements a safety device and for interrupting takeoff of said aircraft.

This device will advantageously be controlled from the cockpit, from the control tower and / or from a station provided for this purpose located on the airport site and will make it possible, in the event that anomalies are perceived in the cockpit or on the ground. '' stop the aircraft in an emergency, this result being achieved only if the method according to the invention is also used for take-off assistance

Advantageously, and depending on the infrastructure characterizing the airport site, said emergency take-off interruption may take place beyond the speed at which the aircraft can no longer stop by its own means without exceeding the end of the runway. . ι ^•

To this end, the method according to the invention comprises

. maintaining said moving means in place once the aircraft aligned with the runway ^•,. -. - - .. the supply to said aircraft of at least part of the speed necessary for takeoff, and>'the stall of said device • <

Given that the method according to the invention offers the possibility of implementing physical and / or human means of control and / or management arranged at the control tower and in the cockpit of said aircraft, the release of said device from movement can be controlled independently by the control tower agents, by the crew of the aircraft, or automatically programmed according to the speed reached by the aircraft, just as the method according to the invention can include an emergency stop step for said aircraft in the event of an incident

In addition and advantageously, the method according to the invention may include a step of pivoting said aircraft for its "engine tests"

This pivoting will allow the hot and turbulent flows ejected by the engines of the aircraft not to go towards the take-off and landing runways, towards the locations of parking or towards taxiways and therefore not to compromise the safety of other aircraft, facilities and people.

This procedure, which takes place between the terminal and the runway, is necessary to verify the proper functioning of the propulsion and maneuvering components of the aircraft and to detect any anomaly detrimental to the safety of the aircraft.

In the event of an aborted take-off or an anomaly observed during engine tests, the method according to the invention may include a step of returning said aircraft to the parking area.

The present invention also relates to the movement device of said aircraft allowing the implementation of said method.

To this end and in accordance with the invention, the device for the movement of an aircraft on the ground is characterized in that it comprises: independent acceleration, braking, takeoff interruption and / or guidance means of those of said aircraft,

. means for controlling the movement of said aircraft to that of said device, and in.ee that it transfers to said aircraft: • ^• .7 ^• -... -.-: •: .-, .... . „. <,;. . •. all of the energy required for said movement of said aircraft during taxiing phases, etc.- - • _' .-; ., „-.-.. -.- .. .-.

• ... at least part of. the energy required to bring said aircraft to its take-off speed. .- ^• - ^{* •} - ^• -; ,. '- •. . . -, -:

More particularly, a device according to the invention comprises at least one element that is mobile or that cooperates together by first means. of connection, moving according to - means of guidance independent of those of said aircraft and located on, under and / or in the .. "covering of runways, taxiways and / or parking areas .. .... -

The moving parts are then the only “vehicles” to actually move, on the move. runways, taxiways and parking lots, and are simpler to control and steer than the aircraft served.

Advantageously, the device according to the invention comprises command and / or control means connected to the control tower, to the cockpit of said aircraft and / or to a station provided for this purpose located on the airport site.

It will therefore be possible for the crew of said aircraft, the control tower agents and / or the runway personnel provided for this purpose to order and / or control the device according to the present invention. Thus, the device according to the invention assists the crew of the aircraft in controlling the direction and the speed and allows the progressive powering up of the engines of the aircraft without it being necessary to request them as much as possible. of their power from the start of acceleration after alignment on the runway.

Even more preferably, in a device according to the invention, said guide means are chosen from grooves, rails, cables and / or optical guides.

Preferably, said at least one mobile element is adapted to move on and / or under the surface of tracks, tracks and traffic and / or parking areas.

Thus, and as for the means for guiding said device, it will be possible to install said device on existing airport sites without the need to review the entire infrastructure of said sites and without requiring the closure of the site during their production.

However, for new sites to be built, or if a major renovation of an existing site is initiated, it will be possible to install, during these works, the device in accordance with the present invention under the conventional infrastructures of a airport site in

.allowing the rolling and. conventional takeoff of aircraft and limiting the presence of obstacles on the paths taken by said aircraft. -,, ^• .. v.

More particularly, said at least one mobile element is driven by an energy source

- mechanics implemented in particular by pneumatic, thermal, electrical, .. electromagnetic and / or hydraulic energy. . ... ^• :. - • -. .-

. In a "particular application of the device according to the invention, it will preferably be chosen as a source of mechanical energy at least one motor. - • '- ^, - - - •" • • - ^•

For the sake of availability, space, or even less modification of infrastructure, said. motor of the device according to the invention is included, in or on ^' said at ^"

. at least one mobile or connected element, to said at least one mobile element by second .. means of connection. :.

