Patent ID: 9669943
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: B64D,G09F

Claim:
1. An aircraft comprising: a fuselage, the fuselage includes a cockpit; a set of wings connected to the fuselage; an image formed on the underside of the fuselage, the image includes retroreflective material; an apparatus that illuminates the image on the underside of the fuselage, the apparatus includes: a plurality of aerodynamically ergonomic housings mounted at longitudinally spaced locations to an underside of the fuselage, wherein each housing includes a curved portion that protrudes away from the fuselage, and a flange-like portion by which the housing is mounted onto the fuselage; and wherein at least a portion of the curved portion increases in cross-section in an aft direction; a light source disposed outside the fuselage within each of the housings, each housing directs a majority of light from the respective light source toward the underside of the fuselage in the aft direction to produce an illuminated area on the fuselage that illuminates the image on the underside of the fuselage, the illuminated area produced by the light source disposed within a first housing of the plurality of housings overlapping the illuminated area produced by the light source disposed within a second housing of the plurality of housings, the second housing being positioned within the illuminated area produced by the light source disposed within the first housing; a power supply coupled to each of the light sources via a switch actuatable from the cockpit of the aircraft; each light source is adjustably mounted; and an adjustment mechanism associated with each light source that adjusts an angle of projection of the respective light source.