Improvements in devices for launching and landing airplanes from and upon suspended positions

摘要

253,556. Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Co.., Inc., (Assignees of Simon, R.). June 13, 1925, [Convention date]. Hooks, spring and automatic release.-For enabling aircraft to be landed upon or launched from suspended positions such as other aircraft or a mooring mast, an elastically suspended trapeze bar is adapted to be engaged by a hook on the aircraft, the hook having means for preventing engagement should the relative speed of aircraft and trapeze be too high. Means are provided on the aircraft for positively locking and releasing the hook from the trapeze bar. A curved guide 30 extending over the propeller of the smaller aircraft guides a bar 17, suspended from the larger aircraft, into a hook 31, Figs. 4 and 5. This hook is pivoted at 32 to the guide 30, and is normally locked in its operative position by a pawl 35 engaging a notch 37 in the hook. A cam detent 36 also engages the notch in which it is resiliently held by a spring 39 adjustable in tension by nuts 42. The pawl 35 is connected by a link 44 to an arm 45 on a shaft carrying detents 46. a spring 50 normally raising the detents and holding the pawl 35 in engagement with the hook. As the bar 17 slides over the guide 30, the detents 46 are momentarily depressed and the pawl 35 withdrawn, and if the force of engagement is' too great the cam detent 36 is forced out of the notch 37 and the hook 31 swings open. A spring 33 returns the hook to its normal position. Should a normal engagement take place the detents 46 automatically retain the bar 17 in the hook, which is again locked by the pawl 35. A positive stop 61 engaging the end of the arm 45 can be pushed up by moving a lever on the aircraft. A second lever on the aircraft is connected to the detents 46 to enable the pawl 35 to be withdrawn after the stop 61 is released, whereupon the weight of the aircraft opens the hook.