The invention also relates to a method of using such a wing or stabilizer cover.

Further, the invention relates to a set or assembly of covers comprising a left and a right wing cover and a left and a right stabilizer cover.

Finally, the invention relates to uses of such means and methods.

Background of the invention When aircrafts are parked in the open air there exist a risk that ice and/or snow may build-up on parts of such an aircraft in adverse conditions, e. g. during the winter season, generally at temperatures below the freezing point, in hail-and/or snowstorms etc.

Such build-ups or accumulations on e. g. the wings and the stabilizers are undesirable, e. g. because they may be harmful to the aircraft but first and foremost because they are hazardous and must be removed before the aircraft can take off.

Thus, it is common practice to perform de-and/or anti-icing operations on aircrafts in adverse conditions, i. e. de-icing in order to remove a build-up of snow and/or ice and de-icing in order to prevent a build-up. Such de-or anti-icing operations involve spraying with e. g. liquids such as glycol or solutions containing glycol, possibly in heated form. Application of such anti-or de-icing solutions or materials is time- consuming and involves use of assorted apparatus, e. g. spraying equipment, lifts etc.

Further, when using such liquids that may be hazardous to the environment it is necessary to ensure that liquids, e. g. melted ice or snow mixed with anti-or de-icing solution dripping from the aircraft, are collected, e. g. due to environmental regulations etc. , and disposed of in a prescribed manner. Thus, the anti-or de-icing procedures must normally be performed at a particular location, e. g. on an airport ramp, where means are present for collecting the liquids.

Also, the use of such liquids may be hazardous to the aircraft itself and its parts, and the liquids may also be damaging to humans, thus necessitating use of special equipment and/or measures in order to avoid damage to the health of the personnel.

Thus, also for these reasons it is desirable to avoid the anti-or de-icing operations involving the use of such solutions and liquids.

It should also be noted that the task of performing an anti-or de-icing operation may be necessary not only when an aircraft is parked for a longer period of time, e. g. overnight, but also-and particularly at low temperatures and/or when it is snowing- when an aircraft is parked in-between flights, e. g. when unloading/loading, refueling etc.

As it will be understood the traditional method of performing anti-and/or de-icing is related with a number of disadvantages, such as e. g. use of substances and solutions that are potentially hanning to the environment and human health and therefore require special measures to be taken.

To avoid this it has been suggested in the prior art to use wing covers that are placed on the wings when an aircraft is parked.

US 5,611, 501 describes such an aircraft protective cover system comprising a cover sheet for each wing, each of said cover sheets configured to cover the upper surface of an aircraft wing and to extend around and under the forward edge of the wing.

This system further comprises wing straps connected to the two opposite edges of the

sheet which straps may be connected to each other underneath the wing in order to attach the sheet to the wing. Further, straps for connecting two wing cover sheets to each other under the aircraft is also provided. Also, this prior art system further comprises pockets formed at the outer end, i. e. the wing tip end in order to retain the sheet to the wing. Thus, it will be understood that each cover sheet has to be placed extending over the wing tip, that the pocket must be pulled over the wing tip, where after the cover must be dragged or pulled towards the aircraft body. Thus, it will be understood that the application of such a wing cover requires handling that may be difficult, in particular in windy conditions, and that the act of pulling of the wing cover towards the aircraft body may require considerable force, e. g. by persons situated at both sides of the wing, i. e. at the trailing edge and the leading edge.

Further, this prior art has the drawback that the trailing edge of the wing is not covered by the sheet since the sheet is only configured to extend down and under the leading edge of the wing. Further, these prior art wing covers are not designed in consideration of types of aircraft having the engines located at the wings, and generally the design does not take into account protuberating parts located at the wings.

