Patent ID: 10442521

Abstract:
An apparatus, having: a fuselage body section (180) configured to be secured to an aircraft fuselage (16); a pivot column (310) protruding from the fuselage body section; and a center wing section (214) configured to be secured to a center wing panel of a trifold wing (200). The fuselage body section and the center wing section are configured to cooperate with each other to rotate the center wing section relative to the fuselage body section from a stowed position (250) to a deployed position (302). The pivot column comprises a column feature (240) configured to engage with tip features (236) of the trifold wing to hold the trifold wing in a folded configuration when the trifold wing is in the stowed position and to disengage from the tip features as the trifold wing rotates to the deployed position, thereby freeing the trifold wing to unfold.