Amphibious aircraft

• US 6,367,737 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James G. Hutton, James R. Lohse
• Original Assignee: James G. Hutton, James R. Lohse
• Inventors: Lohse, James R., Hutton, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen L.
• Application Number:
  US09/454,716
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 244/13, 244/55, 244/65, 244/105, 244/106, 244/50, 244/12.1, 244/36, 244/14, 244/25, 244/199, 244/45.R, 244/45.A
• US Class Current: 244/13
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 35/00 Flying-boats; Seaplanes

Abstract

An amphibious airplane having an engine assembly mounted at a top center location in the fuselage, and a tail assembly having a horizontal fin in an elevated position so as to be in the propeller air stream. A lift augmenting aerodynamic surface is positioned at the top middle portion of the aircraft fuselage, with the propeller being at the concavely curved rear end of the lift augmenting surface. A pair of platforms are positioned on opposite sides of the fuselage at lower locations adjacent to a passenger section of the aircraft. These platforms are aerodynamically aligned and also have strakes extending forwardly therefrom along opposite sides of the fuselage. In cruise mode, the increased velocity imparted to the propeller air stream acts on the horizontal fin to exert a downward force, with the various forces of the airplane balancing each other. With increased power setting of the engine, the increased velocity of the propeller air stream enables the horizontal tail fin to exert a greater downward force to maintain stable operation of the aircraft.

Claims

1. An airplane comprising:

a) a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, a vertical axis, and a lateral axis, perpendicular to said longitudinal and vertical axes;

b) a main wing mounted to the fuselage and extending generally laterally therefrom as right and left wing sections

c) an engine assembly mounted above said fuselage and spaced upwardly therefrom and having a propeller which defines a propeller area through which the propeller rotates, said propeller creating a rearwardly traveling propeller flow stream;

d) a tail section located at a rear portion of the fuselage and having an aerodynamic surface an/or surfaces to create a vertically aligned aerodynamic force component, said tail section being located rearwardly of said propeller and in the propeller flow stream;

e) a longitudinally extending aerodynamic lift augmenting airplane portion located over the fuselage and providing an upwardly facing aerodynamic lift augmenting surface longitudinally aligned with said propeller flow stream so that at least a portion of said propeller flow stream flows over said lift augmenting surface to create augmented lift;

f) right and left platforms on opposite sides of said fuselage, each platform comprising a main platform portion and a strake having a highly swept leading edge extending from its related main platform portion forwardly along said fuselage.

2. The airplane as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said right and left platforms has a pontoon at a laterally outward location on each platform.

3. The airplane as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said platforms has a forward platform portion and a rear platform portion of said main platform portion, with the forward platform portion being positioned forwardly of a leading edge of the wing, and the rear platform portion being positioned longitudinally behind the leading edge of said wing.

4. The airplane as recited in claim 3, wherein at least the rear main platform portion of each of said platforms is aerodynamically contoured to alleviate possible aerodynamic interference with airstream flow around the main wing.

5. The airplane as recited in claim 3, wherein each of said strakes generates at higher angles of attack a vortex which travels over the main platform portion to create vortex generated lift, said wing being characterized in that at a predetermined angle of attack of the airplane, said wing reaches an initial stalling condition, each strake being aerodynamically arranged to continue generating a strong vortex flow over its main platform portion at said predetermined angle of attack to generate vortex induced lift to alleviate the effect of an initial stall condition of said main wing.

6. The airplane as recited in claim 1, wherein said airplane has an airplane reference mean aerodynamic chord (MAC) and also an airplane reference quarter chord (MAC) point, and components of the airplane have a percentage distance forwardly or rearwardly of said airplane reference quarter chord (MAC) point, with distance being measured as a percentage value where one hundred percent is the length of the airplane reference mean aerodynamic chord (MAC), each strake having a highly swept leading edge extending from its related main platform portion forwardly along said fuselage, a forward end of each of said strakes being about 100% to 250% forwardly of the airplane reference quarter chord (MAC) point and a forward leading edge portion of said main platform portion being between about 50% to 150% forwardly of said airplane reference quarter chord (MAC) point.

7. The airplane as recited in claim 6, wherein the trailing edge of each of said main platform portion is between about 0% to 100% rearwardly of the airplane reference quarter chord (MAC) point.

8. The airplane as recited in claim 4, wherein each of said strakes has its leading edge slanting rearwardly and outwardly at an angle from the longitudinal axis of the airplane no greater than about 30°

.

