Patent ID: 7559505

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: means for biasing a first airfoil of a vehicle toward a fully deployed position; means for restraining the first airfoil in a stowed position; means for releasing the first airfoil from the stowed position; means for restraining the first airfoil in a partially deployed position; means for releasing the first airfoil from the partially deployed position; and means for damping rotational oscillations in the first airfoil; wherein the means for restraining the first airfoil in the partially deployed position comprises a second tether operably associated with the first airfoil and operably associated with one of a second airfoil and a body of the vehicle, the second tether comprising a cable and a fitting disposed proximate an end of the cable; and wherein the means for damping rotational oscillations in the first airfoil comprises an elastic tube disposed about the cable and abutting the fitting.