Airbus Operations Gmbh

Airbus UK Limited

Edmund Kay

Neil John Lyons

Ben Commis

Philip Wright

Ian Roy Whitehouse

James Brown

Francois Cathelain

Daniel Dodd

Ian Roy "Jalna" Whitehouse

An aircraft wing including a leading edge slat and a fixed aerofoil portion. The leading edge slat is moveable between a stowed position and deployed position. In the deployed position a trailing edge of the leading edge slat includes a sealed portion and an unsealed portion. The sealed portion forms a seal with the fixed aerofoil portion and the unsealed portion provides an airflow gap between the leading edge flap and the fixed aerofoil portion. The invention provides substantially the same benefits as a sealed leading edge slat whilst improving stall control behavior in local zones around the unsealed portion.

Leading edge slat

An aircraft wing includes a leading element; a trailing element positioned behind the leading element relative to a direction of movement of the aircraft and an actuation system for moving one of the elements between a retracted position and an extended position in which there is an air gap between a lower surface of the leading element and a surface of the trailing element. Two or more elongate stiffening ridges extend downwards from the lower surface of the leading element, and each adjacent pair of ridges is separated by a channel. The leading element is shaped to provide an improved air gap, preferably one which is parallel or convergent in all positions. Typically the volume of at least one of the ridges is less than the 50% of the volume of a channel defined by that ridge.

Aircraft wing with slotted high lift system

An actuation system configured to deploy a high-lift device on a leading edge of an aircraft wing. The system comprises: a link pivotally connected to the wing at a first pivot point and to the high-lift device at a second pivot point; a first actuation mechanism configured to rotate the high-lift device about the first pivot point; and a second actuation mechanism configured to rotate the high-lift device about the second pivot point. The second actuation mechanism is operable independently of the first actuation mechanism, and can be operated in order to generate a sealing force between the high-lift device and the leading edge of the aircraft wing.

Actuation system for leading edge high-lift device

A Krueger, or leading edge flap, deployable from a lower aerodynamic surface of an aircraft main wing element so as to form a slot between the Krueger and the main wing element when deployed, the deployed Krueger having a leading edge, a trailing edge and upper and lower aerodynamic surfaces extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a flow deflector which provides an effectively divergent flap profile thickness in the downstream direction at or adjacent the Krueger trailing edge so as to direct airflow away from the lower aerodynamic surface of the deployed Krueger towards an upper aerodynamic surface of the main wing element. Also, aircraft wing assembly including a main wing element and the Krueger.

Krueger

An aircraft comprises a wing () defining an aerofoil surface, the wing () comprising a drooped leading edge flap () being moveable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The wing () is so arranged that during flight when the high-lift device is in the deployed position, air may flow through an opening () in the wing () and over the aerofoil surface. During flight, air preferably flows into the boundary layer () on the upper surface of the wing (). This energises the boundary layer (), aft of the trailing edge of the drooped leading edge flap increasing its stability allowing the maximum achievable lift coefficient to be increased and hence reducing aircraft take-off and approach speeds.

Growing community of inventors

Bath, United Kingdom

Edmund Kay