Lifting body aircraft

Claim 1

A lifting body having a trailing edge, elevation control means, means providing a first substantially horizontal control surface forming part of said trailing edge and adapted to be deflected downwardly to impart a basic lift to the lifting body in flight, a pair of upwardly deflectable substantially horizontal control surfaces located aft of the center of lift, means adjustable to maintain said first control surface in a downwardly deflected condition and to effect a preliminary trim setting whereby, at least with the elevation control means in a neutral condition said upwardly deflectable control surfaces are held in an upwardly deflected condition, said upwardly deflectable control surfaces being positioned so that their upward deflection resulting from adjustment of said maintaining means gives rise to a positive component of pitching moment, and to a downward lift smaller in magnitude than the basic lift imparted to the lifting body as a result of downward deflection of the first control surface, said adjustable means including control means for effecting continuous downward variation of the deflection of said first control surface and simultaneous and dependent upward variation of the deflection of the upwardly deflectable control surfaces.