Further, US 5,282, 587 and US 5, 340, 055 disclose similar wing cover systems comprising a cover sheet for each wing. Each sheet cover is configured to cover the upper surface of an aircraft wing and to extend around and under the leading as well as the trailing edge of the wing. Straps are provided at the opposite edges of the sheet for connecting these and thereby retain the sheet to the wing. Also, straps are provided for connecting the two cover sheets under the aircraft body. However, these prior art system have a number of drawbacks, among which is that not all part of the wing is covered and protected by the sheets. In this respect it is noted that the sheet is not configured to cover the wing tip, and further the sheet has a number of cutouts at the edges corresponding to wing protuberances such as engines. These cutouts, however, are relatively large in size and thus large parts of the wing are not protected by the sheet in the vicinity of such protuberances. Further, the application of such prior art wing sheets is associated with a considerable effort that must be delivered by the service personnel. Each wing sheet is rolled into a large roll that must be lifted

and/or dragged up on the wing in the vicinity of the aircraft body and placed in such a manner that it may be unrolled in the direction of the wing tip. Thus, the two persons placed at each edge of the wing must unroll the sheet in a synchronous manner in order to apply the sheet orderly on the wing, and possibly it may be necessary to correct the direction if for example the roll has not been placed initially with its axis perpendicularly in relation to the axis of the wing or is the sheet has not been evenly rolled up or unrolled. Such corrections may also be tiresome and time- consuming and may lead to a reduced efficiency.

A still further example of such a prior art wing cover system is described in US 5,845, 873 that relates to wing covers for wings as well as stabilizers. This prior art system also comprises sheet covers that cover the trailing edges as well as the leading edges but which do not cover the tip of the wing and therefore do not offer full protection against ice and/or snow coverings. The sheets are rolled into large rolls that are placed on the wings either at the root or at the tip of the wings and subsequently unrolled. Further, these prior art wing covers are not designed in order to take into account protuberating parts located at the wings. Therefore, similar drawbacks as described above will be present with this prior art system.

Further, it is noted that in accordance with existing rules concerning de-and anti- icing of aircrafts, a symmetrical de-icing must be performed, meaning that if for some reason it is deemed necessary to perform a de-icing operation, for example because a single spot (as little as e. g. 50 cm X 50 cm) on a wing has an ice-build-up, it is mandatory to perform a full de-icing of the complete upper surface of both wings. Thus, if the wing covers according to the abovementioned prior art documents are used, they leave an amount of surface open to ice-or snow-build-up or accumulations that in reality will render the protection inefficient, i. e. because a full de-icing must be performed when the unprotected areas are subjected to snow, ice, rain etc. in adverse conditions.

Further, GB 2 331 972 discloses an ice protection system for an aircraft that comprises an inflatable wing or stabilizer envelopment that can enclose the wing or

the complete tailplane of the aircraft as well as engine (s) mounted on the wing. This system also comprises a means for supplying warm air into this envelopment in order to perform a de-icing. Thus, it will be understood that it will be time-consuming to apply such a system to a large aircraft and further it will not be economically feasible to apply such a system for protection of critical surfaces of an aircraft, e. g. the wings because of the necessary manpower that must be used for pulling the envelopment over the wing and because an substantial amount of energy must be used for supplying the necessary warm air.

Thus, it is an objective of the invention to provide a protection system for aircraft by means of which an effective protection against ice and/or snow accumulations, coverings and/or build-ups is achieved.

It is in particular an objective of the present invention to provide such a system which is suitable for relatively large aircrafts as well as smaller aircrafts.

Further, it is an objective of the present invention to provide such a system, which is easy to handle and which may be donned in a fast and reliable manner.

Still further, it is an objective of the present invention to provide such a system, which is easy to remove in a fast and reliable manner.

Also, it is an objective of the invention to provide a protection system for aircraft by means of which the drawbacks related to the prior art systems are avoided.

In particular, it is an objective to provide such a protection system by means of which the use of conventional de-or anti-icing liquids and solutions are avoided.

A further objective of the invention is to present advantageous uses for such a method and/or such a system.

These and other objectives are achieved by the invention as explained in the following.

Summary of the invention The invention relates to means of providing covering for parts of an aircraft and in particular wings or stabilizers of an aircraft, said means comprising a flexible cover wherein said cover - is designed to cover a wing or stabilizer in such a manner that an upper surface, a leading and a trailing edge of said wing or stabilizer is substantially covered as well as a tip of the wing, - is configured with adaptations for one or more protruding parts of the wing or stabilizer, e. g. fairings, static dischargers etc. , and said cover comprises means for attachment to said wing or stabilizer.