Preferably, said first connection means and said second connection means will be identical.

Thus there will be unity and homogeneity between said energy source and the mobile element or elements constituting said displacement device.

Even more preferably, said connection means are chosen from belts, chains, cables and / or electric cables.

In a particular embodiment of the device according to the invention, said at least one mobile element is a drive carriage. In another particular embodiment of the device according to the invention, said at least one movable element is a carriage for supporting a nose wheel caster with wheels at 360 ° pivoting relative to a vertical axis and lifting cylinders

This front axle support carriage will preferably be used in cooperation with the nose wheel of the aircraft and will make it possible to maneuver it on the ground by removing the constraints resulting from the limited nature of their own turning radius.

In yet another particular embodiment of the device according to the invention, said at least one mobile element is a support cart for the fuselage of the aircraft comprising an elastic tank with instant deployment, making it possible to support this fuselage

This elastic reservoir may in particular be deployed in the event of a take-off incident so as to absorb the stresses due to a sudden deceleration of the aircraft. Preferably, the device according to the invention comprises at least both a driving carriage and a front axle support carriage provided with 360 ° pivoting wheels and lifting cylinders, said drive carriage and said front axle support carriage cooperating with each other by means of a single cable driven by said engine Thus, the drive carriage will preferably be provided at the level of the legs of the main landing gear and will provide most of the. transfer of energy between the device and the aircraft In this particular configuration, the two mobile elements constituting the device according to the invention are dependent and will direct the aircraft in concert, each having a specific function, the train support carriage - front mainly used for, directional change of the aircraft and the drive carriage mainly used for the transfer of energy to move the aircraft ^•, •,,

In another particular embodiment, the device according to the invention comprises at least • both a drive carriage and a fuselage support carriage comprising a .reservoir. elastic instantaneous deployment, said drive carriage and said fuselage support carriage cooperating with each other by means of a single cable driven by said motor. In this configuration, an additional safety function will be introduced by the use of the elastic reservoir

The invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description below with reference to the drawings in which.

FIG. 1 represents a plan diagram of an airport site in which the method according to the invention is implemented,

FIG. 2 represents a top view of a drive carriage of the device according to the invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view (in profile and from the front) of the drive carriage of the device according to the invention shown in FIG. 2, and of the track on which the aircraft is traveling,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front axle support carriage of the device according to the invention,

FIG. 5 is a front view of the front axle support carriage shown in FIG. 4, once the front axle of an aircraft has been loaded, and

FIG. 6 shows in elevation a device according to the present invention in use for assistance in taking off from an aircraft.

In Figure 1, an airport site implementing a method according to the invention is shown. Said site comprises a runway 1 for takeoff and landing of aircraft, taxiways 2 between said runway 1 and the parking area 3. A control station 4, for implementing the method according to the invention , is also shown, as well as the ground teams 5 involved in the implementation of the method according to the invention, for example for hooking and unhooking a movement device (not shown here). By means of said ground teams 5, said movement device is attached to the parked aircraft 6. Other 7 aircraft in .; parking await passenger boarding, refueling and supplies, before being-at -.-; in turn provided with said device - displacement. An aircraft S. is driven by the ^' device vι from said parking area 3 to said lane .de. circulation. 2. The aircraft is ..-; then driven along said taxiway 2 to a position 9. where it can.,: perform its engine tests, .. having undergone a pivoting, so that the flows ejected "- by the engines of said aircraft are not directed towards said taxiway, said parking area, said runway or installations likely to be damaged. If it is chosen, to carry out an autonomous takeoff, one of said teams on the ground. 5 takes care of taking off at: 10 said device from said aircraft and thus releasing it for a conventional takeoff.,., If an assisted takeoff procedure is desired, said device, in accordance with the method according to the invention, provides at least one part of the speed required for take-off of the aircraft In the event of an incident during this phase, it is provided by the implementation of the method according to the invention that said device stops said aircraft before it has exceeded 1 'extrémit é 12 of said track 1.

