Aircraft Protective Device

1. Field Of The Invention

This invention relates to an improved protective device for outer aircraft or air control surfaces such as wings, wing-tanks, rudders and elevators which can become damaged during periods of non-use such as might occur during in-hanger storage. The protective device of the invention comprises a laminate which has a tough, water-imperative outer layer and a less dense inner layer which can be quickly attached or removed from the aircraft.

2. Description Of The Prior Art And Objectives of the Invention

Small aircraft are often stored for extended periods of time in hangers and other locations and often have to be moved about by maintenance personnel by manual efforts, oftentimes in close or cramped areas where storage space is at a minimum. Wing and tail surfaces are often bumped or scratched as the exposed outer surfaces are quite fragile to impact forces and are expensive to repair. It is not uncommon for ground personnel, while rolling one (1) plane out of a hanger to midjudge the wing-tip clearance between it and another plane and allow the wing-tips to brush one another thereby causing damage to both wing-tips, much to the dismay of the plane owners.

With this background in mind the present invention was developed in one of its main objectives is to provide an aircraft protective device which will protect wing and tail surfaces from minor brushes and collisions as occur during periods of storage.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide an laminated aircraft protective device which has a dense water-impervious outer layer formed from a polymeric material and a less dense closed cell polymeric foam inner layer.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an aircraft protective device which can be quickly attached to the aircraft and which can be rapidly and easily removed prior to flight.

It is still another objective of the present invention to provide an aircraft protective device which has a plurality of resilent cords for simple attachment purposes.

Other advantages and objectives of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description of the invention is set forth below.

The hereinbefore and other objectives of the invention are accomplished by utilizing a laminate envelope formed from a water-impervious polymeric material which is shaped to envelop certain outer aircraft surfaces such as wing-tips, wing-tanks, rudders or the like. The laminated envelope may have a plurality of resilent cords for removably attaching it to the wing or other surface so that the protective device can be easily and quickly removed before flight.

FIG. 1 demonstrates the protective device of the invention positioned on the tip of a typical airplane wing;

FIG. 2 demonstrates the protective device on the elevator and rudder tail surfaces of an airplane;

FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the protective device shown along lines 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 demonstrates the top view of the device as shown on a wing tip tank; and

FIG. 5 demonstrates the bottom view of the device as shown in FIG. 4.

The preferred form of the protective device includes a pair of laminated envelope members, each of said members having a first water-impervious layer formed from a polyethylene sheet and a second layer formed from a closed cell polyethylene foam having a density of approximately 21/2 lbs. per cubic foot. A third or inside layer of each member is formed from a polyethylene foam having a density of approximately 1 lb. per cubic foot. The laminated envelopes members are constructed to opposingly envelop airplane surfaces and are removably attached by resilient cords.

FIG. 1 demonstrates protective device 10 comprising a pair of laminates 11 and 12 which envelop respectively a portion of the leading edge 16 and trailing edge 18 of airplane wing 13. Laminates 11 and 12 are formed to accept the contours of the airplane surfaces and overlap along the tip of the wing at 14. Laminates 11 and 12 are held in place by cords 15 which may be nylon, elastic or otherwise. As shown in FIG. 1 cords 15 are connected to laminate 12 and extend forward toward leading edge 16 of wing 13 where they tightly grasp laminate 11. Cords 15 pass under wing 13 and terminate with hook members 17 along trailing edge 18 thereby securing laminates 11 and 12 in place. To remove protective device 10 hooks 17 are removed and laminates 11 and 12 are easily taken from wing 13.

In FIG. 2 only a single laminate 20 is required on rudder 21 as its leading edge 22 is only remotely vulnerable to bumps or scrapes as may occur during in-hanger movements. Thus, cords 23 wrap around rudder 21 and terminate with hook members 24. Likewise, horizontal tail surfaces 25 may also employ a single laminate 26 on both the left and right surfaces which can be held by resilent cords 27 and terminate with hook members 29.

In FIG. 3 laminate 11 is shown in cross sectional view which shows cords 15 surrounding the outer water-impervious laminate 30 which may be made from 1/16 inch polyethylene sheet. Permanently affixed to layer 30 is inner layer 31 which is formed from a less dense foam such as a closed cell polyethylene foam having a density of approximately 21/2 lbs. per cubic foot. A less dense third layer 32 may also be formed from a closed cell polyethylene foam having a density of approximately 1 lb. per cubic foot. The closed cell polyethylene layers will not absorb water or moisture but will provide absorption to shock or impact forces which may strike the dense polymeric outer layer 31. As shown, laminate 11 envelops outer surfaces of wing 13 to provide a secure fit thereto.

Other surfaces, can also be protected in a similar manner and FIGS. 4 and 5 demonstrate laminates 40 and 41 for attachment to wing-tip tank 43. Resilent cords 44 secure laminates 40 and 41 onto wing-tips 43 and hook members 45 are joined to the terminal ends of cords 44 for rapid securement.

Various modifications and changes can be made to the invention as shown herein and the examples and illustrations which are present are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.