Patent ID: 7039978

Claim:
A passenger loading bridge for servicing an aircraft having a rear doorway aft of or over a wing, comprising: a first passageway member pivotally coupled at an inboard end thereof to a rotunda and supported close to an outboard end thereof by a ground support member; a telescopic passageway member having an inboard end and an outboard end and including at least two passageway elements, one that is telescopically received within the other such that a distance between the inboard end and the outboard end of the telescopic passageway member is variable, the telescopic passageway member for being supported in a cantilever-like fashion such that the telescopic passageway member is moveable over the wing of the aircraft; a flexible connection disposed for pivotally coupling the outboard end of the first passageway member and the inboard end of the telescopic passageway member, and for supporting a vertical swinging motion of the outboard end of the telescopic passageway member relative to the first passageway member; an adjustable support mechanism mounted at a first end thereof to a surface of the first passageway member and mounted at a second opposite end thereof to a surface of the telescopic passageway member, for vertically swinging the telescopic passageway member relative to the first passageway member in a controllable manner; an actuator coupled to the adjustable support mechanism, for driving the adjustable support mechanism so as to vertically swing the telescopic passageway member relative to the first passageway member in the controllable manner; and, an electrical controller in communication with the actuator for providing a control signal to the actuator, the control signal for use by the actuator to controllably vary the angle between the first passageway member and the telescopic passageway member about the flexible connection.