The ground team 5 based near said end 12 of said runway 1 is responsible for hooking said device to an aircraft which has just landed and will be driven at 13 by said device to its parking location on said parking area 3 like aircraft whose assisted take-off has been interrupted or, as from position 9, aircraft whose engine tests have revealed an anomaly. In Figure 2 is shown a drive carriage of the device according to the invention. The arrow indicates the direction of movement of said carriage during its operation. Said carriage is guided by the groove 14 of a guide rail (not shown) disposed on or under the taxiways, parking areas and runways of an airport site. Equivalently, said rail can be arranged so as to be flush with the surface of said traffic lanes, parking areas and tracks. This carriage is provided with a winding drum 15 connecting it to a not shown drive cable or to another mobile element constituting the device according to the invention. Said carriage is intended to cooperate with another movable element, a fastening ramp 16 and a fastening latch 17 are provided. Said carriage is provided with thrust arms 18 adjustable in height and in azimuth intended to transmit to the aircraft the forces necessary for its movement. Said arms 18 are provided with thrust jaws 19 intended to cooperate with the legs 20 of the main landing gear of the aircraft served by means of a cut of shape adapted to that of said legs 20 and to allow better energy transfer. Said jaws 19-. . cooperate with the holding jaws 21 shown. in _* open position on the right and - closed on the left, also presenting a suitable cutout. 'intended to cooperate with. the. . 20 legs of the main landing gear of the aircraft served. The closed position authorizes them. , braking and emergency stop functions. The cooperation, .between "said thrust jaws; 19 s and retaining jaws 21 is ensured by means of a closing hinge 22 and a closing cylinder 23. The interior of the cutout is provided with rollers 24 consisting _'of an elastic material to protect the leg 20 of the landing gear. the locking in the closed position of the jaws 19 and 21 is ensured by a closing latch 25. in Figure 3 is carried evidence of the machinery allowing said carriage, drive to move. Said carriage comprises the push jaws 19 and retainer 21 shown in the open position and the push arms 18. In particular, said carriage comprises traction wheels with pneumatic tires 26 allowing contact between the ground and said trolley, said trolley also comprises a clean internal motor 27 the function of which is to supply the energy necessary for driving on the parking area and the traffic lanes. Said wheels 26 symmetrically frame said groove 14 of the guide rail 28 on which guide wheels 29 preferably roll of metal. Under the covering of the tracks and surrounding said guide rail 28 is also provided a trench 30 providing said guide wheels 29 with sufficient space to move. AT the vertical of said guide rail 28 and opening into said guide trench 30 is formed said guide groove 14 allowing the passage of the link 31 between said carriage and said guide wheels 29

The carriage is also provided with a reservoir 32 making it possible to store the fluid mainly used for the application of the brakes 33 and for the dissipation of the heat produced by the members of the said carriage and of the hooking members of the traction cable 42 FIG. 4 shows a front axle support carriage of the device according to the invention This carriage is mainly intended for lifting the front axle of aircraft and increasing the maneuverability. This carriage can be used independently or in cooperation with other organs of the device according to the invention and in particular the drive carriage previously described.

In FIG. 4, said front axle support carriage is shown in the low position, that is to say before the front axle of an aircraft is disposed there. Said carriage comprises a sole 34 intended to receive said front axle and side walls 35. Said walls have bores allowing the passage of vertical axes 36. extraction and retraction of wheels 37 which can pivot 360 ° around said vertical axes 36 . The open spaces at the front and at the rear of said carriage are provided with removable drop sides 38 (not shown on the rear face) ensuring that said front axle 40 remains in position. Lifting cylinders 39 are arranged so as to bring said sole 3.4 to no longer be in. contact with the ground after loading the front axle 40 and authorize the free pivoting of the rails> 37 "> -, Figure 5 shows the same axle support carriage as the previous figure but • once it is loaded with the axle front 40 of said aircraft. The drop side 38 then plays its role of "blocking the front axle 40 on said carriage. -

FIG. 6 shows a preferred optimal device according to the present invention in ... use for assistance in taking off from an aircraft.

