초록 ▼

A roadable airplane consists of a single-seat three-wheeled vehicle with wing panels hung longitudinally on the sides of the chassis for road use and attached transversely to a spar box for flight. A power train is used that enables the simultaneous powering of two rear wheels and an overhead pusher

A roadable airplane consists of a single-seat three-wheeled vehicle with wing panels hung longitudinally on the sides of the chassis for road use and attached transversely to a spar box for flight. A power train is used that enables the simultaneous powering of two rear wheels and an overhead pusher propeller for transition from road to air travel. A transaxle for a four-wheel automotive vehicle was found to be advantageously suitable for this purpose. Multiple gears and differential outputs drive the wheels, providing a normal automotive performance on the road. Multiple gears are also available to drive the propeller, thereby providing the function of variable-pitch performance using a fixed-pitch propeller. The vehicle includes a standard automotive gear shift and pedal controls for clutch, brake and accelerator operation; a novel joystick assembly is used to steer the front wheel and to control wing flaps, an elevator and a rudder.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] A vehicle for road and air travel comprising the following components:a roadable chassis including traction wheels and a pair of wings;a motor mounted on the chassis;a drive train coupled to an output shaft of the motor, said drive train comprising an automotive four-wheel drive tra

[ I claim:] [1.] A vehicle for road and air travel comprising the following components:a roadable chassis including traction wheels and a pair of wings;a motor mounted on the chassis;a drive train coupled to an output shaft of the motor, said drive train comprising an automotive four-wheel drive transaxle; anda propeller mounted on the chassis such as to provide forward thrust;wherein the propeller is coupled to a first output from the automotive four-wheel drive transaxle and the traction wheels are differentially coupled to a second output from the automotive four-wheel drive transaxle, the propeller being coupled to the traction wheels through the transaxle in a fixed gear ratio.