Patent ID: 7737898

Claim:
A line of sight antenna supported in a vertical portion of an aircraft, comprising: an aperture in an upturned terminal winglet of an aircraft wing or similar vertical member of an aircraft, the winglet or member being conductive; a supporting mechanism configured to support an antenna in the aperture; an antenna supported by the supporting mechanism and configured to remain exposed to line of sight transmissions, the antenna comprising; a shunt radiating element formed to fit within the aperture, the shunt radiating element comprising a sheet of conductive material configured to have a curved leading edge and a trailing edge including a pair of flat surfaces; and a ground strap having a first end affixed to a first end of the shunt radiating element and a second end affixed to an aircraft structure, the ground strap being configured to provide an electrical grounding path from the shunt radiating element to the aircraft structure; a coaxial connector having a ground and a feed-line, the feed-line for the coaxial connector being configured to electrically connect a second end of the shunt radiating element to an aircraft system, and the ground for the coaxial connector being electrically connected to the aircraft structure; and a non-conductive covering for the aperture.