Patent ID: 7562845

Claim:
A connection for a rudder unit on a fuselage of an aircraft, wherein the connection comprises: rudder unit spars, and fuselage frames; an aerodynamic groove; wherein the rudder unit spars are part of the rudder unit; wherein the fuselage frames are part of the fuselage; wherein the rudder unit is supported by connecting the rudder unit spars and the fuselage frames to one another without a bolt fairing structure; wherein a flow of forces resulting from the connection between the rudder unit spars and the fuselage frames extends in an essentially homogenous fashion from the rudder unit spars to the fuselage frames and into the fuselage; wherein the fuselage extends upwardly to form projections substantially along opposing sides of a base portion of the rudder unit such that the projections of the fuselage form the groove for the base portion of the rudder unit, the projections having an outer width corresponding with an outer width of the rudder unit; wherein the groove has an upper taper that is situated at a connecting point between the fuselage structure and the rudder unit wherein a fuselage skin comprises the aerodynamic groove which corresponds to a rudder unit profile and is skin-stressed with frames, stringers, and extends up to the upper taper of an aft fuselage section.