Toy aircraft and method of flight control thereof

1. In apparatus including a toy aircraft adapted to be launched and sustained in its flight path at least in part due to upward deflection of relative air flow, the aircraft comprising

a) a generally swept back, V-shaped wing of lightweight construction, and

b) a weight suspended by forward extent of said wing and connected thereto, for balance thereof,

c) a dangling surface connected to dangle from a wire projecting forwardly of a nose defined by the wing, the surface defining a forwardly positioned flight stabilizer,

d) the wing having left and right sections that are hingedly supported to move up and down, and including an actuator carried by the wing rearwardly of said dangling surface and connected with said sections to displace them up and down.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said actuator includes a forwardly and rearwardly extending rocking beam supported by the wing, links connected between the wing sections and the beam to be displaced up and down by the beam, a rotary crank carried by the wing to be rotated by torque exerted by an unwinding elastomeric band, and a link operatively connected between said rotary part and said beam to rock the beam as said crank is rotated.

3. The method of flying a toy glider that includes

a) providing the glider with a V-shaped, swept-back wing, and a glider length dimension, mid-way of said wing, which is substantially less than the span dimension of said wing, the wing being forwardly weighted to an extent providing flight stability,

b) launching the glider in a flight path,

c) providing a flow deflecting surface having upwardly convex flow deflecting edges; supporting said surface on an elongated, hand held handle; orienting said handle to project below said surface and convex edges, and orienting and moving said air flow deflecting surface with said convex edges in such spaced relation to the wing of the launched glider that air is deflected in a generally upwardly direction along said edges and toward said flight path whereby an upwardly deflected column of air is formed to aid in sustaining flight of the glider, during said flight, and

d) manually maneuvering said surface in relation to the flight position of the wing, to thereby control the flight path of the glider.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said maneuvering step includes relatively forwardly advancing said deflecting surface generally parallel to and beneath the flight path of the glider, while maintaining said surface angled upwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction of forward advancement.

5. The method of claim 4 including further maneuvering said surface leftwardly or rightwardly relative to the wing, to alter said upwardly deflected air flow in a manner to cause the glider to execute a turn.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said forwardly advancing step is carried out by a person walking forwardly.

7. A toy aircraft comprising:

a) a wing of lightweight construction, and a frame to which the wing is operatively connected to allow up and down flapping of left and right wing sections,

b) a stabilizer surface connected to dangle from a wire projecting forwardly relative to the wing, the wire carried by the frame,

c) and an actuator carried by the frame and connected with said wing sections to displace them in up and down flapping mode,

d) the actuator including a beam-rockingly supported by the frame, there being means connected between the wind sections and the beam to be displaced up and down by the beam, a rotary crank carried by the frame to be rotated by torque exerted by an unwinding elastomeric band, and means operatively connected between said rotary crank and said beam to rock the beam as said crank is rotated.

8. A toy aircraft comprising:

a) a wing of lightweight construction, and a frame to which the wing is operatively connected to allow up and down flapping of left and right wing sections,

b) a stabilizer surface connected to dangle from a wire projecting forwardly relative to the wind, the wire carried by the frame,

c) and an actuator carried by the frame and connected with said wing sections to displace them in up and down flapping mode,

d) the actuator including a forwardly and rearwardly extending rocking beam supported by the frame, links connected between the wing sections and the beam to be displaced up and down by the beam, a rotary crank carried by the frame to be rotated by torque exerted by an unwinding elastomeric band, and a link operatively connected between said rotary crank and said beam to rock the beam as said crank is rotated.