Inherently stable tapered wing flaperon airplane

Claim 2

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaperons mounted on the outboard trailing portions of said wings, and flaps mounted on the inboard trailing portions of said wings, the outboard panels of said wings ahead of said flaperons being tapered in planform and having a higher-lift leading edge than the leading edges of the inboard panels of said wings, flap actuating means connected to the flaps for deflecting them, elevators mounted on the airplane aft of the wings, elevator control means connected to said elevators, and compensating means connected to said flap actuating means and to said elevator control means for producing a resilient force on said elevator control means in the direction tending to swing said elevators upward in response to movement of said flap actuating means for deflecting the flaps, the compensation means including spring means operable to decrease a down-springing force of the elevator control means on the elevator.

Claim 3

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaps mounted on trailing portions of said wings, flAp-actuating means connected to said flaps for deflecting them, movable surfaces mounted on the airplane aft of said wings for controlling longitudinal pitch stability, operating means connected to said movable surfaces, and compensating means connected to said flap-actuating means and to said movable surfaces operating means for producing a resilient force on said movable surfaces in the direction tending to swing said movable surfaces upward in response to movement of said flap-actuating means for deflecting said flaps whereby deflection of the flaps automatically provides an assistance force to aid the pilot in raising the movable surfaces during periods of flap deflection.

Claim 4

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaps mounted on trailing portions of said wings, flAp-actuating means connected to said flaps for deflecting them, movable surfaces mounted on the airplane aft of said wings for controlling longitudinal pitch stability, operating means connected to said movable surfaces, and compensating means connected to said flap-actuating means and to said movable surfaces operating means for producing a resilient force on said movable surfaces in the direction tending to swing said movable surfaces upward in response to movement of said flap-actuating means for deflecting said flaps whereby deflection of the flaps automatically provides an assistance force to aid the pilot in raising the movable surfaces during periods of flap deflection.

Claim 5

The invention defined by claim 2, said movable surfaces including primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces movable by said operating means and a secondary longitudinal pitch trim control surface attached to the trailing edge of a primary longitudinal pitch control surface for independent movement and providing a force to deflect said primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces upwardly upon independent downward deflection of said trim control surface and wherein said compensating means is interconnected between said flap actuating means and said operating means for providing an upward force on said primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces thus eliminating the need for deflecting the trim control surfaces relative to the primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces with the result that said trim control surface remains aligned with the primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces to provide the maximum effective area of primary longitudinal pitch control surface available to the pilot.

Claim 6

The invention defined by claim 2, said wings each including inner panels and outboard panels, said flaps mounted on the inner panels, flaperons mounted on the trailing portions of said outboard panels, sealing strips bridging between the trailing portions of said outer panels of said wings and leading portions of said flaperons for sealing the slot therebetween when said flaperons have been deflected substantially to their positions of maximum deflection.

Claim 7

The invention defined by claim 2, said wings each including inner panels and outboard panels, ailerons mounted on the trailing edge of said outboard panels, said flaps mounted on said trailing portions of said inboard panels, and stall fences running along the top of said wing chord-wise between the leading and trailing edges thereof adjacent the inboard ends of said ailerons.

Claim 8

The invention defined by claim 2, said wings being tapered in planform and having a leading edge cuff for increasing the radius of the leading edge of the wing, said wings each including inboard panels and outboard panels, said cuff being of a radius of greater percent of chord on outer panels of the wing than the inner panels.

Claim 9

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaperons mounted on the outboard trailing portions of said wings, flaps mounted on the inboard trailing portions of said wings, flap actuating means connected to the flaps for deflecting them, flaperon actuation mechanism operated in response to deflection of the flaps to increase the droop of the flaperons during deflection of the flaps, sealing strips bridging between the trailing edges of said wings and the leading edges of said flaperons for sealing the slot therebetween, stall fences provided on the wings extending chord-wise at approximately the location of the inboard ends of the flaperons, movable surface means mounted on the airplane aft of said wings for controlling longitudinal pitch stability, primary pitch control means connected to said movable surface means for actuating said movable surface means, and compensating means interconnected to said flap actuating means and to said primary pitch control means for providing a resilient force on said primary pitch control means in the direction tending to swing said movable surface means upward in response to movement of said flap actuating means for deflecting the flaps whereby deflection of the flaps automatically provides an assistance force to aid the pilot in raising the longitudinal pitch stability movable surface means during periods of flap deflection.

Claim 10

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaperons mounted on the outboard trailing portions of said wings, flaps mounted on the inboard trailing portions of said wings, flap actuating means connected to the flaps for deflecting them, flaperon actuation mechanism operated in response to deflection of the flaps to increase the droop of the flaperons during deflection of the flaps, sealing strips bridging between the trailing edges of said wings and the leading edges of said flaperons for sealing the slot therebetween, stall fences provided on the wings extending chord-wise at approximately the location of the inboard ends of the flaperons, movable surface means mounted on the airplane aft of said wings for controlling longitudinal pitch stability, primary pitch control means connected to said movable surface means for actuating said movable surface means, and compensating means interconnected to said flap actuating means and to said primary pitch control means for providing a resilient force on said primary pitch control means in the direction tending to swing said movable surface means upward in response to movement of said flap actuating means for deflecting the flaps whereby deflection of the flaps automatically provides an assistance force to aid the pilot in raising the longitudinal pitch stability movable surface means during periods of flap deflection.

Claim 11

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaps mounted on trailing portions of said wings, flap-actuating means connected to said flaps for deflecting them, primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces mounted aft of said wings, a secondary longitudinal pitch trim control surface attached to the trailing edge of a primary longitudinal pitch control surface for providing an assistance force to aid deflection of said surfaces in the opposite direction, compensating means interconnected to said flap actuating means and said pitch control surfaces for providing an upward force on said pitch control surfaces upon downward deflection of said flaps to automatically provide an assistance force aiding the pilot in raising the pitch control surfaces and allowing the trim control surface to remain in alignment with the pitch control surfaces so that the maximum effective area of primary longitudinal pitch control surface is available to the pilot.

Claim 12

In an airplane, wings for supporting the airplane, flaps mounted on trailing portions of said wings, flap-actuating means connected to said flaps for deflecting them, primary longitudinal pitch control surfaces mounted aft of said wings, a secondary longitudinal pitch trim control surface attached to the trailing edge of a primary longitudinal pitch control surface for providing an assistance force to aid deflection of said surfaces in the opposite direction, compensating means interconnected to said flap actuating means and said pitch control surfaces for providing an upward force on said pitch control surfaces upon downward deflection of said flaps to automatically provide an assistance force aiding the pilot in raising the pitch control surfaces and allowing the trim control surface to remain in alignment with the pitch control surfaces so that the maximum effective area of primary longitudinal pitch control surface is available to the pilot.

Claim 13

The invention of claim 8, said compensating means including resilient spring means.