Aircraft stability and efficient control through induced drag reduction
View Patent ↗An apparatus forming an aircraft which is designed for flight by movement through the air, the aircraft has a front and rear portions and a center of mass, with left and right sides when divided by a central plane of reference. The aircraft has inboard portions closer to said central plane of reference and outboard portions farther from said central plane of reference. Further, the aircraft contains at least one positive lifting aerodynamic surface configured to affect the flow of air near said at least one positive lifting aerodynamic surface when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward, and at least one elevon structure configured to create negative aerodynamic force when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward. The elevon structure is constructed so as to have outboard portions thereof positioned outward of said central plane of reference to a distance at least three-fourths of the distance from said central plane of reference to a tip end of said at least one wing.
1. An apparatus forming an aircraft, said aircraft having front and rear portions, said aircraft having left and right sides when divided by a central plane of reference, said aircraft intersected by planes of reference parallel to said central plane of reference, said aircraft having at least one wing configured to affect the airflow near said at least one wing when said at least one wing is appropriately moving forward, said at least one wing having thereby an inboard portion closer to said central plane of reference and an outboard portion farther from said central plane of reference, said at least one wing thereby configured to create a downflow of air and positive lift when said at least one wing is appropriately moving forward, said at least one wing having a chord length at a selected plane of reference parallel to said central plane of reference, comprising:
at least one aileron configured to create aerodynamic force when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward, said at least one aileron having a neutral, non-deflected condition, said at least one aileron each having a direction of said aerodynamic force generally opposite to the direction of said positive lift of said at least one wing when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward when said at least one aileron are in said neutral location, said at least one aileron adapted to be mounted upon said at least one wing, said at least one aileron positioned so as to be spaced away from said at least one wine and downflow affected by said at least one wing such that the at least one aileron is separated from said at least one wing by a vertical distance not less than said chord length of said at least one wing, said at least one aileron separated from said at least one wing by a distance not more than twice said chord length of said at least one wing plus twice said chord length of said at least one aileron away from said at least one wing; wherein said at least one aileron is constructed so as to have an outboard portion thereof positioned outward of said central plane of reference to a distance at least three-fourths of the distance from said central plane of reference to an outboard end of said at least one wing.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one aileron is accordingly positioned above the at least one wing.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one aileron is accordingly positioned below the at least one wing.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the aircraft may be controlled by means of adjustable positioning of at least part of the ailerons; said ailerons thereby providing at least partial control of said aircraft.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wing has a chord length defined by the letter A and said at least one aileron has a chord length defined by the lowercase letter a such that the total separation between said wing and said aileron is about equal to length A plus length a.
6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein partial control of said aircraft is provided by means for adjustable positioning of said at least one aileron.