A model aircraft, such as a glider, includes a clip for connecting separable wing members thereof to the fuselage. The clip has a resilient bridge portion and spaced depending limbs. The clip fits over an arch section of the fuselage with the limbs having a friction fit in openings in the wings, whereby the wings and fuselage are secured together. The wings may fit in a wing slot in the fuselage with inboard sections of the wings having recesses locating against tabs within the slot. The arch section of the fuselage may be recessed so that the clip when assembled is flush with adjacent surfaces of the fuselage, whereby the appearance and aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft are unimpaired. The clip connection may allow for vertical hinging of the wings upon impact to absorb impact forces and prevent wing separation.
An impact absorbing wing connection system for model airplanes and other flying toys of the type having a fuselage (10) and separate wings (14) that are to be inserted into wing slots (12) in the fuselage for flight. The friction between the touching surfaces of the wings and the wing slots is reduced by a low friction coating (18) over the wing roots (16) or by other friction reducing means so that a tight fit is preserved. The wings are oriented into their proper flying positions by their exact fit with the fuselage, and they are kept in these positions during normal flight by a set of non-elastic break-away links (26) which are attached to the wings and to the fuselage through a corresponding set of wing connecting members (20) and fuselage connecting members (24), respectively. In case of a crash, the inertia forces of the wings are conveyed to the break-away links by the connecting members. The break-away links are calibrated so that they are strong enough to prevent any lateral movement of the wings under reasonable flying conditions but they break open under the forces of the crash, releasing the wings. The detachment of the wings absorbs most of the impact forces, protecting the aircraft from breaking.
This invention provides a small lightweight glider that is hollow and made from a molded thin film material. Typically the glider is formed in the shape of a bird or a plane. The body of the glider comprises top half and a lower half, which form a hollow fuselage, a left wing and a right wing extending laterally from the fuselage. The glider also comprises a ballast weight, a stiffener, and optionally an interior skeleton. The interior of the glider is open to the outside atmosphere and requires no inflation.
A toy glider having a generally rigid spine member with integrally formed transversely extending connector portions configured for receiving the wings therein, with the wings being separable from the spine member on impact. The wings are provided with creases with apertures adjacent thereto for connecting thereto simulated armament which maintains each wing in a folded configuration, with a seat member being adjustably attachable to the spine member, the seat being adapted for receiving one of a plurality of toy figures of different weights within a range of weights, the position of the seat and the weight of the figure, in part, controlling the aerodynamics of the glider.
This invention relates to the design of a Modular Aerospace Plane (MAP) comprising a forward fuselage section, a main wing section, a tail section and wing attachments. Various sections can be integrated to offer a variety of aircraft characteristics, performance and missions. This modular design offers a new method of aircraft fabrication, maintenance, repair and ground handling to reduce costs for the manufacturers, owners and operators. The forward fuselage and tail sections may utilize a parachute device whereby these sections can separate in an emergency and safely lower the occupants to the ground.