Abstract: A vehicle fire extinguisher is provided which discharges a copious supply of fire retardant into the engine compartment and in the vicinity of the fuel tank of the vehicle in response to a vehicle crash. The fire retardant deprives the areas of the vehicle most susceptible to fire of oxygen needed for combustion and fire development.

Abstract: An impact apparatus responsive to a time rate of change of velocity of a housing is used to activate a system. A specific application of the invention fixes the housing to an aircraft body with an inertial member movably contained within the housing and uses the relative movement between the housing and inertial member upon impact to inflate and elevate a balloon above the aircraft.

Abstract: A connecting rod, especially useful as a piston rod, is bifurcated into two relatively moving components which permit the rod to elongate and contract under the influence of pressure which is selectively directed into one of two variable volume parts while being exhausted from the other. The fluid which is directed into and exhausted out of the variable volume chambers is controlled as a function of the angular displacement of the connecting rod relative to a driving shaft.

Abstract: A spool valve includes a disposable, replaceable cylinder containing gaseous media under pressure which is selectively introduced into the pitot and static lines of an aircraft for purging same incident to the endwise movement of a normally retracted plunger which comprises the valving member of the valve. The plunger, when in an inoperative position, maintains certain instruments in open communication with the pitot tube and outside static lines of an aircraft. When the plunger is advanced to an operative position, the aforesaid connections between the instruments, pitot tube, and outside static lines are closed, whereupon the gaseous media under pressure is introduced into the lines leading to the pitot tube and outside static air line for thereby purging said lines, and simultaneously therewith the instruments are automatically connected to an auxiliary pitot tube and auxiliary outside static lines.

Abstract: The head of fasteners are provided with an inverted T-slot which is engagable by the T-shaped end of a driver for precluding the accidental or unintentional disengagement of the driver from the fastener-head during insertion or removal thereof.