Banner Towing Adapter

This invention relates to the towing of gunnery targets by aircraft and more particularly to an adapter for permitting the towing of an aerial target by a fighter aircraft.

As is obvious to those skilled in the art, attack fighter aircraft are capable of air-to-air gunnery. In order to obtain proficiency in this tactical maneuver, aircraft squadrons need to be able to tow aerial banners or targets behind them. However, some aircraft, such as the F-14, which usually have an arresting tail hook assembly for landing on aircraft carriers, have no inherent means for attachment of such an aerial banner and ordinarily two adapters are required in order to provide a point of attachment.

Accordingly, the present invention comprises a towing adapter which can be fastened to the arresting tail hook assembly of the type carried by some aircraft. The adapter is designed to fit an aircraft through the use of an expanding sleeve constructed so as to be inserted within the hollow tail hook attachment pin of the aircraft which secures the tail hook to the aircraft. The sleeve is provided with a fixed arm which extends upwardly toward the tail hook support structure and secures the sleeve to the support structure. A rotatable arm is attached to the sleeve and has a hook suitable for securing a towline at its far end. The hook is disposed between two retainers extending out from the sleeve assembly which are designed to contain a towline on the hook. The hook is also provided with a release mechanism which allows it to rotate away from the retainers and release the towline and thus the banner.

It is therefore an object of this invention to permit attachment of an aerial banner or target to an aircraft.

Another object of this invention is to provide a towing adapter for use with aircraft having an arresting tail hook assembly so that targets may be drawn behind the aircraft on towlines and thus used for aerial gunning practice.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a quick attachable banner towing adapter for aircraft having an arresting tail hook assembly.

A still further object is the provision of a safe banner towing adapter which releases the target being towed by lowering the tail hook.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the installation location for the banner towing adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the cooperation of the banner towing adapter with the arresting tail hook of an aircraft with parts of the adapter broken away.

FIG. 3 shows an end view of the present banner towing adapter with parts broken away.

FIG. 4a illustrates the left side view of the instant banner towing adapter.

FIG. 4b shows a right side view of the banner towing adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 5a shows a partial view of the swivel block assembly in the open position.

FIG. 5b illustrates a partial view of the swivel block assembly in the closed position.

FIG. 6 shows the banner towing adapter when the tail hook is in the hook down position.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown in schematic form the arresting tail hook assembly of a fighter aircraft 10. As can be seen, a tail hook 12 is rotatably supported by a hollow attachment pin 14 which is fixedly supported by tail hook support structure generally designated 16. Prior to landing of the aircraft, the pilot lowers the tail hook, i.e., places it in the hook down position as shown by 12', by utilizing an unlocking mechanism generally at 17. A dashpot 18 prevents the tail hook from being lowered at too rapid a rate and thus protects the hook from untoward damage. A retract actuator 20 provides the operative force to bring the tail hook 12 into the up hook position as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates the banner towing adapter of the present invention in relation to the tail hook and the tail hook support structure. FIGS. 2 and 3 show that the adapter of the present invention comprises an attachment pin assembly 22, stationary plate assembly 24, hook plate assembly 26 and a swivel block assembly 28.

The attachment pin assembly 22 is shown as a pin 30 of generally cylindrical cross-section having a first section 32, provided with a cylindrical recess 34 and a second section 36, of reduced cross-sectional area. Running between the first and second sections is an inclined mandrel surface 38 which performs a function that will be subsequently described. Pin 30 has a central cylindrical bore 40 which allows the passage of a hexhead bolt 42 therethrough. Bolt 42 attaches pin 30 to a slotted collet 44. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the foregoing description defines an expanding sleeve. As the bolt 42 is tightened, collet 44 is drawn against the mandrel 38 such that the outside diameter of the collet expands. Relative rotation of pin 30 with respect to collet 44 is precluded by means of pins 46.

In use, the attachment pin assembly 22 is inserted in the hollow tail hook attachment pin 14 of the aircraft. The bolt 42 is then tightened with a concomittant expansion of collet 44. Thus, the assembly 22 functions as a means to fix the banner towing adapter to an aircraft.

