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Travis G Storro

Victor D Trotter

Lee N Skidmore

An aerial valve for a liquid container (e.g., a bag or a tank) suspended or otherwise carried by a firefighting aircraft includes an axially compressible tubular diaphragm. To open and close the valve, a motorized leadscrew raises and lowers a flow stopper relative to a discharge opening. The tubular diaphragm creates an air chamber above the flow stopper, so the full weight of the liquid in the container is not bearing down against the flow stopper. Thus, less force is needed to lift the flow stopper from its closed position, making the valve easier to open. Some examples of the aerial valve include features that make it wear resistant, easy to service, reprogram remotely, inexpensive to ship, and useful as a replacement for existing valves.

Aerial container valve with tubular diaphragm

To reduce strain and mitigate fatigue in an aircraft's airframe, some example dynamic load-sharing systems provide the aircraft with multiple tension devices that share the weight of a load hanging from the aircraft. In some examples, the tension devices are installed in the aircraft's cabin space to protect the surrounding airframe by transmitting a portion of the load's weight directly from the floor to the ceiling of the aircraft. In some examples, the portion of the weight transmitted by the tension devices is proportional to the load's total weight. In some examples, the tension devices are piston/cylinder devices that are interconnected by a manifold to distribute the load equally among the tension devices. Some examples of dynamic load-sharing system include a pressure relief valve and/or an accumulator that limits the maximum load applied to each tension device.

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Sagle, ID, United States of America

Travis G Storro