After more than two years of development and field testing, Progressive Aerodyne has unveiled the SeaRey LSX Folding Wing Accessory, which allows the SeaRey LSX wings and tail to fold for storage or unfold for flying by one person and in less than 20 minutes, according to company officials.
“The SeaRey Folding Wing Accessory (FWA) project was very demanding since we needed to develop a folding wing but without making any changes to structural design of the wing itself,” company officials said. “We had already completed the very expensive LSA certification engineering of the wing so changes to that were absolutely not allowed. So how do you make a folding wing without changing the wing? The SeaRey R&D team took the challenge on and after almost two man years of testing and development came up with a solution so unique that it is now in the patenting process.”
The main working part of the SeaRey FWA is an articulating arm with multiple universal joints that secures and guides the inboard end of the wing during a fold or unfold movement. One end of the arm is attached to the inboard root of the wing, the other is attached to the SeaRey fuselage at the main root tube. To make all this work one of the universal joints needed to operate in five axis.
Click here for a video of the Folding Wing in operation.
The articulating arms are only used on the ground and have absolutely no function in flight. The arms tuck in between the wing and fuselage during flight. They are not structural so all the usual wing attach bolts are still in use and are unchanged.
The Folding Wing Accessory can be retrofitted to any existing LSX wing.
For more information: Searey.com
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