The stationary plate assembly 24 is connected to the attachment pin assembly 22 as shown in FIG. 3 by means of a weld 48 or other suitable means. Assembly 24 is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and especially FIG. 4a as a first upwardly stationary plate, or extending arm 50 which secures the expanding sleeve or assembly 22 to the tail hook support structure 16 on the aircraft. The stationary plate assembly 24 comprises the stationary plate 50 having at its far end a first generally rectangular retainer plate or first retainer 52 which is provided with a first rectangular opening 54 on its open surface 56. Disposed at the other end of the plate 50 is an attachment bracket 58 of generally U-shaped configuration. Bracket 58 fixes the assembly 24 and thus assembly 22 with respect to the aircraft 10 by coacting with a stud which forms a portion of the tail hook support structure 16. Teflon spacers 60, connected to bracket 58 by means of screws 63, prevent damage to the aircraft structure by the adapter and act as vibration dampers.

Disposed proximate the first towline retainer 52 is swivel block assembly or second retainer 28. Assembly 28 is illustrated as a U-shaped member 62 straddling stationary plate 50 and is capable of pivoting about a point 64 from an open position revealed in FIG. 5a to a closed position depicted in FIG. 5b. A rectangular or second retainer plate 66, having a generally rectangular shaped, or second rectangular opening 68, is connected to member 62 in such a way that in the closed position a second open surface 68 may be disposed parallel to the first open surface 56. The swivel block assembly 28 may be fixed in its closed position by a conventional ball lock pin 70.

Rotatably attached to the attchment pin assembly 22 and parallel to assembly 24 is the hook plate assembly 26 (see FIG. 3). Assembly 26 is shown in FIG. 4b as having a second arm or hook plate 72 terminiating at a distal end with a hook 74. Assembly 26 also comprises a bearing 76 which allows the assembly to rotate about the attachment pin assembly 22 when the arresting tail hook of the aircraft is in the hook down position. The hook plate assembly cooperates with the tail hook 12 by means of outwardly extending bracket plates 78 and 80. As is seen from FIG. 2, flanges 13 and 13' on the tail hook 12 are nestled between the two plates 78 and 80 and are protected from surface and vibration damage by the adapter by means of Teflon spacers 82 and 84. Spacers 82 and 84 are connected to the plates 78 and 80 by means of flush head screws 86 and self locking nuts 88. A freely rotating washer 90 is fitted between the tail hook support structure bracket 16' and the hook plate 72 in order to reduce friction that may occur between them.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the hook plate assembly 26 slidingly abuts the stationary plate assembly 24 with hook 74 passing through the first and second rectangular openings of plates 52 and 66. Thus, first and second retainer plates 52 and 66, respectively, provide for holding a towline on the hook 74. As can be seen from FIG. 5a as the swivel block assembly 28 is pivoted about point 64 to an open position the chain end of a towline attached to the banner desired to be towed can be placed over the hook 74. When the assembly 28 is pivoted into a closed position, as shown in FIG. 5b, the chain end of the towline may be held on the hook and locked in place by means of the ball lock pin 70. So long as the hook plate assembly is in the position shown in FIG. 5b the chain end of the tow line will be held in place but when the hook plate assembly is rotated about the attachment pin assembly (see FIG. 6) the chain end of the towline will be released. Hook plate assembly 26 will rotate in conjunction with a lowering of the tail hook inasmuch as the tail hook flanges are nestled between the plates 78 and 80 (note FIG. 2).

Thus, what has been described is an adapter which can be fitted to the hollow tail hook attachment or pivot pin of an aircraft, e.g., the F-14, using a self-contained attachment method (an expanding sleeve which fits within the hollow hook attachment pin of the aircraft) which requires no modifications of the aircraft. Installation merely requires a socket wrench. Thus, installation times are very low, usually about one minute. The safety factor of the adapter is very high because the banner being towed can be released at any time the pilot desires by simply dropping the tail hook as shown in FIG. 6.

It is to be understood therefore that what has been described is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that numerous arrangements in accordance with this invention may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.