Hereby a full protection is provided for the parts susceptible to ice-and/or snow build-ups, e. g. a protection that is virtually 100 % complete. Since a full protection of the critical parts is provided, it will not be necessary to perform any supplementary protection and further the need for performing a full de-icing in case a small area has been subjected to snow or ice accumulations is avoided.

Since the cover is provided with adaptations for protruding parts, the sheet of the cover will cover also critical surfaces in the vicinity of such protruding parts. This may be effected by having the cover sheet being adapted in such manner that the edge of the sheet abuts the part in question or the sheet may be adapted to cover a region of the part in question, depending on the nature or the protruding part in question.

Preferably, as specified in claim 2, said cover may be designed with such a shape and form that perimeter parts of the cover may cover the lower part of said wing, said perimeter parts having a width of 5-50 cm, preferably 10-30 cm and in a more preferred form 15-20 cm.

Hereby it is achieved that a protection of all edges as well as any critical regions in the vicinity of the edges will be ensured and simultaneously it is achieved that the cover sheet will be withheld to the e. g. wing. Further, the size of the sheet will be limited to an optimal size, thereby reducing cost and weight of the wing cover.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 3, said means for attachment to said wing or stabilizer may comprise at least a strap for connecting a leading edge part of said cover with a trailing edge part of said cover.

Hereby it is achieved that the sheet is fastened to the e. g. wing in an expedient manner and simultaneously it is achieved that the folded-down edges of the cover is maintained in a position immediately below the wing or stabilizer. Thus, the edges and the cover will be held securely even in windy conditions.

In a preferred embodiment, as specified in claim 4, said means for attachment to said wing or stabilizer may comprise means for strapping said perimeter parts of the cover, e. g. straps for attaching two perimeter regions to each other.

Hereby an even further reliable fastening of the cover is achieved since separate edge regions, e. g. a trailing edge and a wing tip region or a leading edge and a wing tip region, may be connected to each other and even tightened together. Thus, the folded-down edges may form a rim extending along the edge of the wing or stabilizer and prohibiting that the cover may be lifted or removed, e. g. by the wind.

In a further preferred embodiment, as specified in claim 5, said adaptations may comprise cutouts in perimeter parts of said cover, said cutouts corresponding to the shape and size of the protruding parts.

Said cutouts may be in the form of incisions in the edge or in the form of holes in he edge part. Ill any circumstances it will be understood that the edges of the cutout may be reinforced, e. g. by stitching, ribbons attached to the edges, e. g. by gluing, welding, sewing etc.

In this respect it is noted that any suitable process may be used for shaping and forming the sheets in general according to the invention, e. g. by gluing, welding, sewing etc.

Preferably, as specified in claim 6, said adaptations may comprise cutouts in perimeter parts of said cover and said means may comprise separate covering means for covering part of said cutouts after the cover has been applied.

Hereby it is achieved that the cutouts may be made having a shape and size larger than the corresponding protruding part, whereby the effort involved when placing the sheet over the protruding part may be reduced since the part need not be guided through an e. g. hole in the sheet. When the sheet is placed, it will be understood that a surface area neighboring the part will not be protected. However, this area may be covered afterwards by the separate covering that may for example be in the form of a flap that is attached to the wing cover along an edge of the hole and that may be folded down afterwards to cover the area. Such a flap may be fastened by means of straps or similar means. Preferably, it may be fastened by means of binders such as e. g. Velcro binders whereby the flaps may be fastened and released quickly and expediently.

Further, it will be understood that one or more separate parts, e. g. flaps, may be provided for each cutout in order to achieve a desired protection.

Further, as specified in claim 7, said separate covering means may comprise adjustable fastening means.

Hereby the separate parts may be secured in such a manner that an optimal protection of the area in question may be achieved.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 8, said cover may comprise indications on at least one side for facilitating folding and/or rolling of said cover into a storage and transport form.

Hereby it is achieved that the cover may quickly and expediently be folded and/or rolled-up in a manner that allows the sheet to be placed on the wing or stabilizer on a predetermined location, simply unrolled and/or unfolded, whereby the sheet will automatically be placed in the right location in relation to the wing tip and wing root, and further the various adaptations, cutouts etc. will immediately be fitted to the protuberating parts etc.

