Lightweight thrust reverser

Claim 1

IN A JET PROPELLED AIRCRAFT, A FAN TYPE POWERPLANT AND THRUST REVERSING ASSEMBLY FOR PRODUCING AND DIRECTING A LOW TEMPERATURE STREAM OF MOTIVE FLUID, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A FAN TYPE POWERPLANT UNIT COMPRISING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL CASING AND INNER STRUCTURE COAXIALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CASING TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN AN ANNULAR MOTIVE FLUID PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING AXIALLY BETWEEN AN INLET OPENING AND AN EXHAUST OPENING AT THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM ENDS, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID CASING AND SAID INNER STRUCTURE, SUPPORT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID INNER STRUCTURE AND EXTENDING AXIALLY DOWNSTREAM THEREFROM, A HOLLOW FAIRING COAXIALLY MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID CASING AND SAID INNER STRUCTURE AND HAVING AN AERODYNAMIC SHAPE CONVERGING IN THE DOWNSTREAM DIRECTION, SAID HOLLOW FAIRING BEING AXIALLY MOVABLE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND OPERATIVE POSITIONS, SAID FAIRING IN SAID FIRST POSITION SURROUNDING SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP THERETO AND FORMING AN AERODYNAMICALLY SMOOTH DOWNSTREAM CONTIUATION OF SAID INNER STRUCTURE AND SAID FAIRING IN SAID SECOND POSITION BEING SPACED AXIALLY DOWNSTREAM OF SAID INNER STRUCTURE AND THE EXHAUST OPENING, ACTUATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FAIRING BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, A FLEXIBLE PANEL SECURED AT A CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF TO THE DOWNSTREAM END OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS, AND INTERCONNECTING MEANS BETWEEN PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF SAID FLEXIBLE PANEL AND SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR RETRACTING SAID FLEXIBLE PANEL INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID FAIRING AND SAID SUPPORT MEANS AS SAID FAIRING AS MOVED TO SAID FIRST POSITION AND FOR PERMITTING SAID FLEXIBLE PANEL TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM WITHIN SAID FAIRING AS SAID FAIRING IS MOVED TO SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID FLEXIBLE PANEL FORMING A SMOOTHLY CURVED SURFACE EXTENDING ACROSS THE NORMAL PATH OF AN UNOBSTRUCTED MOTIVE FLUID STREAM WHEN SAID FAIRING IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION AND A STREAM OF MOTIVE FLUID IS BEING DISCHARGED SO AS TO IMPINGE ON AND INFLATE SAID PANEL, THE SMOOTHLY CURVED SURFACE DEFECLTING THE STREAM OF MOTIVE FLUID FROM THE NORMAL REARWARD DIRECTION TO A DEFLECTED DIRECTION TO THEREBY PRODUCE REVERSE THRUST.