Patents Assigned to Airtrain Incorporated
  • Patent number: 5535963
    Abstract: An aircraft which rolls along a guide rail at low speeds and attains aerodynamically airborne flight guided along the rail at high speeds. The guide rail structure includes I beams suspended end to end from spaced apart arches. The guide rails are mounted on the lower ends of the I beam and include flat bottom surfaces and curved upper surfaces that receive the wheels of the aircraft in the low speed operating mode. The upper surfaces are portions of elliptical surfaces to assure proper positioning of the aircraft wheels. In the high speed airborne mode of operation, proximity sensors on the aircraft sense the distance to the guide rail. Controls receive inputs from the sensors and adjust the flight path accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Airtrain Incorporated
    Inventors: Elvest L. Lehl, Glen W. Zumwalt