Month in the Patent Office

A landing skid consists of a box‐frame secured inside an air‐tube 8, the lower portion 9 of which is formed with a tread surface 10, and the ends 5 of which are attached to fuselage struts 24, 27 by links 22, 25, 26. The box‐frame consists of side members 2 secured to clamping strips 12 and the sides of the tube 8 by air‐tight connexions 13, and bolted to two transverse U‐shaped end members against which the ends of the tube are drawn and secured in an air‐tight manner by straps 5. Thin metal rectangular plates 37, 38 form the upper and lower surfaces of the box‐frame, openings 14 being provided to allow free air passage between the upper and lower compartments of the tube 8. The tread 10 is upwardly inclined at its forward end and provided with steel reinforcing wires 11, the forward ends of which protrude beyond the tread and are secured by a clamp 17. The tube 8 is inflated to a pressure of the order 7–8 lb./sq. in. above atmospheric.