US3001747A - Aeroplane kites - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 26, 1961 R. D. HOCKETT AEROPLANE KITES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9, 1959 w w 8 m w o w 4 l M k a o d 8 6 as 8 mt INVENTOR.

PAL/ H 0. HOCKETT loo BY Sept. 26, 1961 oc T 3,001,747

AEROPLANE KITES Filed Oct. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

RALPH 0. HOC/(E 7'7- 8 BY United States Patent @fiice Patented Sept. 26, 1961 3,001,747 AEROPLANE KITES Ralph D. Hockett, P.O. Box 433, Bristow, Okla. Filed Oct. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 845,506 2 Claims. (Cl. 244-154) This invention relates to novel aeroplane kites.

The primary object of the invention is to provide kites of the kind indicated which involve wing stubs, set either high or low on fuselages and airfoils including rudders, and/ or ailerons, which are automatically operated to stabilize or return the kites in level flight and/ or to return the kit% to level circular flight, upon any deviations therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in kites of the character indicated above, pendulum weight operated means for moving the wing stubs and/or airfoils in directions, from intermediate or median flight positions, producing level flight under stable air conditions, to corrective positions needed to resist deviations from level flight, under adverse or changing air conditions, the operating means being permissibly protectively enclosed within the fuselages of the kites so that the actions thereof are not interfered with by air currents.

A further object of the invention is to provide efficient, simple, and rugged kites of the character indicated above, which enable production thereof, at relatively low cost, in high simulative forms of existing full-sized aeroplanes.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a contracted top plan view of a high wing type of kite of the invention, partly broken away, and showing its rudder in different positions, in full and phantom lines;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary left-hand side elevation of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a left-hand side elevation of FIGURE 1, in a reduced scale, partly broken away, and showing the aileron elevated to correct a forward and downward deviation of the kite;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section like FIGURE 3, on a reduced scale, showing the right-hand wing stub depressed and the left-hand wing stub elevated to correct right-hand tipping of the kite;

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative positions of the wing stubs in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing opposite corrective positions of the wing stubs;

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the relaitve positions of the wing stubs in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical transverse section taken through a low-wing type of kite of the invention; and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of FIGURE 10, showing aileron flaps on the wing stubs instead of on the fuselage.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like related numerals designate like and related parts throughout the several views, and first to FIGURES l to 9 thereof, the highwing type of aeroplane kit therein shown and generally designated 14, comprises a fuselage 16, pivoted wing stubs 18, a pivoted elevator 29, and a vertical rudder 22.

The fuselage 16 is hollow, is longitudinally and horizontally elongated, and is preferably rectangular and composed of a flat top wall 24, parallel side walls 26, and a bottom wall 28 which involves a horizontal intermediate portion 30, and inclined forward and rear portions 32 and 34, respectively. Forward and rear end walls 36 and 38 are secured to and close the fuselage 16, at its ends. Spaced, similar forward and rear main transverse spars 49 and 42 are secured within the intermediate part of the fuselage, as is a smaller auxiliary spar 44 which is spaced behind the rear spar 42 and is connected thereto by a horizontal longitudinal member 46.

Extending between the main spars 40 and 42 and secured at its end therein, at central points spaced from the fuselage top and bottom walls, is a horizontal longitudinal shaft 48 which has journaled thereon, as indicated at 50 in FIGURES 2 and 3, an intermediate part of a vertical weighted lever 52, which has fixed on its lower end an enlarged weight 54, and on its upper end an eye 56. A transverse horizontal shaft 58 is secured, at a location between the rear main spar 42 and the auxiliary spar 44 on the member 46 and has journaled on its midportion, as indicated at 60, a vertical lever 62, which has a normally perpendicular lower portion 64 on which is fixed an enlarged weight 66, and a normally forwardly angled upper portion 68 which has on its upper end such as an eye 70.

The wing stubs 13 are permissibly uniform width rectangular plan forms having convex upper surfaces 72 and concave lower surfaces 74 extending between a rounded leading edge 76 and a feathered trailing edge 78. Suitably secured, as indicated at 86, and reaching forwardly beyond the leading edges 76, are journal brackets 82, which can be in the form of strap loops, which are spaced along the wing stubs relative to opposite sides of the fuselage 16. A stationary wing stub mounting rod 84 extends and is suitably secured through the fuselage side walls 26, on a level just below the top wall 24 and reaches beyond oppositesides of the fuselage 16, where the shaft 84 is provided with shaft portions 86 which have spaced inner and outer stop heads 88 and 9%, respectively thereon. The journal brackets 82 are journaled on the shaft portions 86 and related journal brackets bear against related stop heads.

Fixed to the undersides of the wing stubs 18, in the regions of and spaced behind the shaft portions 86 are anchors, such as staples 92, to which are secured the upper ends of flexible cables, such as wires 94, which are therefrom trained downwardly and laterally inwardl' through such as eyes 96 on the upper ends of laterally outwardly angled brackets 98 which are fined at their lower ends, as indicated at 100, to lower portions of the exteriors of the fuselage side walls 26, at locations u, heath related wing stubs. Beyond the bracket eyes 96 the wires 94 pass laterally inwardly and upwardly through openings 102 provided in the side walls 26, into the interior of the fuselage 16 where the wires are secured, as indicated at 104 to the eye 92 on the upper end of the wing stub operating lever 52.