For example, said indications may comprise a marking at one end, where the rolling or folding of the sheet is initiated, and the width of each fold may be indicated by e. g. lines. Further, the place, where the folding into a roll has to be stopped, may also be indicated, and the further folding, e. g. a zigzag folding may be indicated here.

Thus, the worker that has to fold the sheet for storing or use will be guided through the process and may immediately perform the operation correctly even though he may not be familiar with the system. Thus, the time needed for operating the system according to the invention is significantly reduced and possible faults, e. g. wrongly folded covers, are prohibited.

The inventions also pertains to a method for applying a wing or stabilizer cover according to one or more of claims 1-8 which method is characterized in that said wing cover is stored in a folded form, that said folded form is placed on a part of said wing, that a first part of said folded form is unfolded according to a first folding form and that a second part of said folded form is unfolded according to a second folding form.

By this method it is achieved that the time and effort necessary for applying a cover is significantly reduced since it will not be necessary to unroll or unfold a relatively large and heavy roll of sheet material, which is of particular importance in connection with relatively large types of aircrafts. Further, it is achieved that when the sheet is unfolded/unrolled, it will immediately be positioned correctly in relation to the wing or the stabilizer, since the roll of sheet may be placed on a predetermined part of the e. g. wing.

Preferably, as specified in claim 10, said first folding form may be folding in a zigzag-manner. Hereby it is achieved that said first part may readily be unfolded and extended along the e. g. wing to the root of the wing while the rest of the sheet, i. e. the second part, need not be manipulated, e. g. rolled, lifted, dragged etc. Thus, an expedient unfolding of this part is achieved.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 11, said second folding form may be folding in a zigzag-manner. Hereby it is achieved that said second part can readily be rolled out towards e. g. the tip of the wing, which may be performed without major effort since a substantial part of the sheet cover has already been placed on the surface.

In a particular preferred form as specified in claim 12, said wing or stabilizer cover may be stored in a folded and rolled-up form and initially said folded and rolled-up fonn may be placed on an upper surface of said wing or stabilizer, said cover may be rolled in a transverse direction of said wing or stabilizer, and subsequently said cover may be unfolded according to said first folding form and said second folding form in an axial direction of the wing or stabilizer.

Hereby it is achieved that the sheet initially will be in the form of a very compact bundle or package that may be placed on the e. g. wing by one person only, for example on the trailing or leading edge of the e. g. wing. Afterwards, the package or bundle may now simply be unfolded or unrolled across the e. g. wing, for example by pulling by means of a strip or the like. Thus, it will not be necessary for any person to enter e. g. the wing which is preferable e. g. in consideration of normal rules

relating to work processes in relation to aircrafts. After this the sheet may be unfolded in the axial direction of e. g. the wing as already described above.

Further, the invention relates to a set of covers comprising a left and a right wing cover and a left and a right stabilizer cover, wherein said covers are designed and dedicated for use in connection with a particular type and make of aircraft.

Hereby it is achieved that a protection may readily be provided for an aircraft by means of such a set or assembly of covers. It will be understood that in consideration of what has been explained above, the covers in accordance with the invention will be designed specifically to a particular type and make of aircraft in order to achieve the necessary protection, e. g. the 100% fitting of the sheets to the wings and stabilizers. Thus, such a set is normally destined for one type of aircraft only.

However, the make of type of arriving aircrafts will be known in advance and a corresponding set of covers can be at hand also in advance. As explained above, such a designated set of covers can be applied quickly and expediently owing to the fact that the set in question is designed specifically to the type of aircraft.

Preferably, as specified in claim 14, said covers may be laid-out in accordance with one or more of claims 1 to 8.

Finally, the invention relates to use of means according to one or more of claim 1-8 and/or a method according to one or more of claims 9-11 for protecting wings and/or stabilizers of aircrafts against ice and/or snow build-ups.

Hereby it is achieved that protection of aircrafts against hazardous accumulations can be provided without using the conventional costly and environmentally unsafe methods of applying de-or anti-icing liquids or solutions. Further, in accordance with the invention, a reliable and full protection against such accumulations of ice and/or snow is achieved, and the necessity of performing supplementary operations using e. g. conventional de-or anti-icing liquids or solutions is avoided.

