Abstract: A reclining or semi-supine aircrew ejection seat is provided with an ejection gun that is in the usual upwardly extending and rearwardly inclined attitude, and the seat is attached to the portion of the gun assembly that leaves the aircraft by a pivotal connection between the back of the seat and the upper part of the gun assembly portion. This allows the part of the seat that supports the user's back to extend forward away from the pivotal connection and the gun assembly. During the initial phase of ejection, the seat turns angularly, bringing the part of the seat that supports the user's back against the gun assembly.

Abstract: An aircraft take-off runway, especially a ship's flight desk, is provided with a terminal ramp that curves upward to launch the aircraft in a semi-ballistic trajectory. The ramp is so configured as to have a varying contour or profile, in longitudinal section, at different regions across it, such that the path up the ramp of wheels on the center line of the aircraft is different from the path of wheels off the center line, e.g. outrigger wheels, whereby a desired pitching moment is imparted to the aircraft at launch.

Abstract: A variable flow air outlet valve is provided, e.g. for admitting conditioned air to an aircraft cockpit, comprising two relatively rotatable parts relative rotation of which progressively varies the length of the path that the air must follow through the valve before reaching the outlet so that the outlet flow is changed due to change in the amount of viscous drag the air is subjected to inside the valve. In this way change in the outlet flow is achieved without noise-producing turbulence. The path for the air within the valve extends through varying lengths of a body of foraminous material such as a reticulated foam material.

Abstract: In a VTOL, aircraft having pairs of angularly movable jet-engine-efflux discharging vectored thrust lift and propulsion nozzles at the under side of the fuselage, a deflector door is provided to divert the hot exhaust gases that rise toward the fuselage when the aircraft is near the ground and thereby prevent such gases from approaching the engine air intakes. The deflector door swings from a retracted position to a position in which it projects downwardly and forwardly below the fuselage and it has edge blowing slots through which bleed air from the engine is blown in a downward and forward direction with a lateral fan-wise spread. This door also serves duty as an airbrake.

Abstract: In an aircraft with a multi-engine configuration at the aft end of the fuselage the engines lie on top and on either side with their air intakes so positioned that downward and sideways noise shielding is provided by the fuselage and the wings, the wings having rearwardly extendible flaps to substantially close at take off and landing, gaps in the noise shield that would otherwise exist between the intakes and the unextended wing trailing edges. The engines exhaust into a noise shielding duct the bottom and side walls of which are provided respectively by a fixed-incidence portion of the tail plane and a pair of fins and rudders upstanding from the tailplane. Upward and downward thrust reversal passages are obtained by rocking back an aft end portion of each engine housing and simultaneously tilting a hingedly mounted forward section of said fixed incidence tail plane portion.