Patent ID: 7766282

Claim:
An aircraft system, comprising: a wing having a wing support; a trailing edge device carried by and movable relative to the wing, the trailing edge device having a device support; a coupling connected between the wing and the trailing edge device, the coupling including: a pivot joint that includes a pivot element aligned along a pivot axis and connected between the wing support and the device support; an actuator coupled between the wing and the trailing edge device, the actuator having a first position in which the trailing edge device is stowed, and a second position in which the trailing edge device is deployed, with an airflow gap located between the wing and the trailing edge device when the trailing edge device is in the second position; a cam track carried by one of the wing and the trailing edge device and having opposing cam track surfaces fixed relative to each other; and a cam carried by the other of the wing and the trailing edge device and positioned within the cam track between the opposing cam track surfaces, the cam being offset from the pivot axis, wherein during normal operation the cam carries no load or a first load along a load path that includes the cam track, and wherein the cam carries a second non-zero load greater than the first load along the load path when a decrease in support provided by at least one of the pivot element, the wing support and the device support occurs.