The figures The invention will be explained in further detail below with reference to the figures of which fig. 1 shows in general and in a perspective view a front part of an aircraft, fig. 2 is the aircraft shown in fig. 1 but provided with a wing cover according to an embodiment of the invention, fig. 3 shows an aircraft wing seen from below with a wing sheet cover according to an embodiment of the invention placed on the upper side of the wing, fig. 4 shows an outermost part of a wing with a wing cover according to a further embodiment of the invention seen from a direction below the wing, fig. 5 illustrates a preferred method of applying a sheet in accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention, figs. 6-9 illustrate a method of applying a wing cover according to such an embodiment of the invention in connection with an aircraft as shown in fig. 1, fig. 10 shows correspondingly a method of removing such a wing cover, fig. 11 shows another type of aircraft seen from above, and fig. 12 shows the aircraft illustrated in fig, 11, which has been provided with a set of coverings for wings as well as the horizontal stabilizers.

Detailed description Fig. 1 shows in a schematic manner and in a perspective view a front part of an aircraft generally designated 1. Thus, the aircraft body generally designated 2 and the left wing generally designated 4 is illustrated in this figure. The wing 4 comprises in general a leading edge 5, a trailing edge 6, a wing tip 8 and a root part 9 adjacent the aircraft body 2. The illustrated aircraft is of a type comprising an engine 10 mounted below the wing 4 and in relation to the engine 10 a number of fairings 11 are situated

at the trailing edge 6 of the wing, protruding backwards. Further, a number of static dischargers 14 are located at the trailing edge 6 and such static dischargers may also be placed at other locations, e. g. at the wing tip 8 (not shown in fig. 1). As shown, further protuberances may be present such as for example indicator light arrangements 12 at the wing tip etc.

A wing cover in accordance with an embodiment of the invention for such an aircraft is illustrated in fig. 2, showing an aircraft 1 in the same manner as in fig 1. A sheet cover generally designated 20 has been applied to the wing 4. As illustrated this wing cover 20 covers essentially all part of the upper surface of the wing 4 as well as the trailing 6 and leading edge 5 and the wing tip 8. Further, the wing cover extends to the aircraft body 2 and also covers the upper surface of the wing abutting the aircraft body 9. In order to achieve such a covering of these parts and in particular all part of the upper surface the wing cover is designed particularly for the type of aircraft in question and it will be understood that a number of different sets of wing covers may be utilized, each set corresponding to a particular type, e. g. make and type of aircraft.

The particular design of the wing cover comprises a shape and size suitable for covering the upper surface and the edges, as it will be explained in further detail later on. Further, cutouts and/or adaptations are comprised in the design of the wing cover in order to achieve the necessary coverage in accordance with the invention. For example, cutouts 21 are made for the static dischargers 14 and a cutout 22 is made for the indication light arrangement 12 and possibly an adjacent static discharger 14 as illustrated in fig. 2. Further, adaptations are present in the area of the engine 10 and the fairings 11, which will be explained in further detail below.

Also it is indicated in fig. 2 that the wing cover 20 when not in use may be stored in a rolled-up and/or folded fashion, i. e. illustrated by the (punctuated) folding lines 25.

In accordance with a particular advantageous aspect of the invention the wing covers are rolled and folded in a particularly advantageous manner which will also be described below.

It will be understood that the wing covers according to the invention may be fastened to the wings by means of straps etc. that are fastened under the wing and that further straps may connect two wing covers on an aircraft, for example connected under the aircraft body.

Fig. 3 shows an aircraft wing 4 seen from below with a wing sheet cover 20 according to an embodiment of the invention placed on the upper side of the wing 4.

Thus, fig. 3 shows in a schematic manner the underside of the wing 4 connected at the root 9 to the aircraft body 2 and carrying a schematically illustrated engine 10.

The sheet cover 20 has a size allowing parts to be folded down under the wing, e. g. an elongated part 26 running along the leading edge 5 of the wing, an elongated part 27 running along the trailing edge 6 of the wing and a part 28 located at the tip 8 of the wing. These fold-down, edge or perimeter parts of the sheet cover 20 have a width suitable for covering the edge and extending a certain distance on the underside of the wing. Such a distance may be for example 5 to 50 cm or in a more precise form 10 to 30 cm. In a more preferred form the covers have such a size that the edges extend a distance of 15 to 20 cm on the lower side of the wings. As illustrated these parts 26,27 and 28 form an essentially unbroken perimeter for the sheet 20 apart from at the root part 9 of the wing and at places where parts protrude from the wing and where certain modifications are present as explained in the following.