9. The airplane as recited in claim 8, wherein said angle is between about 10°

to 20°

.

10. The airplane as recited in claim 1, wherein there is a main support structure positioned in said main fuselage portion, said engine assembly comprising an engine and engine support structure, said engine support structure being interconnected from said engine to said main support structure.

11. The airplane as recited in claim 10, wherein said airplane has passenger section is located forwardly of said main support structure, said main support structure having a box-like configuration having an open central area having a load carrying area within said main support structure rearwardly of said passenger section.

12. The airplane as recited in claim 10, wherein said wing is positioned longitudinally at said main support structure and is structurally interconnected with said main support structure.

13. The airplane as recited in claim 12 wherein said wing has a main spar extending through right and left wing sections of said wing and also through said main fuselage portion, said main spar being structurally connected to said main support structure.

14. The airplane as recited in claim 13, wherein said passenger section is located forwardly of said main support section, said passenger structure having a central location position forwardly of a center of gravity of said airplane, and said main support structure being positioned rearwardly of said center of gravity.

15. The airplane as recited in claim 14, wherein said passenger section comprises a forward passenger portion and a rear passenger portion, said forward passenger portion being positioned forward of said center of gravity, and said rear passenger portion being positioned approximately at said center of gravity.

16. The airplane as recited in claim 13, wherein said main support structure has a structural portion comprising side vertical support members, upper end portions of which are structurally connected to said main spar so that a central portion of said main spar functions as a structural support member with said structural support structure.

17. An airplane adapted to take off from and land on a water surface, said airplane comprising:

a) a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, a vertical axis, and a lateral axis, perpendicular to said longitudinal and vertical axes, said fuselage having lower water-engaging surfaces being positioned to engage the water surface and provide primary buoyancy force with the airplane in the water;

b) a main wing mounted to the fuselage and extending generally laterally therefrom as right and left wing sections

c) an engine assembly mounted above said fuselage and spaced upwardly therefrom and having a propeller which defines a propeller area through which the propeller rotates, said propeller creating a rearwardly traveling propeller flow stream;

d) a tail section located at a rear portion of the fuselage and having an aerodynamic surface an/or surfaces to create a vertically aligned aerodynamic force component, said tail section being located rearwardly of said propeller and in the propeller flow stream;

e) a longitudinally extending aerodynamic lift augmenting airplane portion located over the fuselage and providing an upwardly facing aerodynamic lift augmenting surface longitudinally aligned with said propeller flow stream so that at least a portion of said propeller flow stream flows over said lift augmenting surface to create augmented lift;

f) said fuselage having a passenger section with an access location by which a pilot and/or a passenger can move into and from said passenger section, said airplane comprising substantially horizontally aligned platform section extending laterally from said fuselage adjacent to said access location;

g) said lift-augmenting surface having in transverse cross-section a concavely curved portion of said lift-augmenting surface, said propeller being located adjacent to said concavely curved portion, so that at least a portion of said propeller flow stream flows over said concavely curved portion to enhance augmented lift.

18. The airplane as recited in claim 17, wherein the platform section comprises eight and left platforms on opposite sides of the fuselage to provide access to the passenger section from both right and left sides.

19. The airplane as recited in claim 18, wherein there is main support structure positioned in said main fuselage portion, said engine assembly comprising an engine and engine support structure, said engine support structure being interconnected from said engine to said main support structure.

20. The airplane as recited in claim 19, wherein said wing is positioned longitudinally at said main support structure and is structurally interconnected with said main support structure.

21. The airplane as recited in claim 19, wherein said passenger section is located forwardly of said main support section, said passenger section a central location position forwardly of a center of gravity of said airplane, and said main support structure being positioned rearwardly of said center of gravity.

22. The airplane as recited in claim 21, wherein said passenger section comprises a forward passenger portion and a rear passenger portion, said forward passenger portion being positioned forward of said center of gravity, and said rear passenger portion being positioned approximately at said center of gravity.

23. The airplane as recited in claim 17, wherein said airplane further comprises a main support structure in said main fuselage portion, said wing having a main spar extending through said right and left wing sections and through said main fuselage portion, with said main spar being structurally connected to said main support structure.

24. The airplane as recited in claim 18, wherein each of said platforms has a forward platform portion and a rear platform portion, with the forward platform portion being positioned forwardly of a leading edge of the wing, and the rear platform portion being positioned longitudinally behind the leading edge of said wing.