Hang glider

Claim 2

An aerial wing for soaring having opposite ends and a generally uniform airfoil shape between said ends comprising, an envelope of flexible sheet material inflatable to said airfoil shape and having leading and trailing edges, the interior of said envelope defining chamber means, inflatable bladder means within said chamber means and including wall means separate from said envelope and providing an airfoil shape for said bladder means generally corresponding in contour to said airfoil shape of said envelope, said bladder means being expandable and contractible within and relative to said chamber means and being sealed against fluid flow communication therewith, one of said chamber means and bladder means being adapted to receive and hold a quantity of gas, means defining air passageway means opening into the other of said chamber means and bladder means and having entrance means through said envelope adjacent said leading edge, and means to suspend a load beneath said wing.

Claim 3

The aerial wing according to claim 1, wherein said envelope has a bottom portion between said leading and trailing edges, said entrance means being through said bottom portion.

Claim 4

The aerial wing according to claim 1, wherein said envelope has a bottom portion between said leading and trailing edges, and said means to suspend a load includes means on said bottom portion for attaching shroud lines to said wing.

Claim 5

The aerial wing according to claim 1, and elevator means along said trailing edge and pivotal relative to said envelope.

Claim 6

The aerial wing according to claim 1, wherein said bladder means is said one of said chamber means and bladder means.

Claim 7

The aerial wing according to claim 1, wherein said chamber means is said one of said chamber means and bladder means.

Claim 8

The aerial wing according to claim 1, wherein said chamber means includes a plurality of chambers disposed side-by-side in said envelope, said chambers including sidewall means extending in the direction between said leading and trailing edges, and said bladder means includes an inflatable bladder in each chamber.

Claim 9

The aerial wing according to claim 7, wherein said sidewall means seal adjacent ones of said chambers against fluid flow communication therebetween and said bladder means is said other of said chamber means and bladder means, each said inflatable bladder having an opening thereinto, said envelope having a bottom portion between said leading and trailing edges, said entrance means through said envelope including openings through said bottom portion each communicating with a corresponding bladder opening.

Claim 10

The aerial wing according to claim 7, wherein said envelope includes a bottom portion between said leading and trailing edges and said chamber means is said other of said chamber means and bladder means, said entrance means through said envelope including an opening through said bottom portion into each of said chambers.

Claim 11

An aerial wing for soaring having opposite ends and a generally uniform airfoil shape between said ends comprising, an envelope of flexible sheet material, said envelope having end walls and top and bottom portions meeting to define generally parallel leading and trailing edges of said wing, a plurality of partitions of flexible sheet material in said envelope and attached thereto, said end walls and partitions having said airfoil shape and extending generally perpendicular to said top and bottom portions and to said leading and trailing edges, said end walls and partitions dividing the interior of said envelope into a plurality of chambers, an inflatable bladder in each chamber, each bladder including wall means separate from said envelope and providing said bladders with a contour generally corresponding to the contour of the corresponding chamber, each bladder being expandable and contractible within and relative to the corresponding chamber, each chamber and corresponding bladder being sealed against fluid flow communication therebetween, one of said chamber and corresponding bladder being adapted to receive and hold a quantity of gas, means defining an air passageway opening into the other of said chamber and corresponding bladder and having an entrance through said bottom portion of said envelope adjacent said leading edge, and means for attaching load supporting shroud lines to said bottom portion of said envelope.

Claim 12

An aerial wing for soaring having opposite ends and a generally uniform airfoil shape between said ends comprising, an envelope of flexible sheet material, said envelope having end walls and top and bottom portions meeting to define generally parallel leading and trailing edges of said wing, a plurality of partitions of flexible sheet material in said envelope and attached thereto, said end walls and partitions having said airfoil shape and extending generally perpendicular to said top and bottom portions and to said leading and trailing edges, said end walls and partitions dividing the interior of said envelope into a plurality of chambers, an inflatable bladder in each chamber, each bladder including wall means separate from said envelope and providing said bladders with a contour generally corresponding to the contour of the corresponding chamber, each bladder being expandable and contractible within and relative to the corresponding chamber, each chamber and corresponding bladder being sealed against fluid flow communication therebetween, one of said chamber and corresponding bladder being adapted to receive and hold a quantity of gas, means defining an air passageway opening into the other of said chamber and corresponding bladder and having an entrance through said bottom portion of said envelope adjacent said leading edge, and means for attaching load supporting shroud lines to said bottom portion of said envelope.

Claim 13

The aerial wing according to claim 10, wherein said air passageway opens into said chamber and said entrance is defined by an opening through said bottom portion facing in the direction of said leading edge and extending generally parallel thereto.

Claim 14

The aerial wing according to claim 11, further including elevator means extending along said trailing edge and pivotal relative to said envelope, and means for attaching control line means to said elevator means.

Claim 15

The aerial wing according to claim 11, and air outlet means for said chamber, said outlet means opening through said envelope adjacent said trailing edge.

Claim 16

The aerial wing according to claim 11, wherein said means for attaching shroud lines includes a plurality of rows of individual webs of flexible sheet material attached to said bottom portion, said rows extending between said leading and trailing edges, and the webs in each row being generally coplanar.

Claim 17

The aerial wing according to claim 14, wherein said rows each underlie one of said end walls and partitions.

Claim 18

The aerial wing according to claim 10, wherein said air passageway opens into said bladder and said entrance is defined by an opening through said bottom portion facing in the direction of said leading edge and extending generally parallel thereto, said means defining said air passageway including an opening in said bladder and means connecting said bladder and bottom portion of said envelope for said openings to be in flow communication.

Claim 19

The aerial wing according to claim 16, and elevator means extending along said trailing edge and pivotal relative to said envelope, and means for attaching control line means to said elevator means.

Claim 20

The aerial wing according to claim 16, wherein said means for attaching shroud lines includes a plurality of rows of individual webs of flexible sheet material attached to said bottom portion, said rows extending between said leading and trailing edges, and the webs in each row being generally coplanar.

Claim 21

The aerial wing according to claim 16, wherein said rows each underlie one of said end walls and partitions.