As explained above the sheet 20 has cutouts at the places where protruding parts such as static dischargers 14, indication lights 12 etc. are located. In fig. 3 static dischargers 14 are illustrated at the trailing edge 6 as well as at the tip 8 of the wing and as shown at these places holes 21 are made in the edge parts 27 and 28 of the sheet. It will be understood that if the edge or perimeter parts of the sheet have a sufficiently large size, these holes may be made simply by cutting and possibly reinforcing the rim, since the static dischargers may pass through these holes when the edge parts are folded down. However, if this is not the case, the cutouts may extend to the edge of the sheet 20 and after folding down of the edge parts a fastening of these may be performed in a manner which will be described later on.

Further, a cutout 22 is present at the location of the indicator light arrangement 12 and at the location of the engine (or engines, if more that one engine is mounted at each wing) suitable adaptations 23 and 24 have been made in order to allow the sheet material to make a close fit to the fairings, cowlings etc. Still further, cutouts 29, e. g. wedge-shaped cutouts may be present at places where the curvature of the perimeter is large, e. g. as illustrated in fig. 3, where such cutouts may facilitate the folding of the perimeter parts.

As described above the sheet 20 may be fastened by means of straps, and such fastening means are illustrated in fig. 3 in the from of straps 30 and 31 connected to the trailing edge 27 of the sheet and to the leading edge 26 of the sheet at opposite locations. Preferably, the straps at the leading edge are substantially longer than the straps at the trailing edge which may facilitate the removal of the wing covers which will be explained below. Further, it is noted that the set of straps 31 located near the root part 9 may serve as connection and fastening to the wing cover placed at the opposite wing, e : g. the straps may cross below the aircraft body 2 and for example the strap 31 from the leading edge of the left-hand wing may be connected to the strap at the trailing edge of the right-hand wing and vice versa.

The fastening of the wing cover sheet 20 to the wing and further details relating to the covering of parts of the wing in the vicinity of protruding parts according to a further embodiment of the invention are illustrated in fig. 4 that shows the outermost part of a wing 4 seen from a direction below the wing. The sheet has been placed on the upper surface of the wing 4 and the leading edge part 26, the trailing edge part 27 and the wing tip part 28 of the sheet have been folded down and under the wing 4 as illustrated. The leading edge part 26 and the trailing edge part 27 have been connected with straps 30 that have been connected using a commonly known attachment means 32 that allows the straps to be tightened and held securely. As shown, the trailing edge part 27 of the sheet may comprise a flap 33 for protecting the surface of the wing against possible damage that may be done by the attachment means 32. The strap 30 connected to the leading edge part 26 may preferably have a length that allows it, when released, to be thrown up over the wing 4 whereby a

person may grab it at the trailing edge and use it for peeling the sheet off the wing, when the wing cover has to be removed. Further, it is noted in this connection that the straps, in particular the free ends 46 of these may be provided with markings, e. g. colors, numbers, letters and/or words for explaining and facilitating the use of the wing cover according to the invention.

Further strapping means 34 that may be designed similarly to the strapping means 30,32 and 33, are provided for fastening the wing tip edge part 28 of the sheet to the trailing edge part 27 of the sheet and for securing the sheet in close proximity to the upper surface of the wing and the edges also at the part of the wing where these edges meet.

The wing part shown in fig. 4 has a static discharger 14 located at the wing tip and two dischargers 14 located near each other at the trailing edge of the wing 4. The sheet is at these places provided with relatively large openings that allow the sheet to be applied relatively easy and without danger of damaging the static dischargers 14 or other protruding parts. When the sheet is placed on the wing with the protruding parts, e. g. the static dischargers sticking out of the openings, the surface of the wing in the vicinity of these parts may be covered with e. g. flaps.

