May 31, 1932.

J. A BINNIE
AERIAL DEVICE

1,860,982

Filed March 27, 1931

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Patented May 31, 1932

1,860,982:

s'ra'rss PATENT
AERIAL DEVICE
Application ?led March 27, 1931. Serial No.,525,649.

Fries

JOHN A. BINNIE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

My invention relates to devices intended purpose of connecting the bag with the tow ing airplane, I provide grommets 13 on the be readily visible, and may be employed for fabric adjacentto the ring 10, at equal dis various purposes, such as advertising, for in tances from each other, and through said dicating the direction of the wind, as targets grominets'and around the ring 10 I loop one end of a set of lines 14, their other ends being in gunnery practice, etc. The object of my invention is to construct attached to a swivel ring 15, to which the
to be held in the air in such a manner as to

a device of this character which will readily tow-line 16 of theairplane is connected. " It will be understood that except for the In its preferred form, as described in detail metal ring 10, the bag has no bracing or stiff below, the device forms a hollow body of flex ening members, and is perfectly ?exible. ible material open at one end and having no Then air rushes into the open end of the bag,

hold its desired shape at varying velocities.

no

stiffening orbracing structure except at such as it will when the bag is towed behind an
open end, yet such device will assume and airplane, it will distend and, as it were, in

5' keep its fully distended active or operative flate the bag so as to keep it substantially rig- condition at relatively low speeds (say, ?ve id and maintain it in the shape illustrated miles per hour) as well at the great speeds of by Fig. 1. The bag will therefore present which airplanes are capable, one of the in an unvarying appearance, which is of im
tended uses of my invention contemplating portance when it is to be used as a target,

65

the towing of the device by an airplane, either or as a background or carrier for an adver for target practice, or for the aerial display tisement painted on its outer surface.
In the practical use of devices of the char of advertisements painted on the outside of the device. Notwithstanding the absence of acter described, considerable dif?culty was any internal bracing, this improved device is experienced at ?rst on account of the special "i' of such strength as to withstand without tear qualities required of the bag or envelope to ing or bursting, the great strains to which enable it to perform equally well at high and at low speeds. When the envelope is of it is subjected at high speeds. 7 Reference is to be had to the accompany relatively great porosity, the bag will re ing drawings which illustrate a satisfactory main limp at low speeds, and fail to assume and preferred embodiment of my invention, its operative, distended shape. If, however, Fig. 1 showing the same in side elevation, the envelope has but little porosity, or prac with parts in section, and Fig. 2 in front ele tically none (for instance, when made of rub vation, looking from the open endof the de ber), it will rip or burst at high speeds. The degree of porosity must be such as to vice. The device shown in the drawings is an permit a suf?cient amount of air to pass elongated, substantially cigar-shaped bag of outwardly through the fabric of the enve circular cross section made of suitable ?ex lope at high speed, to prevent bursting of ible material such as muslin. This bag may the bag, vyet the air must not pass through be made of a plurality of strips of gores (for the fabric too freely, since then the device will

80

seams, as indicated at'a). At the wider end, found that the proper degree of porosity can the bag or body is open, the size and shape of be obtained, in the case of muslin or similar

instance, six connected by longitudinal not operate properly at low speeds. I have
10 secured to the fabric of the bag by sewing bag, a single, relatively thin coating of a

the opening being maintained by a metal ring fabrics, by applying on the voutside of the

or in an, other suitable manner. Except for suitable porosity-reducing substance. I have said opening, the bag is closed, and consists used a coat of pantasote for this purpose, and

of a frusto-conical portion 11, ?aring away found it highly satisfactory. The particular shape of the bag facilitates from the open end, and the closed end por tion 12, which in longitudinal section is sub its proper operation and by stream line for stantiallyof parabolic curvature. For the mation reduces skin friction. The applica~

1,860,982

tion of the
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orosity-reducing substance on

the outside 0? the envelope gives it a smooth

er surface than it would have otherwise and
increases the durability of the device. Various modi?cations may be made with

out departing from the nature of my inven tion as set forth in the appended claims. I claim: 1. A device of the class described, com
10 prising an elongated bag open at one end and
made of a porous fabric the pores of which

are partly ?lled with a porosity-reducing substance, so as still to permit the passage of a certain amount of air through said fabric. 16 2. A device of the class described, com prising an elongated ba open at one end and made of a porous fa ric having an ex terior coating of a substance which will re duce the porosity of said fabric while still 20 permitting the passage of a certain amount

of air therethrough.
i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. JOHN A. BINNIE.

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