Month in the Patent Office

An aircraft wing comprises one or more sections each foldablc about a fore‐and‐aft substantially horizontal axis and a power‐operated linearly moving member which works in a guideway and is connected through a link to a foldablc wing section such that with the foldablc section folded the link is substantially at right angles to the movable part so that, aided by the friction of that part with respect to its guide‐way, it prevents self‐return movement of the foldablc wing section. The folding wing section 1 is pivotally attached to the fixed wing stub 6 by brackets 2, 3, the bracket 2 being extended to form a member 7 having pivoted thereto one end of a link 8 the other end of which is pivoted to a rectangular slide 9 located in a straight open‐top guideway 10 carried by the wing section 6. The piston rod 12 of a hydraulic jack 11 is connected to the slide 9. An extension 13 of the wing section 1 is apertured at 13 so positioned with respect to a pair of apertured lugs 14 formed on a bracket 4 secured to the wing section 6 that a preferably power‐operated pin may be inserted therebetween to lock the folded wing in its spread position. When the wing section is folded the link 8 is positioned substantially at right angles to the guideway 10, the axis about which folding takes place being triangulated with respect to the axes of the pins passing through the ends of the link 8 so that return movement of the wing caused by wind gusts is prevented. An additional lock may be provided to hold one or both wings in a partial or fully folded position by providing a plurality of holes in the guideway 10 into any one ofwhich holes a pin may be inserted to prevent return movement of the slide 9. Specifications 635,260 and 635,261 are referred to.