Aircraft having auxiliary airfoils

Claim 1

An aircraft comprising a fuselage, wings mounted on and projecting from the fuselage for supplying lift to the aircraft, the wings being pivotally mounted on the fuselage for swinging movement between a forwardly disposed position wherein the included angle between the wings and the fuselage is relatively large and rearwardly disposed aft sweep positions wherein the included angle between the wings and the fuselage is smaller; the resultant of the lifting forces exerted by the wings being to the rear of the center of gravity for the aircraft irrespective of the position of the wings and being located further rearwardly in the aft sweep position than in the forward position, whereby the lift forces on the wings create a nose-down moment about the center of gravity; horizontal stabilizers projecting laterally with respect to the fuselage forwardly of the wings and center of gravity and being spaced longitudinally from the wings, the horizontal stabilizers being positioned and configured to produce a moment about the center of gravity which is in opposition to the nose-down moment created by the wings; and auxiliary airfoils mounted on the fuselage behind the wings and being spaced longitudinally from the wings and the horizontal stabilizers, the auxiliary airfoils being positioned and configured to produce a moment about the center of gravity which opposes the nose-down moment exerted by the wings and supplements the moment exerted by horizontal stabilizers, the auxiliary airfoils being retractable so that the moment produced thereby can be varied; whereby as the wings move rearwardly from their forward position to aft sweep positions the auxiliary airfoils may be extended to counteract the increase in the nose-down moment exerted by the wings so that the load on the horizontal stabilizers does not become excessive.