Patent ID: 7222819

Claim:
In an aircraft including a ram air channel, a ram air intake opening at an upstream end of said channel, and a flap arrangement that is arranged in said upstream end of said channel and that is selectively movable between a closed position and an open position to selectively relatively close or open said intake opening, an improvement wherein: said ram air intake opening is located in a leading edge of a lifting wing of said aircraft; said ram air channel extends rearwardly from said intake opening within said lifting wing along or substantially parallel to a wing profile chord of said lifting wing; said flap arrangement comprises at least one flap pivotably supported by plural separate pivot bearings having respective non-coincident plural pivot axes extending in a wing span direction of said lifting wing; said improvement further comprises an actuating mechanism connected to said flap arrangement and adapted to actuate and move said flap arrangement selectively to and between said closed position and said open position; said at least one flap comprises a front flap having opposite first and second flap ends; and said front flap has a sectional convex curvature that curves convexly outwardly from said ram air channel at said ram air intake opening and that matches a sectional wing curvature of an outer contour of said leading edge of said lifting wing adjoining said ram air intake opening when said front flap is in said closed position.