Articulated heliport pad
First Claim
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1. A helicopter landing pad comprising a substantially horizontal planar surface having a generally circular aperture;
- a disk substantially coplanar with said planar surface and substantially filling said aperture therein;
selectively operable radio controlled means disposed beneath said planar surface for selectively rotating said disk within said aperture about a vertical axis; and
selectively operable hold-down means carried by said disks for clamping the landing gear of a helicopter, said hold-down means including radio controlled clamping means selectively positionable from a first position at or below the elevation of said disk to a second position above the elevation of said disk clamping the landing gear of a helicopter.
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Abstract
An articulated heliport pad in which the pilot controls the rotation of a central disk for last minute changes in wind direction as well as the operation of a unique hold-down device.
40 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A helicopter landing pad comprising a substantially horizontal planar surface having a generally circular aperture;
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a disk substantially coplanar with said planar surface and substantially filling said aperture therein; selectively operable radio controlled means disposed beneath said planar surface for selectively rotating said disk within said aperture about a vertical axis; and selectively operable hold-down means carried by said disks for clamping the landing gear of a helicopter, said hold-down means including radio controlled clamping means selectively positionable from a first position at or below the elevation of said disk to a second position above the elevation of said disk clamping the landing gear of a helicopter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A helicopter landing pad comprising a substantially horizontal planar surface having a generally circular aperture;
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a disk substantially coplanar with said planar surface and substantially filling said aperture therein; means disposed beneath said planar surface for selectively rotating said disk within said aperture about a vertical axis; and selectively operable radio controlled hold-down means carried by said disk, for clamping the landing gear of a helicopter said hold-down means including clamping means selectively positionable from a first position at or below the elevation of said disk to a second position above the elevation of said disk clamping the landing gear of a helicopter, said hold-down means including pressure responsive means responsive to the pressure of engagement of said clamping means on the landing gear of a helicopter, and the locking of said hold-down means being responsive to said pressure means. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A method of landing a helicopter on a heliport having selectively rotatable landing disk with a selectively operable hold-down device comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a selectively rotatable disk having a selectively operable hold-down carried by the disk; (b) selectively rotating the disk to a predetermined position relative to the wind; (c) landing the helicopter into the wind onto the disk; (d) activating the hold down responsively to the helicopter to secure the helicopter to the disk; and (e) thereafter shutting off the helicopter engine. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. Means for selectively securing a helicopter to a generally horizontal heliport comprising:
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a surface; a plurality of elongated parallel slots in said surface; means associated with each of said slots adapted to clamp the landing gear of a helicopter; means associated with each of said slots for selectively positioning said clamps between a first position in one of said slots at an elevation below said surface and a second position above the elevation of said surface and displaced along the length of said slot sufficiently to contact with the landing gear of a helicopter, said means for displacing said clamps acting in opposite directions in different ones of said slots, each of said clamps including means for sensing the pressure of said clamp against the landing gear of the helicopter. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification