The Boeing Company

Malcolm Scott Bryant

Leo Walter Plude

Justin D Cottet

Gary M Lindahl

James E Cusworth

George Sonnenburg

Todd Burton Brouwer

Edward Joseph Nowakowski

C Byram Bays-Muchmore

Thomas A Zierten

Martin M Withington

Warren D Burggraf

Daniel S Little

Douglas G Miller

Stanley E Tolzmann

Randall P Becker

Justin Duane Cottet

Leo W Plude

Methods and apparatus for controlling landing gear retract braking are described. A controller is to determine an on-ground status of a wheel of a landing gear. The controller is to generate a control signal based on the on-ground status of the wheel. The control signal is to initiate a retract braking process for the wheel. The retract braking process is to decelerate the wheel from a first rate of rotation to a second rate of rotation less than the first rate of rotation.

Methods and apparatus for controlling landing gear retract braking

Methods of retracting a strut assembly for stowing aircraft landing gear comprise longitudinally translating an upper bulkhead within an upper tubular housing from a lower position to an upper position by pressurizing an upper bulkhead space between an upper plate of the upper bulkhead and an upper bulkhead restriction structure that is fixed to the upper tubular housing. Other methods of retracting a strut assembly for stowing aircraft landing gear comprise flowing liquid from an upper liquid chamber positioned above an upper bulkhead within an upper tubular housing to a recoil chamber, wherein during the flowing, the liquid is prevented from passing from the recoil chamber to a pressure chamber that is defined between the upper bulkhead and a lower bulkhead, thereby longitudinally translating a lower tubular housing upward.

Aircraft landing gear, aircraft, and related methods

Hydraulic systems for shrinking landing gear shrink are described. An example apparatus includes a landing gear strut, a transfer cylinder, and aircraft hydraulics. The landing gear strut has an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder. The inner cylinder moves relative to the outer cylinder from a first position to a second position as the landing gear strut moves from a deployed position to a retracted position. The landing gear strut has a first length when the inner cylinder is in the first position and a second length less than the first length when the inner cylinder is in the second position. The transfer cylinder exchanges hydraulic fluid and gas with the landing gear strut as the landing gear strut moves from the deployed position to the retracted position. The aircraft hydraulics hydraulically actuate the landing gear strut to move from the deployed position to the retracted position.

Hydraulic systems for shrinking landing gear

Hydraulic systems for shrinking landing gear shrink are described. An example apparatus includes a landing gear strut, a transfer cylinder, aircraft hydraulics, a pressure vessel, and a pressure-operated check valve. The landing gear strut has an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder movable relative to the outer cylinder between a first position and a second position. The landing gear strut has a first length when the inner cylinder is in the first position and a second length less than the first length when the inner cylinder is in the second position. The transfer cylinder exchanges hydraulic fluid with the landing gear strut. The aircraft hydraulics exchange hydraulic fluid with the transfer cylinder. The pressure vessel exchanges gas with the landing gear strut. The pressure-operated check valve controls an exchange of gas between the pressure vessel and the landing gear strut based on hydraulic fluid received from the aircraft hydraulics.

An aircraft landing gear structure includes a strut assembly configured to transition between a compressed configuration, an extended configuration, and a retracted configuration. The strut assembly has a compressed length, an extended length, and a retracted length, such that the compressed length and retracted length are less than the extended length. The strut assembly includes an upper tubular housing, an upper bulkhead configured to be translated between a lower position and an upper position, a lower tubular housing operatively coupled to the upper tubular housing, a lower bulkhead supported by the lower tubular housing, and a pressure chamber defined between the lower bulkhead and the upper bulkhead. A volume of strut liquid and a mass of strut gas are positioned within the pressure chamber. A method of retracting a strut assembly includes longitudinally translating an upper bulkhead within an upper tubular housing from a lower position to an upper position.

Methods and apparatus for controlling landing gear shrink are described. A controller is to determine an on-ground status of a left main landing gear. The controller is also to determine an on-ground status of a right main landing gear. The controller is also to generate a control signal to shrink the left main landing gear and the right main landing gear based on the on-ground status of the left main landing gear and the on-ground status of the right main landing gear.

Methods and apparatus for controlling landing gear shrink

Methods of reducing aircraft noise from landing gear during take off and landing maneuvers. An actuated multi-axle landing gear truck is oriented such that a plane through the axles is substantially parallel to the aircraft water line during approach and takeoff. The embodiment retains the capability to re-orient the truck 'toes up' or 'toes down,' as may be required, just before touchdown to facilitate rapid application of braking and speed brake/spoiler deployment. It also maintains the capability to re-orient the truck during gear retraction after take off to fit into the aircraft wheel wells. The invention may be retrofitted to existing aircraft or deployed on new aircraft.

Aircraft landing gear truck orientation for noise reduction

An electrical interlock and indication system for use with an aircraft having a hinged tail section is provided. The interlock and indication system prevents operation of a latch/lock actuation system of the hinged tail section unless a tail support is engaged to the tail section, inhibits over rotation of the hinged tail section, and detects retraction failures of latch pins located in the hinged tail section.

Electrical interlock and indication system for aircraft

The invention is directed to an actuation system in an aircraft comprising a fuselage and a hinged tail section with at least one interlock component that engages a tail support, wherein the engagement of the tail support to the tail section enables the actuation system to operate. The actuation system pulls in, latches, and locks the tail section during closing of the tail section, and the actuation system unlocks, unlatches, and releases the tail section during opening of the tail section.

Actuation system for tail section of aircraft

Multi-positional tail skid assemblies and methods for their use. In one embodiment, a multi-positional tail skid assembly includes a skid member and a skid deployment system operably connected to the skid member. The skid member can include a first portion attachable to an aft portion of a fuselage and a second portion movable relative to the aft portion of the fuselage. The second portion can support a skid surface configured to contact a surface of a runway. The skid deployment system can be configured to move the skid surface between first and second positions. When the skid surface is in the first position, the skid surface is closer to the aft portion of the fuselage than when the skid surface is in the second position.

Growing community of inventors

Maple Valley, WA, United States of America

Malcolm Scott Bryant