Assembly for sealing the mounting opening for a flying horizontal

Abstract

A seal assembly for covering the structural opening in the side of a vertical stabilizer, through which extends a structural member for pivotally mounting a flying horizontal stabilizer to structure within the vertical stabilizer retards or prevents ambient air flow between the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal stabilizer. A seal plate is affixed to the inner end of the horizontal stabilizer, is faired into the upper and lower horizontal stabilizer surfaces, and extends outwardly therefrom in a direction transverse to the horizontal stabilizer. The shape of the periphery of the seal plate is chosen at a predetermined position of the horizontal stabilizer so as to equidistantly space the periphery of the seal plate from that portion of the outer surface of the skin of the vertical stabilizer underlying or adjacent the periphery of the seal plate. A resilient, flexible seal member is affixed to the periphery of the seal plate and engages the surface of the vertical stabilizer in sealing engagement. When in the predetermined position, the seal member is partially flexed or compressed so that as the seal plate moves with the flying horizontal stabilizer, a sealing relationship will be maintained between the seal member and the surface of the vertical stabilizer even though the relative distance between the periphery of the seal plate and the surface of the stabilizer varies upon movement of the seal plate with the horizontal stabilizer.