Trigger-launched jet plane

Claim 1

A toy airlane for use with a launching apparatus, said airplane comprising: a body comprising a main portion, a nose at the forward end of said main portion, laterally extending wings projecting from the sides of said main portion, and a tail section extending rearwardly from said main portion; said main body portion and nose defining a launching passageway open at both ends and extending from an opening at the forward end of said nose to an opening at the lower rear end of said main body portion and terminating short of said tail section, said tail section being formed integrally with and extending rearwardly from the upper part of said main body portion and located in a horizontal plane above the lower rear end of said main body portion in which said launching passageway is located to thereby assure that the rear end of said launching passagway is accessible to a launching apparatus.

Claim 10

An apparatus comprising a toy airplane and hand-held launching apparatus therefor, said toy airplane comprising, a plastic body of hollow molded construction including a main body portion and a tail section extending rearwardly from the upper part of said main body portion, with a lower rear portion of said main body being disposed below the juncture of said main body and said tail section, said tail section including a vertical rudder formed integrally with said main body and tail section and a pair of horizontal tail pieces formed of a single member inserted through said hollow tail section, a pair of wings formed of a single member inserted through said hollow body, a nose formed of resilient shock-absorbing material attached to the forward end of said body and having a longitudinal passageway therethrough simulating the air intake passage of a jet airplane, a cylindrical launching tube extending longitudinally through the hollow body of said airplane from said lower rear portion of said main body and into the passageway in said nose. said launching tube and said nose passageway defining a launching passageway extending longitudinally through said airplane from said nose to said lower rear portion of said main body, and an annular latch ring on said launching tube on the end distant from said nose, the rear end of said launching tube with said annular latch ring simulating the exhaust of a jet airplane; and said launching apparatus for said toy airplane comprising, a handle, a launching rod mounted in said handle and adapted to be slidably received within said launching passageway of said aircraft, a launching spring disposed about said launching rod for resiliently urging said aircraft in the direction of launch, retaining means for engaging said annular latch ring on said aircraft for retaining said aircraft on said launching rod with said spring in a compressed position, and a trigger associated with said retaining means for selectively releasing said retaining means to launch said airplane, said launching passageway terminating short of the rear end of said tail section and being disposed substantially entirely in a horizontal plane below the plane of said tail section whereby the enD of said launching passageway will be assessible to the launching rod of said launching apparatus and said tail section will be disposed substantially above the handle of said launching apparatus when said airplane is retained on said launching rod, said aircraft being of such mass and air foil construction that when propelled forward by said launching apparatus it will glide as a true aircraft rather than as a ballistic projectile.

Claim 11

An apparatus comprising a toy airplane and hand-held launching apparatus therefor, said toy airplane comprising, a plastic body of hollow molded construction including a main body portion and a tail section extending rearwardly from the upper part of said main body portion, with a lower rear portion of said main body being disposed below the juncture of said main body and said tail section, said tail section including a vertical rudder formed integrally with said main body and tail section and a pair of horizontal tail pieces formed of a single member inserted through said hollow tail section, a pair of wings formed of a single member inserted through said hollow body, a nose formed of resilient shock-absorbing material attached to the forward end of said body and having a longitudinal passageway therethrough simulating the air intake passage of a jet airplane, a cylindrical launching tube extending longitudinally through the hollow body of said airplane from said lower rear portion of said main body and into the passageway in said nose. said launching tube and said nose passageway defining a launching passageway extending longitudinally through said airplane from said nose to said lower rear portion of said main body, and an annular latch ring on said launching tube on the end distant from said nose, the rear end of said launching tube with said annular latch ring simulating the exhaust of a jet airplane; and said launching apparatus for said toy airplane comprising, a handle, a launching rod mounted in said handle and adapted to be slidably received within said launching passageway of said aircraft, a launching spring disposed about said launching rod for resiliently urging said aircraft in the direction of launch, retaining means for engaging said annular latch ring on said aircraft for retaining said aircraft on said launching rod with said spring in a compressed position, and a trigger associated with said retaining means for selectively releasing said retaining means to launch said airplane, said launching passageway terminating short of the rear end of said tail section and being disposed substantially entirely in a horizontal plane below the plane of said tail section whereby the enD of said launching passageway will be assessible to the launching rod of said launching apparatus and said tail section will be disposed substantially above the handle of said launching apparatus when said airplane is retained on said launching rod, said aircraft being of such mass and air foil construction that when propelled forward by said launching apparatus it will glide as a true aircraft rather than as a ballistic projectile.