Said device comprises, buried in the foundations of the airport site, a motor 41 driving a traction cable 42 via a drive drum 43. A second drive drum (not shown) disposed at the other end of the track opposite the drum 43 makes it possible to loop said cable 42 and ensure its continuity Under the track and in the manner described above is disposed said guide rail 28 cooperating by means of rollers 44 with said cable 42 so as to optimize the distance between said cable 42 and said rail 28 and to regulate the movements and the flutter thereof due to the long length of said cable 42 Said rollers 44 also have the effect of preventing tensioning of cable 42 during assisted takeoff does not lift said cable 42 out of its housing. Said cable 42 is connected to a carriage 45 for supporting the fuselage of the aircraft carrying an elastic tank 46 for instant deployment (shown in dotted lines in the deployed position) for emergency stops, and folded apart from this assumption at inside the carriage 45. The energy required for assisted take-off is supplied via said cable 42 attached to the front of the drive carriage 47 (traction function) and to the rear of the same carriage (braking function) . Said drive carriage 47 is itself in contact with the legs 20 of the landing gear of the aircraft 48 by means of said thrust arms 18 and said jaws 19 and 21. Said cable 42 runs in the same groove (axis of the section) that said guide wheels 29 of said drive carriage 47. The attachment points to said carriage 47 are by design located outside of said groove and provided with rollers (not shown) allowing them to slide or roll on the lips of said groove which can be reinforced by metal rails (not shown). Thanks to the connecting strand 49 between the carriage 45 and the traction cable 42, said cable 42 itself can be extracted by the track personnel who can thus modify the point of attachment of said carriage 45 to 1! adapt to the characteristics of the aircraft served. .. ^• :. ., Activation of the deployment of ^; elastic tank, 46, automatic in case. • emergency stop command by the device control station, the control tower or the crew. ... said aircraft 48, prevents the front of the fuselage of the aircraft from hitting the runway in the case .oùda .-. . train leg. before 50. would come. at; yield under an effort exceeding its mechanical capacities ^• : (pitching torque resulting from the braking action produced at the level of the train, main); _ the absorption "of this effort by the elastic reservoir 46 - deployed must also, possibly preventing the breakdown of the front '- - ^• - ^• _* ^..>,, .. .. .. ^• • c......

After each takeoff, the runway personnel unhooks the cable 42 from said carriage 47 and said carriage. 47 then joins the areas by following the rail. parking to serve another aircraft. The inversion of the direction of rotation of the drums 43 then makes it possible to bring the part of the cable fixed to the carriage 45 for fuselage support and. the fastening members at the other end of the runway, where the ground team personnel will hook the cable 42 to the drive carriage 47 of the following aircraft. If necessary, the point of attachment of the fuselage support carriage 45 will then be offset according to the dimensions and characteristics of this new aircraft.

Claims

1) Method of moving an aircraft on the ground, characterized in that it takes charge, independently and without the use of propulsion means specific to said aircraft, said movement from the parking area (3) to the runway (1) and / or from runway (1) to the parking area (3).

2) Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it implements human and / or control and / or management means arranged in the control tower, in the cockpit of said aircraft and / or in a post provided for this purpose, located on the airport site.

3) Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises;

- the attachment of a movement device, provided for this purpose, to said aircraft once installed, and

The drive (13) of said aircraft from the runway (1) to its location on the parking area (3). , - ...;

4) .- "; Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized. In that it comprises;

- ^• . The attachment (6) of a displacement device provided - for this purpose caudit - aircraft at its location on the (parking area (3)., - .. -;.. ^{• • •} ;.;; ' , '- ..-,'.

-, - ^' . . The drive (8} idudit aircraft from its location .SUP the parking area., '- (3) to the taxiway. (2) • .-;, ..' •. - - .; . -:;. ^• .; ^• - ^' > • ^• ..; *,:

- -> -:. The training of said aircraft on taxiway (2) to runway (1), and r. .

' ^* - •''' The stall (10) of said device. - ^• - .- - - - ^• • • • "" - ^•• • ^• - •> - < ^•

-5) _' . .. Method according to one of claims to 4, characterized in that it comprises an additional - - - step (11), of take-off assistance. .. '' ... . ... ...

6) Method according to claim 5, characterized in that said take-off assistance step comprises the supply of at least one to said aircraft. part of the speed required for flight;

7) Method according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that it implements a safety device and aborting takeoff of said aircraft.

8) Method according to claim 7, characterized in that said takeoff interruption can be carried out beyond the speed from which the aircraft could no longer stop by its own means without exceeding the end of the track.

9) Method according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that it comprises; Maintaining said movement device in place once said aircraft aligned with the runway (1)

The supply to said aircraft of at least part of the speed necessary for takeoff, and

The dropout of said device

10) Method according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises an emergency stop step of said aircraft in the event of an incident during the assisted take-off phase.

11) Method according to one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a step (9) of pivoting of said aircraft for engine tests.

