Abstract: Disclosed is a boat shoe that includes a sole constructed to allow for the flow of water from the interior of the shoe to the exterior of the shoe. The sole includes an innersole which is a removable orthotic with a series of openings through which water can pass. A rubber lasting board, which also has a series of openings to allow to pass through, is positioned between the innersole and a polyurethane midsole. The midsole includes a series of passageways molded into the upper surface of the midsole that direct the water towards the exterior of the shoe. In particular, these passageways lead to the exterior side portions of the shoe so that the water running through these passageways will flow from the interior of the shoe and out through the exterior side portions of the shoe.

Abstract: An improved windshear warning apparatus for aircraft, responsive to both the magnitude of the wind shear and the allowable time the windshear can be tolerated at a given magnitude. The sensed magnitude is used to compute the allowable time before providing a windshear alarm. For large windshear rates, the allowable time is short; conversely for small windshear rates which exceed a threshold level, a longer time period is computed before an alarm occurs. Since a windshear rate must persist for the computed allowable time before activating the alarm, windshear rates that are above the threshold level for elapsed time less than the computed allowable time will not result in an enunciation, while high magnitude windshear rates of short duration will not cause false alarms since they do not exceed the computed allowable time.

Abstract: A space vehicle booster has a lower section and an upper section forming a joint with a seal assembly enclosing a closed cavity. The seal assembly has an upper flange joined to the upper section, and has a lower flange joined to the lower section, and has a collar disposed between the flanges. The flanges are joined by bolts, which slightly compress the collar. The collar has a blind slot, which opens into the closed cavity and which separates an upper collar portion from a lower collar portion. The pressurized gas in the closed cavity urges the upper collar portion against the upper flange and urges the lower collar portion against the lower flange. The collar has an inner pair of "O" rings and an outer pair of "O" rings. Upper and lower chambers are disposed between the "O" rings. A passageway to the chambers has an exterior opening for evacuating the chambers for testing the integrity of the seals prior to launch.

Abstract: An aircraft control system that simultaneously controls vertical speed (or flight path angle) and airspeed or Mach number by supplying the vertical speed (or flight path angle) command to the autothrottle system and the airspeed or Mach command to the autopilot pitch channel. A thrust reference computer provides an approximation of the thrust required to maintain the reference vertical speed (or flight path angle) and a vertical speed error signal in closed loop fashion provides a vernier adjustment to the approximation to provide the autothrottle channel command.

Abstract: A cruise speed control apparatus for aircraft wherein small differences between the target Mach command and the actual Mach number of the aircraft are used to displace the aircraft from its reference altitude to either increase or decrease actual Mach number in the short term. Long term differences are corrected through a special isolation filter to separate the engine control loop and pitch control loop dynamics and an integration technique to adjust the automatic throttles about a thrust target for the commanded Mach.Large differences between the target Mach and the actual Mach or large changes in the commanded Mach are compensated for by a non-linear gain that effectively increases or decreases the target thrust to cause the aircraft to accelerate or decelerate to the commanded Mach.

Abstract: A windshear warning apparatus which separately compares a plurality of signals derived from horizontal and vertical inertial acceleration and air mass acceleration components to indicate incipient windshear. The compared signals are substantially equal under normal wind conditions but are significantly different under windshear conditions. A signal proportional to the product of the magnitude and rate of change of the total or resultant inertial acceleration of the aircraft is used to provide a warning of a significant windshear condition.

Abstract: A measure of the enroute weight of an aircraft is continuously provided by determining the zero fuel weight during takeoff, adding the weight of total fuel as measured by fuel quantity sensors, interrupting the latter measure and holding its then current value whenever the fuel quantity sensors may be in error, such as when the aircraft is not level or during aircraft accelerations, and during this time computing the rate of change of aircraft weight as a function of aerodynamic and engine parameters and subtracting the time integral of this computed value from the held fuel quantity sensor value. Upon the aircraft resuming level, unaccelerated flight, the integrator is reset and the sensed fuel quantity measure restored.

Abstract: The takeoff weight of an aircraft is computed from measures of the thrust of the engines and the forward acceleration of the aircraft detected over a time period when such acceleration is at a maximum following brake release on the runway. A major variable that must be considered is the coefficient of rolling friction of the landing gear of the particular aircraft involved and other factors inducing ground roll drag. The present invention calculated this variable as a function of engine thrust and manifest weight for each takeoff of the aircraft and updates weighted filter values thereof for use during subsequent takeoffs. For each takeoff, therefore, and average value of rolling friction is used to calculate takeoff weight, which average value becomes more nearly the actual value for the existing condition of the landing gear.

