Next time you're on a commercial airline flight, whether it's a commuter or
long haul, examine the tray table mechanism as you raise and lower it. Pay no
attention to the fact that once the tray table is down, you can pull it towards
you on some of them. Just look at the raising/lowering mechanism. The tray
table on most airliners retracts flush into the seat back just like we want a
flap to tuck into the bottom of a wing, and some of them follow a motion that
is quite similar to a Fowler mechanism, where the leading edge is not simply
hinged but it rides in and out on a track as the tray (flap) extends,
increasing its deflection into the airstream. By connecting a linkage to the
leading edge of the flap, a linear fore-and-aft motion is converted into a
sweeping arc of the flap as it extends on its tracks and arms.
Am I suggesting that we look on eBay for some junked airliner seats and
scavenge the tray tables off of them? No, I'm not. I'm simply saying that
with a little ingenuity, a builder can create a flap mechanism that mimics a
Fowler motion but still can use some relatively simple parts and assemblies.
Using linear motion through an electric actuator or a mechanical flap handle
and linkage, a Fowler-like action can be achieved.
Again, like the scissor-action speed brakes that I mentioned a few days ago,
"just food for thought". I can't help noticing things like this, especially
when I'm stuck looking at them for hours at a time.
Oscar Zuniga
Medford, OR
