Plane saddle for a safety airplane

• US 5,568,903 A
• Filed: 01/18/1995
• Issued: 10/29/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jesus S. Pena, Joe L. Williams, Julia M. Williams
• Original Assignee: Jesus S. Pena, Joe L. Williams, Julia M. Williams
• Inventors: Williams, Joe L., Williams, Julia M., Pena, Jesus S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Application Number:
  US08/374,085
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 244/140, 244/138 R, 244/139
• US Class Current: 244/140
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/32 Severable or jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/12 Ejectable capsules

Abstract

A safety airplane comprising a carrier portion and a saddle portion. An assembly is for retaining the saddle portion on the carrier portion. A structure is for releasing the saddle portion from the carrier portion, when there is a problem during flight. Paraphernalia is for gently lowering the saddle portion to the ground.

Claims

1. A safety airplane comprising:

a) a carrier portion, said carrier portion including a lower fuselage having a nose cone thereon, a pair of wings attached to said lower fuselage, and a plurality of engines on said wings, said wings including ailerons and flaps to help control movement of said airplane;

b) a saddle portion, said saddle portion including an upper fuselage having a cabin and a cockpit therein for a pilot and passengers, and a tail assembly on a back end of said upper fuselage, said tail assembly including a vertical tail fin, a rudder on said tail fin, a pair of horizontal stabilizers, and an elevator on said horizontal stabilizer to help control movement of said airplane;

c) means for retaining said saddle portion on said carrier portion, said retaining means including a plurality of rails affixed and extending in longitudinal parallel relationships within said lower fuselage of said carrier portion, a plurality of sleeves affixed and extending in longitudinal parallel relationships under said upper fuselage of said saddle portion, whereby said sleeves slide onto and engage with said rails, and means for locking said sleeves onto said rails;

d) means for releasing said saddle portion from said carrier portion when there is a problem during flight; and

e) means for gently lowering said saddle portion to the ground.

2. A safety airplane as recited in claim 1, wherein said locking means includes:

a) each said rail having a socket therein;

b) each said sleeve having an aperture therein, so that when said sleeves fully engage with said rails, said apertures will be in alignment with said sockets;

c) a harness mounted in said upper fuselage transversely over said apertures in said sleeves; and

d) a plurality of pins that extend downwardly from said harness through said apertures in said sleeves and into said sockets in said rails, thereby locking said sleeves on said rails.

3. A safety airplane as recited in claim 2, wherein said releasing means includes:

a) a plurality of solenoids carried within said harness;

b) said pins being telescopic and operable by said solenoids; and

c) an emergency actuating switch placed within said cockpit in said upper fuselage of said saddle portion and electrically connected to all of said solenoids, so that when the pilot energizes said emergency actuating switch, said solenoids will retract said pins out of said sockets in said rails and said apertures in said sleeves, allowing said sleeves to slide off of said rails.

4. A safety airplane as recited in claim 3, wherein said releasing means further includes a pair of stabilizing reverse thrust engines, each mounted on opposite sides of said upper fuselage of said saddle portion adjacent said horizontal stabilizers, so as to accelerate the separation of said saddle portion from said carrier portion.

5. A safety airplane as recited in claim 4, wherein said releasing means further includes:

a) said upper fuselage of said saddle portion having two storage compartments located on opposite sides between said vertical tail fin and said horizontal stabilizers; and

b) a pair of extraction parachutes carried within said first and second storage compartments and deployed therefrom to help pull said sleeves of said saddle portion along and off of said rails of said carrier portion, so that said saddle portion will move longitudinally away from a back portion of said lower fuselage of said carrier portion.

6. A safety airplane as recited in claim 5, wherein said gently lowering means includes:

a) said upper fuselage of said saddle portion having third and fourth storage compartments, with said third storage compartment located approximately midway over said cabin and said fourth storage compartment located over said cockpit; and

b) a pair of recovery parachutes carried within said third and fourth storage compartments and deployed therefrom, to allow said saddle portion to descend down in an even position to the ground.