초록 ▼

An instrument and method for continuously measuring by differential air pressure the surplus of kinetic energy of an aircraft mass and the resulting potential of wing lift (POWL) above an empirical datum which coincides with the incremental onset of mushing sink, and for coincidentally and continuou

An instrument and method for continuously measuring by differential air pressure the surplus of kinetic energy of an aircraft mass and the resulting potential of wing lift (POWL) above an empirical datum which coincides with the incremental onset of mushing sink, and for coincidentally and continuously displaying the margin of measured airspeed above the calibrated datum within the airspeed range of transitional flight. The instrument includes a sensing probe having a pair of fixed plane surfaces normal to a common vertical plane and adjustably mounted in a region of induced, stable, incident airflow under the wing or other part of an aircraft to sense differential impact pressure on the fixed plane surfaces, and an instrument to measure and display the sensed differential pressure. The instrument datum is calibrated by adjusting the slope of the sensing probe to the onset of mushing sink at flared touchdown (POWL=0) so that the instrument can reproducibly display the margin of airspeed above POWL ZERO to enable a pilot to avoid mush/stall induced inadvertencies, and to knowledgeably control transitional flight.

대표청구항 ▼

1. Potential of wing lift indicator instrument for aircraft of the type having fixed wings and a pilot compartment, comprising: (a) an airstream sensing probe means including a pair of fixed vented plane surfaces, (b) means fixing the vented plane surfaces to provide a fixed dihedral angle measu

1. Potential of wing lift indicator instrument for aircraft of the type having fixed wings and a pilot compartment, comprising: (a) an airstream sensing probe means including a pair of fixed vented plane surfaces, (b) means fixing the vented plane surfaces to provide a fixed dihedral angle measured exteriorly from one surface to the other of greater than 1/2° relative to each other, (c) means mounting the sensing probe means from the aircraft to protrude into a region of induced, incident, stable air flow, so that both plane surfaces are subjected to dynamic pressure of the induced, incident, stable air flow, (d) means defining vent means in each of the pair of fixed vented plane surfaces, (e) a differential pressure measuring means including readout means positioned for viewing from the pilot compartment, (f) fluid communication paths for placing the vent means and the differential pressure measuring means in fluid communication for measuring the differential of the dynamic pressure on the fixed plane surfaces of the sensing probe means. 2. An instrument for aircraft as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the sensing probe means includes means for angularly adjustably positioning the probe means relative to a surface of the aircraft. 3. An instrument for aircraft as defined in claim 2 wherein the means for mounting the sensing probe includes further a plate removably attached to the underside of an aircraft wing, and a lockable, pivotable mounting for the sensing probe means carried by the plate. 4. An instrument for aircraft as defined in claim 1 wherein there are at least two vent holes in the uppermost of the fixed plane surfaces, the lowermost of the two vent holes also functioning as a drain hole. 5. An instrument for aircraft as in claim 1 wherein the differential pressure measuring means includes readout means and is a differential pressure gauge with a graduated dial. 6. An instrument for aircraft as defined in claim 5 wherein the graduated dial is calibrated and color coded to provide a visual indication of the potential of wing lift of the aircraft. 7. An instrument for aircraft as defined in claim 1 further comprising electrical heating means for heating the probe means. 8. A method of indicating the potential of wing lift for fixed wing aircraft of different weight, wing configuration, loading, flap position, and airspeed, the method comprising: (a) positioning a pair of vented plane surfaces in fixed justaposition, the dihedral angle measured exteriorly from one surface to the other of the plane surfaces being greater than 180°, (b) measuring differential pressure in a region of induced, stable incident airflow adjacent a surface of the aircraft from vent means in each of two fixedly related plane surfaces, (c) calibrating a datum of the measured differential pressures at flared touchdown of the aircraft in which the potential of wing lift is zero so that the measured differential pressure is an indication of the potential of wing lift, (d) displaying the potential of wing lift for readout by a pilot of the aircraft. 9. A method of indicating the potential of winglift for fixed wing aircraft as in claim 8, further comprising adjusting the angle of the fixedly related plane surfaces relative to the aircraft wing surface to accomplish calibration of the datum. 10. A method of indicating the potential of winglift for fixed wing aircraft as in claim 9, wherein the angle is approximately 50°.