Aircraft Optimization Indicia and the Use Thereof

The present invention relates to aircraft instrumentation and more particularly to instrumentation which allows a pilot to optimize his flight parameter during take off, landing, and flight More particularly, the present invention relates to aircraft specific indicia which will enable the pilot to establish such parameters as best rate and angle of climb, maximum endurance profile, maximum range profile; and maximum glide profile

Modern aviation is highly instrument oriented and in the more complex aircraft the control of the aircraft can be almost completely automated While such automation is highly advantageous in certain circumstances it is not always the proper manner in which an aircraft should be controlled. In less complex aircraft such as flown by private pilots such automation features are the exception rather than the norm. In either environment, there are certain critical parameters which must be gauged and considered in maintaining safe flight and more importantly safe landings. One notable problem area is aircraft control during landing.

It is the object of the present invention to enable any pilot of any aircraft to skillfully transition between the earth and the ether at proper speeds and pitch attitudes.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a simple indicia which enables the pilot to maintain a maximum range or a maximum endurance profile.

My invention is essentially an improvement to the pitch indicator found in the aircraft, which improvement further enhances an improvement of the pilots understanding of his aircraft.

My invention requires the pilot to first be observant of a particular transition phenomenon that occurs as the pitch of the aircraft is varied for a given power setting. As the nose up pitch is increased, the observant pilot will note that the aircraft's perceived forward motion over the ground will stop and the aircraft will appear to begin to sink or mush. The pilot must identify the "threshold of sink" and adjust or position an indicia thereof in the pitch indicator. A second indicia is positioned proximal the pitch indicator to indicate stall attitude. When these indicia are positioned during a full throttle climb, they define a climb index and flight at or near the threshold of sink indicia yields the best rate of climb for the aircraft. When the indicia are positioned during a power off glide they define a flight index which can be used to achieve a minimum sink profile or a maximum glide profile.

In the practice of the invention, a standard artificial horizon indicator may be used or a simple hydraulic pitch indicator may be used with the indicia.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention are depicted in the accompanying drawings which form a portion of this disclosure and wherein.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the cockpit of an aircraft showing the control panel with both embodiments of my invention illustrated.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a hydraulic attitude indicator utilizing my indicia.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an artificial horizon indicator incorporating my invention and showing the use thereof with the climb index.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 and illustrates alignment of the artificial horizon indicator with the threshold of sink for power off glide.

Referring to the drawings for a clearer understanding of my invention, it will be seen in FIG. 1 that I have depicted a simple instrument panel 11 for an aircraft. In as much as the instrumentation may vary from aircraft to aircraft, no discussion of the various instruments will be undertaken except for the artificial horizon indicator 12, shown in the center of the instrument panel. The artificial horizon indicator 11 is familiar to all pilots and may be sometime referred to as a pitch indicator, however, as well known it functions to give the pilot a visual representation of the aircraft relative to the earth, indicating to the pilot a nose up or nose down condition as well as a wing up or down condition. It is through the modifications of such a device that my improvement in aviation safety is partially or in some instances facilitated. I have determined a range of pitch attitudes within which any aircraft may be properly and safely flown in climb, descent, or level flight independently of the remaining instrumentation of the aircraft and I can adapt the attitude indicator 12 to visually represent these ranges.

Although my method and apparatus are not aircraft specific in its application, it is aircraft and pilot dependent and relies on the pilots ability to recognize visual cues associated with aircraft control. One such visual cue which must be perceived by the pilot is the "threshold of sink". That is to say, in the various modes of aircraft operation, such as climb, or descent, there occurs at a given throttle setting a change in the apparent motion of the aircraft relative to the horizon which is associated with a transition in the attitude of the aircraft. That is to say that for a given throttle setting as the nose of the aircraft is raised or lowered, the apparent motion of the aircraft will change from horizontal to vertical and vice versa. At the attitude and throttle setting coincident with the change is the point of flight dynamics which I call the "threshold of sink" and which must be perceived by the pilot for him to utilize my invention.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, one may understand how my modification to the indicator works. Note that the indicator includes a movable artificial horizon 13 mounted on a suspended sphere within the beveled cover 14 of the instrument. An aircraft indicator 16 is adjustably mounted to the instrument and has a fixed relation to the aircraft body. Thus the artificial horizon is movable relative to the aircraft indicator 16 concomitantly with the motion of the aircraft relative to the actual horizon. Thus as the nose of the aircraft rises the artificial horizon 13 descends relative to the aircraft indicator 16. My invention enables the pilot to identify on his attitude indicator an acceptable range within which he should keep the artificial horizon relative to the aircraft indicator to insure safe flight for a given power setting.

One set of indicia used to denote a safe operating range is the climb index and is utilized in a climb configuration with a wide open throttle. With a wide open throttle and a climb aircraft configuration the pilot should raise the nose of the aircraft until he observes the threshold of sink relative to the actual horizon appearing over the nose of his aircraft. Upon assuring himself that this transition point has been reached, he should place a colored indicator strip 17 on the cove 14 of the instrument coincident with the position of the artificial horizon at the perceived threshold of sink. Further, back pressure on the stick yields a further nose up attitude until stall is reached. This attitude should be marked on the cover 14 by a second colored indicia 18 placed coincident with the position of the artificial horizon indicator 13 at the onset of stall. In FIG. 3, it is seen that the aircraft indicator is set coincident with indicia 18, thus the pilot must maintain horizon above the horizontal extension of the indicator 16 to maintain a safe climb attitude. To obtain his best rate of climb the pilot should maintain the horizon coincident with indicia 17. Thus in actual practice the aircraft indicia or pitch index should be set to indicia 17 and the horizon 14 should be matched thereto during climb. If the best angle of climb, Vx, is desired, the pitch indicator 16 should be set to the midpoint between indicia 17 and 18 and the horizon should be matched thereto during the climb.

The descent index is located on the attitude indicator 11 in a similar manner. The pilot must establish a power off glide and then determine the threshold of sink pitch attitude. An indicia strip 19 should be positioned on the cover 14 of the attitude indicator 12 coincident with the position of the artificial horizon 14 at the threshold of sink. Note that the pitch angle is different for different throttle settings and flight configurations, thus the indicia defining the climb index are positioned on one side of the attitude indicator 12 while the indicia defining the descent index are placed on the opposite side of the attitude indicator is shown in FIG. 3 and 4. After establishing the threshold of sink indicia 19 on the instrument, the pilot should further raise the nose of the aircraft to the stall point and similarly mark the position of the artificial horizon 14 with an indicia 21. With the descent index established it can be seen that the pilot may safely conduct his approach by maintaining the artificial horizon above the stall indicia 21. Note that the minimum sink attitude or short field approach attitude will coincide with the midpoint between the indicia 19 and 21. It will further be appreciated that the indicia 17, 18, 19, and 21 may be color coded with 18 and 21 preferably being a warning color, such as red.

In FIG. 2, I have depicted a simple alternative embodiment of my invention wherein a clear tubular loop 22 is mounted to the aircraft and contains a volume of a colored liquid 23, such as water, such that the forward level 24 of the liquid 23 is used as my artificial horizon. Using the same procedure as outlined above with references to the conventional attitude indicator 12 indicia 17, 18, 19, and 21 are positioned on the loop 22 to define my climb and descent indexes. The indicia may be formed by reusable colored tape strings which are easily affixed to either the conventional attitude indicator 12 or to the loop 22.

While I have shown my invention in two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereon.