Super-transporter aircraft
View Patent ↗A super-transporter aircraft for transporting at least one element of a secondary aircraft, wherein the structural rigidity of a fuselage of the super-transporter is at least partly imparted by the transported element. The super-transported aircraft can be equipped with a securing device for securing the transported element to the fuselage of the super-transporter aircraft, the securing device adapted to pick up the loads to which the super-transporter aircraft is subjected.
1. A super-transporter aircraft for transporting at least one part of a second aircraft, the super-transporter aircraft comprising:
a fuselage adapted to transport the at least one part at least partially within an interior of the fuselage; and
an integrating assembly adapted to dock the at least one part to the fuselage of the super-transporter aircraft and to absorb stresses to which the super-transporter aircraft is subjected, the integrating assembly including—
at least two ladders operably coupled to an internal wall of the fuselage,
a plurality of fastening members, a first end of each of the plurality of fastening members extending from one of the at least two ladders, and a second, generally opposing end of each of the plurality of fastening members adapted to be fastened to the at least one part,
a structural reinforcement member selectively engageable with the second end of each of the plurality of fastening members,
wherein the fuselage is configurable between an empty configuration in which the at least one part of the second aircraft is not loaded within the fuselage and the second end of each of the plurality of fastening members of the integrating assembly is coupled to the structural reinforcement member such that a structural rigidity required for flight is conferred at least partially by the structural reinforcement member, and a transporting configuration in which the second end of each of the plurality of fastening members of the integrating assembly is free of the structural reinforcement member and is coupled to the at least one part such that the structural rigidity is conferred at least partially by the at least one part of the second aircraft.
2. The super-transporter aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the fastening members are telescopic.
3. The super-transporter aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the second aircraft comprises a fuselage section.
4. The super-transporter aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein the second end of at least one of the plurality of fastening members is adapted to cooperate with a cavity forming an emplacement for a fuselage section porthole of the second aircraft.
5. The super-transporter aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the second aircraft comprises a half-wing.
6. The super-transporter aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the fuselage is further configurable into a loading configuration between the empty configuration and the transporting configuration, in which the at least one part of the second aircraft is loaded into the fuselage of the super-transporter aircraft.
7. The super-transporter aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the at least two ladders is shiftable between two respective stable positions during the loading configuration, a loading position in which the ladder extends generally parallel to the internal wall of the fuselage and follows a contour of the internal wall of the fuselage, and an operational position in which the ladder extends generally radially from the internal wall of the fuselage towards the interior of the fuselage of the super-transporter aircraft.