Patent ID: 8118265

Claim:
An aircraft wing having leading and trailing edges comprising: a slat operatively positioned at an outboard portion of the aircraft wing adjacent to an inboard portion of the aircraft wing, wherein the slat establishes a respective outboard leading edge portion of the aircraft leading edge adjacent to an inboard leading edge portion of the aircraft leading edge, and wherein the slat is moveable between a retracted position for relatively high airspeed aircraft operations wherein the inboard and outboard leading edge portions of the aircraft leading edge are aligned with one another, and a deployed position for relatively low airspeed aircraft operations wherein the outboard portion of the aircraft leading edge established by the slat is displaced forwardly of the inboard leading edge portion of the aircraft wing; and an aerodynamic device positionally fixed to the inboard portion of the aircraft wing laterally adjacent an inboard edge of the slat at a location between the inboard and outboard portions of the aircraft wing, the aerodynamic device having a forward end extending forwardly of the aligned inboard and outboard leading edges of the inboard and outboard portions of the aircraft wing, respectively, when the slat is in the retracted position thereof, wherein the aerodynamic device is operable in response to movement of the slat into the deployed position thereof so as to improve the aerodynamics of the wing at low airspeed aircraft operations, and providing substantially no aerodynamic improvement when the slat is in the retracted position thereof during high airspeed aircraft operations.