12) Method according to one of claims 10 or 11, characterized in that it comprises a step of returning said aircraft to the parking area (3) after engine tests or aborted takeoff

13) Device for moving an aircraft on the ground, characterized in that it comprises: means for acceleration, braking, take-off interruption and / or guidance independent of those specific to said aircraft, means of enslavement of the movement of said aircraft to that of said device,. and in that it transfers to said aircraft, -. all of the energy required for said displacement of said aircraft during taxiing phases between the runway (1) and the parking areas (3). . .

- " ^• at least part of the energy required to bring said aircraft to the speed of

- take off • - ^•

14). Device according to claim 13 characterized in that it comprises at least one x independent movable element or cooperating together by first .means of connection, moving according to independent guide means. those of said aircraft and located on and / or in the covering of runways (1), taxiways (2) and / or parking areas (3).

15) Device according to one of claims 13 or 14 characterized in that it comprises command and / or control means connected to the control tower, to the cockpit of said aircraft and / or to a station (4) provided for this purpose located on the airport site.

16) Device according to one of claims 13 to 15 characterized in that said guide means are chosen from the grooves, the rails and / or the optical guides

17) Device according to one of claims 14 to 16 characterized in that said at least one mobile element is adapted to move on and / or under the coating of the tracks (1), traffic lanes (2) and / or parking areas (3). 18) Device according to one of claims 14 to 17 characterized in that said at least one movable element is driven by a source of mechanical energy (27/41) implemented by pneumatic, thermal, electrical, electromagnetic energy and / or hydraulic.

19) Device according to claim 18 characterized in that said source of mechanical energy is at least one motor (27/41)

20) Device according to claim 19 characterized in that said motor (27) is included in or on said at least one mobile element or connected to said at least one mobile element by second connection means.

21) Device according to one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that said first and said second connection means are identical.

22) Device according to claim 21, characterized in that said connection means are chosen from belts, chains, cables and / or electric cables.

23) Device according to one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that said at least one movable element is a drive carriage.

24) Device according to claim 23, characterized in that said drive carriage 'v :. comprises a winding drum (15) connecting it to. a cable, at least one push arm

^; . (18) adjustable in height and in azimuth, said arm (18) being - provided with at least one jaw of - - thrust - (19) intended to cooperate with a structural element of an aircraft via 'une> cut of shape adapted to. that of .. said, structure, said jaw. .thrust - (19) being provided to cooperate. with at least one retaining jaw (21) - also having a cutout intended to cooperate with the structural element of said - aircraft, the cooperation between said thrust jaw (19) and said retaining jaw - (21) being ensured by means of a closing hinge (22) - and a; ^• erin. closure (23), the interior of the cutout being provided with rollers (24) made of an elastic material and the locking of said jaws (19, 21) between them in the closed position. being ensured by a closure latch (25 ).

25), * Device according to one of claims 23 or 24, characterized in that said drive carriage comprises traction wheels with tires (26), an internal motor

. clean (27), brakes (33) and reservoirs (32) for storing hydraulic fluid.

26) Device according to claim 25, characterized in that said wheels (26) symmetrically frame a groove (14) of the guide rail (28) on which guide wheels roll (29), in that under the covering the tracks and surrounding said guide rail (28) is formed a trench (30) cooperating with said guide wheels (29) and in that vertical to said guide rail (28) and opening out, t in said guide trench (30) is formed said guide groove (14)

27) Device according to one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that said carriage comprises a hooking ramp (16) and a hooking latch (17) for cooperating with another mobile element

28) Device according to one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that said at least one mobile element is a front caster support carriage provided with wheels (37) with 360 ° of clearance relative to an axis (36) vertical and lifting cylinders (39)

29) Device according to claim 28, characterized in that said front axle support carriage cooperates with the front axle (40) of said aircraft

30) Device according to one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that said at least one mobile element is a carriage (45) for supporting the fuselage of the aircraft comprising an elastic tank with instant deployment (46)

31) Device according to one of claims 14 to 30, characterized in that it comprises at least both a drive carriage and a front axle support carriage (37) provided with wheels with 360 ° clearance and lifting cylinders (39), said drive carriage and said front axle support chain cooperating with one another by means of a single cable. driven by said motor (41)

32) Device according to one of claims 14 to 30, characterized in that it comprises. at least> both a drive carriage and a support cart for the fuselage (45) comprising an instantaneous deployment elastic reservoir (46), said drive carriage and said fuselage support carriage (45) cooperating with each other by means of a threshold and the same cable (42) driven by said motor (41) -. *