Patent ID: 7600717
Filing Date: 2009-10-13
Classification: B64C,B64D

Abstract:
1. An aircraft wing assembly including a port wing which, in use, carries a port engine comprising at least one rotary disc, a starboard wing which, in use, carries a starboard engine comprising at least one rotary disc, a central wing element linking the port and starboard wings, and a plurality of tanks defined by a plurality of tank boundary members, the tank boundary members defining i) a central volume which covers at least a part of the central wing element and at least part of an at-risk zone, the at-risk zone consisting of the combination of a) a first region forwards of a first vertical plane positioned such that when the starboard engine is fitted to the starboard wing the first vertical plane extends from the centre of the rearmost rotary disc of the starboard engine backwards and towards the port wing and is separated from the plane of the starboard rotary disc by a dispersion angle, and b) a second region forwards of a second vertical plane positioned such that when the port engine is fitted to the port wing the second vertical plane extends from the centre of the rearmost rotary disc of the port engine backwards and towards the starboard wing and is separated from the plane of the port rotary disc by the dispersion angle, ii) a port inner fuel tank adjacent to the central volume, and iii) a starboard inner fuel tank adjacent to the central volume, wherein the dispersion angle is between 2° and 10°, and the port inner fuel tank and the starboard inner fuel tank are positioned outside of the at-risk zone and each are defined in part by a respective inner boundary member that when viewed in plan extends, at least in part, in a direction at an angle of less than 20° to the adjacent vertical plane defining the at-risk zone.