Such flaps and their function are shown in fig. 4. In the region of the static discharger at the wing tip two such flaps 41 are illustrated, one on each side of the discharger 14. These flaps may be connected along one edge of the flap to the sheet by sewing, gluing or other commonly used methods known in the field. They are folded down and fastened to the edge part 28 by means of e. g. straps or preferably by means of Velcro-binders as illustrated by the strip of Velcro 43 attached to the edge part 28.

Similarly applies for the wing cover area in the vicinity of the static dischargers 14 located at the trailing edge of the wing. Since these two dischargers are located near each other, a common opening has been provided here, and consequently three flaps 42 have been provided in order to cover the free surface of the wing 4. In a similar manner these flaps 42 are secured by means of fasteners, for example in the form of Velcro binders as indicated by the Velcro strip 44.

Fig. 5 illustrates a method of applying a sheet cover to a wing in accordance with a further aspect of the invention. The sheet for a wing may be stored in the form of a bundle or roll 50 that may have a length corresponding to the width of the wing cover or that may further be folded or rolled-up in the longitudinal direction of the roll. As shown in fig. 5a the roll or bundle 50 comprises two separate parts 51 and 52 that are folded or rolled in different manners. The first part 51 is folded in a zigzag- manner as illustrated and the second part 52 is simply rolled up in a normal manner.

When applying such a roll or bundle to a wing, the roll 50 is placed on the upper side of the wing in a transverse direction, normally with both ends extending over the edges of the wing, which will be explained in further detail below. The location is predetermined, corresponding to the lengths of sheet comprised in each of the two parts 51 and 52, and may be marked in a suitable manner. For instance, the bundle or the rolled up sheet may have a marking corresponding to a mark on the wing. First, the first part 51 is unfolded, for example towards the root of the wing. This may advantageous be done by pulling at the innermost set of straps 31 (cf. fig. 3), whereby two persons, one at each edge of the wing, may unfold the first part of the sheet as illustrated in fig. 5b, until the sheet 20 lays uniformly on the wing and covers the wing to the root 9. During or after this process, this part of the sheet may be fastened to the wing, e. g. by means of straps etc.. Hereafter the second part 52 may be unrolled, e. g. towards the tip of the wing as illustrated in fig. 5c.

The method of applying a wing cover is further illustrated in figs. 6 to 9 that show an aircraft in the same manner as in fig. 1. In fig. 6 a cover for a wing is in the form of a rolled-up bundle or package 50, e. g. a sheet that has been folded and rolled up as explained above and which has further been rolled in the longitudinal direction on a length of pipe 53 as indicated. Further, a length of strip, wire or the like 54 has been led through the pipe 54. The bundle or package 50 is placed on the appropriate and predetermined location on the wing 4 in the form illustrated in fig. 6, e. g. also including the strip 54 that may be located appropriately on or in the package 50, ready to be released. The package 50 may be placed by a person using e. g. a lifting device as explained further below, and the package may be placed on the wing either

at the front part as shown or on the rear part, depending on the type of aircraft. If the wing of the aircraft inclines to the rear when parked, it is preferable to place the package at the front since this will facilitate the unrolling across the wing 4. The opposite will be the case if the aircraft is of a type having a wing that inclines to the front when parked. The ends of the strip 54 may now be thrown across the wing and the package or bundle 50 may now be unrolled across the wing by simply pulling both ends of the strip 54 as indicated by the arrow. This may be done by a worker situated at the other edge of the wing, e. g. in a lift or the like.

Thus, the wing cover package generally designated 50 has now been placed on the upper side of the wing 4 as shown in fig. 7, extending transversely to the wing and with the first folded part 51 of the wing cover facing upwards and the second rolled- up part 52 facing downwards. As explained above, the exact location for placing the wing cover package may be indicated on the upper or outer side of the package 50 that also may comprise markings relating to the correct position, e. g. "This side up", "This end to the rear"etc, whereby the package 50 may readily be placed in such a manner that the unfolding of the first part readily may be performed towards the root part 9 and whereby the length of the sheet in the first part 51 will match the distance to the root part 9. This is of further importance since it will be understood that if the package 50 has been placed in the wrong direction, i. e. with the end which is intended for the rear side of the wing pointing in the forward direction, it may well be possible to unfold the first part 51 towards the root 9, even though the intended upper side of the sheet in this case will be pointing downwards, but here after it will not be possible (or only possible with major difficulty) to unroll the second part 52 towards the wing tip, which will be understood from fig. 5c. If the sheet 20 has been store in the form of a rolled-up package 50 as shown in fig. 6, it will only be necessary to mark this with the wing (left or right), with the location (rear/trailing or front/leading) and the type of aircraft for assuring that the cover is unfolded/unrolled correctly.

