Other

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Gerald E Brown

Jan A Zysko

Paul A Curto

This invention is an aircraft of the type known as a 'Convertiplane' which can conduct vertical flight operations in the manner of a rotor-wing aircraft and conduct cruise flight operations in the manner of a fixed-wing aircraft. This aircraft has rotor blades mounted on each wingtip and tilting propulsors mounted at the tips of the horizontal stabilizers on the aircraft tail. The wingtip mounted rotor blades and vertically oriented tail propulsors provide thrust for vertical takeoff. To transition to cruise flight, at sufficient airspeed, the wingtip rotors are stopped and moved from the rotor-wing position to a “V” configuration extending out from the wingtips to function as ailerons, while the tail mounted propulsors are tilted forward from a vertical to a horizontal orientation to provide thrust for forward flight.

Convertiplane with stopped rotors, and repositionable rotor blades

The present invention is a two-part wind advisory system comprising a ground station at an airfield and an airborne unit placed inside an aircraft. The ground station monitors wind conditions (wind speed, wind direction, and wind gust) at the airfield and transmits the wind conditions and an airfield ID to the airborne unit. The airborne unit identifies the airfield by comparing the received airfield ID with airfield IDs stored in a database. The airborne unit also calculates the headwind and crosswind for each runway in both directions at the airfield using the received wind conditions and runway information stored in the database. The airborne unit then determines a recommended runway for takeoff and landing operations of the aircraft based on the runway having the greatest headwind value and displays the airfield ID, wind conditions, and recommended runway to the pilot. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless internet based airborne unit in which the airborne unit can receive the wind conditions from the ground station over the internet.

Wind advisory system

The air compressor of the present invention includes an air storage tank with a hollow cylinder having a closed lower end mounted in the upper wall of the tank, so as to project within the interior of the tank. A drive motor mounted on the tank has a piston rod connected thereto and extending downwardly into the hollow cylinder, to reciprocate therein and pump air into the tank. The piston rod has an enlarged head slidably mounted within the cylinder, and an aperture formed through the piston rod head with an operable valve, to permit air flow into the cylinder, but prevent air flow out of the cylinder through the piston rod head aperture. An intake port with an operable valve is formed in the closed lower end of a hollow cylinder, to permit air flow into the tank but prevent air flow out of the tank. An exhaust port formed in the tank may be connected to a hose or other items as desired, to provide compressed air.

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McLean, VA, United States of America

Gerald E Brown