The elevator 20 comprises a generally rectangular flat flap 106 which has on its forward end a centered and reduced projection 108 which terminates in a transverse sleeve 110 which is fixed on a hinge pin 112 which is journaled at its ends in hinge brackets 114 which are suitably fixed, as indicated at 116, to the fuselage top wall 24, at a location spaced between and from the wing stubs 18 and the rear end wall 38 of the fuselage, and which reach rearwardly part way across a transverse slot 118 provided in the top wall 24, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. A lever arm 126 is fixed to the sleeve 110 and extends downwardly through the slot 118 into the interior of the fuselage 18 and is pivoted at its lower end, as indicated at 122, to the rear end of a horizontal rod 124 which is pivoted at its forward end, as indicated at 126, to the eye 70, on the upper end of the elevator operatmg lever 62.

trailing vertical rudder 22. The topv wall 24 is provided with angularly and transversely spaced holes 134 which are selectively engageable by a stop pin 136 which is mounted, as indicated at 138, to the rudder 22. The pin 136 is adapted to be engaged in either of the holes 134, so as to hold the rudder in either of the right or leftrudder positions, as indicated in FIGURE 1, so as to positively maintain the desired circling path of flight of the kite 14.

From the foregoing and from examination of PI- URES 5 to 9, corrective selective positionings of the wing stubs 18 and of the elevator flap 196 are produced gravitationally by the swinging of the weighted levers 52, 62 whenever the kite 14 is made to deviate from a median horizontal flying position by any causes, such as air currents, or the pull of a kite cord (not shown) attached to the kite.

The low-wing type of kite 14a, shown in FIGURES l0 and 11, has a fuselage 1611 similar in construction to that described above, but the single elevator flap 106 is replaced by a pair of aileron flaps 106a which are hinged, as indicated at 140, to trail from stationary wing stubs 18a which are suitably fixed to the fuselage 1602 on a level just above the bottom wall 28a of the fuselage, as seen in FIGURE 10. The aileron flaps 106a are transversely elongated and are positioned in transverse slots 142 provided in the trailing edges 78a of the wing stubs, and have thereon upstanding anchors 92a, to which the outer ends of operating wires 94a are secured, the wires being trained through the eyes 96a of outrigger brackets 98a, similar to but reversed with respect to the brackets 98, and enter the fuselage 16a through side wall holes 102a and are secured to an eye 144 which is at the middle, rather than the upper end of, a weighted lever 52a, which is pivotally mounted, at its upper end, as indicated at 145, on a longitudinal shaft 48a mounted on and extending between the forward and rear spars 40a, 42a, to the enlarged Weight 54a being on the lower end of the lever 52a, below the eye 144, as seen in FIGURE 10. The wing flaps or aileron flaps 106a are oppositely operated by the compensating side-to-side swings of the lever 52a to level the kite 14a out of sidewise directions from the horizontal, in the same manner as the rotatable wing stubs 18 of FIG- UTRES 1 to 9.

Although there have been shown and described herein preferred forms of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto;

What is claimed is:

1. An aeroplane kite comprising an elongated hollow fuselage having forward and rear ends, said fuselage having top and bottom walls and side walls, wing stubs extending from opposite sides of the fuselage and fixed thereon, an elevator hinged upon said top wall at the rear end of the fuselage, a single operating lever on and extending downwardly from said elevator, the top wall having an opening through which said lever extends, a

single vertical lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the fuselage side Walls on an axis extending crosswise of the fuselage at a location spaced forwardly from said operating lever, said vertical lever having upper and lower ends, a weight fixed on said lower end, and a rigid link extending between the upper end of the vertical lever and said operating lever.

2. In an aeroplane kite having a fuselage having forward and rear ends and top, bottom, and side walls, airfoils extending from opposite sides of the fuselage, means pivoting said airfoils on the fuselage to turn on axes extending crosswise of the fuselage, an elevator on the fuselage behind said airfoils and above said top wall and hinged on the fuselage on an axis extending crosswise of the fuselage, a pendant operating lever fixed to said elevator, the fuselage top wall having an opening passing said operating lever into the interior of the fuselage, a rear vertical lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the fuselage side walls in front of said operating lever, a rigid link extending between and operatively connected to the upper end of the rear lever and the lower end of the operating lever, and a weight on the lower end of the rear vertical lever, a front vertical lever within the fuselage and positioned in front of the rear vertical lever, said front lever being pivoted intermediate its ends on the fuselage to pivot on an axis extending longitudinally of the fuselage, the side walls of the fuselage having openings, and cables trained through said openings and connected at one end to the upper end of the front lever and at their other ends to said airfoils, and a weight on the lower end of the front lever.

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