Abstract: A cruise speed control apparatus in an aircraft performance management system wherein target Mach command is supplied to the engine automatic throttle controls to establish an engine thrust to overcome and equate to the aircraft nominal drag characteristics at that commanded Mach speed and simultaneously the difference between the actual Mach number speed and the target Mach command speed is supplied to the automatic pilot pitch axis control to cause the aircraft to maintain the commanded Mach speed through change in pitch attitude and altitude. The integral of any altitude standoff is used to adjust required thrust to achieve the commanded Mach target and reduce the standoff to zero. If necessary, filtered altitude error may be used to provide dynamic damping of the throttle control loop and compensation for long term degradation in the aircraft's drag characteristic with time is provided by measuring the drag degradation ratio and adjusting the target Mach command in accordance therewith.

Abstract: Speed control apparatus for use in an aircraft performance management system of the type wherein a target Mach number command is supplied to the aircraft pitch controls to attain the target Mach and is simultaneously supplied to the aircraft throttles to capture a computed engine pressure ratio (EPR) or fan speed (N.sub.1), said apparatus being operative during maximum thrust climbs and minimum thrust descents upon an abrupt step function target Mach number command wherein said step function command is converted to a ramp command, the slope of which is directly proportional to the existing thrust-minus-drag conditions of the aircraft and inversely proportional to its existing weight, thus ensuring a proper division between aircraft acceleration and rate of climb or aircraft deceleration and rate of descent.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing an integrated display of flight instrument parameters on the screen of a single cathode ray tube is presented. The synthetically generated symbology provides the pilot with an integrated display of substantially all aircraft attitude and flight path command and control parameters including attitude and magnetic heading, barometric and radiometric attitude, vertical spread, critical take-off speeds, true airspeed and Mach airspeed, flight path angle, flight director path control commands, and mode annunciation for the flight director and automatic pilot systems.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing an integrated display of flight instrument parameters on the screen of a single cathode ray tube is presented. The synthetically generated symbology is equivalent to that typically provided by ten conventional electromechanical instruments including an attitude-director indicator, horizontal situation indicator, pressure altimeter, radio altimeter, vertical speed indicator, radio magnetic indicator, Mach airspeed indicator, autopilot-flight director mode annunciator, load factor indicator and true air-speed indicator.

Abstract: Aircraft weight and balance computer apparatus processes sensor outputs to generate an electrical signal that is proportional to aircraft gross weight at the time take-off thrust is initially applied to the aircraft on the runway and continually updates the weight signal when airborne to account for burn off of fuel or other weight loss and also provides a measure of the location of the aircraft center of gravity position. This is achieved by computing the aerodynamic forces on the aircraft in its longitudinal plane and the thrust generated by the engines and relating these computations to the corresponding acceleration components measured by a pair of linear accelerometers that are mounted orthogonally in this longitudinal plane.

Abstract: A mine car coupling assembly comprising a spring biased receiving assembly having a pair of jaw members mounted about a pivot point. The forward ends of the jaw members are beveled and tapered inwardly to form a hook configuration adapted to receive and hold an arrowhead shaped male member. Each jaw member's forward end is biased toward the other jaw member's forward end by a spring assembly mounted to both of the jaw members. The tip of the arrowhead member initially engages the jaw members of the receiving assembly and overcomes the spring assembly's force, forcing the jaw members apart. When the arrowhead has entered into the receiving assembly the hook ends are urged back toward each other by the spring assembly to engage the rear surface of the arrowhead member and hold the arrowhead member in position within the receiving assembly.

Abstract: Two substantially identical servo channels, coupled through a differential mechanism, position an attitude control surface of an aircraft in response to a common command signal applied to both channels. The common command is coupled to each channel through separate displacement and rate limiting devices to limit the attitude displacement and rate of change of attitude commands about the associated aircraft axis. In the pitch axis a separate normal accelerometer controls each command rate limit so as to prevent excessive pitch maneuvers due to the common command source.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing a measure of the acceleration of an aircraft along its flight path derived from computations involving inertial measurements of longitudinal and normal accelerations of the aircraft relative to the direction of the earth's "g" field as determined by a gyro vertical, in conjunction with a measurement of true airspeed as determined by an air data computer responsive to a Pitot static sensor. The computation includes filtering means responsive to the inertial and air data measurements to compensate for the relatively long term errors introduced by the gyro vertical erection characteristics and the relatively short term errors introduced by the Pitot-static sensor of airspeed.