LANDING GEAR FOR STOL AIRPLANES

• US 3,826,450 A
• Filed: 06/04/1973
• Issued: 07/30/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John H. Renshaw, Norman S. Currey
• Original Assignee: John H. Renshaw, Norman S. Currey
• Inventors: Currey, Norman S., Renshaw, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blix, Trygve M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sauberer, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US05/366,793
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 244/100,102,103,104 280/150.5,43.23 254/86R,86H
• US Class Current: 244/103.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2025/008 Comprising means for modifying their length, e.g. for kneeling, for jumping, or for leveling the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/001 Devices not provided for in the groups B64C25/02 - B64C25/68

Abstract

An airplane main landing gear is designed to provide abnormally high ground clearance at touchdown, for minimum ground effect and maximum nose-down angle, and then to slowly sink to normal ground clearance during the landing roll. This gear may be contracted to lower or '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'kneel'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' the airplane. In addition, differential lengthening of left and right gears is provided to permit the airplane to land in a banked attitude for crosswind landings, thereby obviating the necessity to fully straighten-out the airplane before touchdown during such operations. The latter feature also provides a crosswind gear which is operationally less complicated than conventional crosswind gears which necessitate turning/steering all gears or wheels.

Claims

1. A landing gear unit for STOL aircraft comprising;

a shock absorbing strut, a surface contacting element mounted on the outer end of said strut, a housing adapted to receive and engage the inner end of said strut in one end thereof, said housing being secured at its other end to structure of the aircraft, and an actuator disposed within said housing and connected at opposite ends to the other housing end aforesaid and to said inner strut end and operative to move said strut into and out of said housing whereby the surface contacting element aforesaid is located at a distance from said aircraft.

2. The landing gear unit of claim 1 wherein said housing is cylindrical and said strut is mounted for sliding coaction therewith.

3. The landing gear unit of claim 2 wherein said actuator is a screwjack.

4. The landing gear unit of claim 2 including a control mechanism associated with said actuator to adjust the length thereof and thereby locate said surface contacting element in a selected one of several distances from said aircraft.

5. The landing gear unit of claim 4 wherein said control mechanism includes a second housing substantially coextensive with said strut housing, and a rod connected at one end to the outer end of said actuator and in slidable engagement within said second housing, a plurality of sensing units within said second housing responsive to movement of said rod, and a connection between each of said sensing units and said actuator to limit the operation thereof.

6. The landing gear unit of claim 5 including a motor operatively connected to said actuator, a number of drive connections for said motor, one corresponding to each of said sensing units, and a connection operative between each said drive connection and one sensing unit.