Patent ID: 8371530

Claim:
An aircraft comprising: (a) a rear composite fuselage ( 25 ) comprising a plurality of supports ( 23 ); (b) a tail absorber detachably mounted to the rear composite fuselage ( 25 ) for conducting tail impact tests on the aircraft, and (c) a shield ( 11 ) formed by a plurality of pieces ( 21 ) having a laminar structure comprising an outer steel sheet ( 13 ), an inner composite sheet ( 17 ) and an intermediate high heat resistant silicon sheet ( 15 ), the shield being detachably joined to the supports of the rear composite fuselage and being disposed behind the tail absorber so as selectively to protect an area of the rear composite fuselage behind the tail absorber from objects, sparks and flames released by the tail absorber upon impact with a runway during takeoff of the aircraft without affecting aerodynamics of the aircraft or accessibility to doors of the aircraft during the tail impact tests.