Abstract: A golf ball washer feeds wet balls into an air moving transport mechanism that drys the balls as they are carried to one of a number of dispensers. The wet balls move by gravity down an inclined infeed chute to a load station where each ball is supported on a flow disrupting ramp, and the transport conduit includes a necked down area at the load station which cooperates with the ramp to disrupt the air flow thereby avoiding the tendency of a spherical golf ball to remain suspended in the column of air rather than being moved downstream through the conduit. Each dispenser has an intermittently driven drum with radially outwardly open pockets to provide predetermined numbers of balls to a basket at the discharge station of the dispenser.

Abstract: A driving range environment includes golf ball pickers to return the balls to a golf ball washer. The pickers are parked at a golf ball unload station where the balls are dropped through a grate onto a conveyor or chute for transport to the hopper of the ball washer. From the washer the balls travel through air filled tubes that dry the balls and transport the balls to dispensers where the golfer can again drive the balls at the range.

Abstract: A golf ball washer feeds wet balls into an air moving transport mechanism that drys the balls as they are carried to one of a number of dispensers. The wet balls move by gravity down an inclined infeed chute to a load station where each ball is supported on a flow disrupting ramp, and the transport conduit includes a necked down area at the load station which cooperates with the ramp to disrupt the air flow thereby avoiding the tendency of a spherical golf ball to remain suspended in the column of air rather than being moved downstream through the conduit. Each dispenser has an intermittently driven drum with radially outwardly open pockets to provide predetermined numbers of balls to a basket at the discharge station of the dispenser.

Abstract: A hoist is provided for an aircraft, such as a helicopter or VTOL, capable of hovering flight and has a boom pivotally connected to the structural frame of the aircraft for movement between retracted and extended positions. A cable powered by a winch is engaged with the boom and is used with the extended boom for conventional hoisting operations. The arrangement of the cable guide pulleys relative to the pivot axis of the boom and the operation of the winch control system is such that the cable and winch are additionally usable to effect movement of the boom between its retracted and extended positions thereby eliminating the need for a separate boom extending and retracting motor.

Abstract: A hub assembly for a helicopter rotor system having a monolithic thin-wall hub shell made from composite material and including centrally apertured upper and lower wall portions integrally joined at the outer periphery of the shell and spaced apart at inner regions. The upper and lower wall portions cooperate to define a plurality of bearing sockets angularly spaced relative to the axis of rotation and connecting webs extending between angularly adjacent sockets. Elastomeric blade retaining bearing assemblies supported within the sockets retain and support rotor blades for articulate movement. Each bearing assembly has a seating surface which cooperates with an associated bearing surface on the socket in which it is contained to prevent relative rotation therebetween. Mounting flanges on the helicopter rotor shaft and retaining flanges on the hub shell are arranged to permit the rotor system to be lowered on the rotor shaft when the retaining flanges are disconnected from the mounting flanges.

Abstract: A golf ball retriever has a picker roll comprised of a plurality of thin discs spaced one from the other along a common central axis by a uniform spacing slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball. The picker roll is readily removable from its supporting frame and, after such removal, the discs making up the roll may be successively disassembled from either end thereof to reach and remove a damaged or broken disc when repairing the roll. The retriever may be particularly designed for use in retrieving balls from water hazards or for retrieving balls from land. In either case, it is highly efficient in retrieving balls, especially from depressions or pockets in the bottom surface of the water hazard or in the surface of the land over which it is moved.