Since the wing cover system according to the invention is particularly suitable for larger aircrafts, e. g. medium to large size passenger and/or cargo aircrafts, it will be

understood that the distance from ground level to the wings may require some sort of equipment for the personnel in order to be able to handle the sheet covers as mentioned above. This is illustrated in fig. 8, which corresponds to fig. 7, but where two workers 56 are shown placed at the leading edge 5 and the trailing edge 6 of the wing. Each person 56 is placed in a lift, platform or the like 58 that may be mounted on a mobile lifting device generally designated 55. Such a lifting device may be of a type normally used as work equipment, e. g. also in the airport environment. It will be understood that the lift, platform or basket 58 may be controlled by the person 56 located in the lift. Further, it will be understood that a wide variety of lifting devices may be used for this purpose in connection with the present invention.

As previously explained the wing cover package or bundle may be rolled-up as explained in connection with fig. 6 or folded also in the longitudinal direction, e. g. once, twice or more, when stored, and thus even wing covers for relatively large wings may be handled by one person. In this respect it should be noted that the sheet material used for wing covers in accordance with the invention may be of such a type that the weight of a wing cover will normally not exceed app. 40 kg. , e. g. a weight that may be handled by one person alone. One of the persons 56 shown in fig. 8 may lift such a wing cover roll or package 50 onto the wing 4 using the lifting device 55 and letting it unroll in the longitudinal direction across the wing towards the other person 56 illustrated in fig. 8. Preferably, the sheet is in the form of a rolled-up package as explained in connection with fig. 6, but it will be understood that instead straps (shown in figs. 3 and 4, e. g. the straps 31) may possibly be used for pulling a folded-up sheet cover across the wing, e. g. by the person 56 located at the leading edge 5 of the wing. After this, the wing cover may be handled by the two persons 56, each one attending to one end of the package 50 and/or one edge of the sheet 20.

As illustrated in fig. 5b, the first part 51 of the wing cover may now be unfolded towards the root 9 of the wing, e. g. as the two persons 56 pull the sheet in this direction. Advantageously, they may use the innermost set of straps 31 (fig. 3) for pulling. During this process they may control the lift platforms 58 and/or the lifting devices 55 towards the aircraft body. Further, it will be understood that the edges of

the sheet may be folded down when this part of the sheet is unfolded and that straps 30 and 31 may be connected to each other and tightened to fasten this part of the sheet to the wing as illustrated in fig. 9. Here the unfolded part of the sheet 20 is shown with the folding creases or lines 25 indicated. It will be understood that the edges have been folded down and that straps etc. have been fastened, possibly after minor corrections of the location of the sheet 20 in consideration of the cutouts and/or adaptations in relation to the engine 10 and the fairings 11 etc.

In fig. 9 the work persons 56 have moved their lift platforms 58 and/or the lift devices 55 to the other side of the rolled-up sheet 51. They are now ready to start unrolling this part of the sheet 20 in the direction of the arrow, i. e. towards the wing tip 8, while moving in this direction. When this part has been unrolled, as shown in fig. 2, the edges may be folded down while taking care of protruding parts as explained in connection with figs. 3 and 4. It will be understood that the folding- down of the edges may be done gradually while unfolding or unrolling the sheet.

Further, the straps may be fastened while working towards the wing tip or they may be fastened when all parts of the sheets have been donned. Finally, flaps etc. on the sheet may be positioned and tightened and further strapping arrangements may also be fastened and/or tightened, e. g. for securing the edge of the sheet at the trailing and/or leading part to the edge at the wing tip as previously explained in connection with fig. 4.

When using this method and through use of the described manner of providing the folded/rolled-up sheet cover, it is not necessary to lift the sheet package when it has been placed on the wing. Neither is it necessary to roll a heavy roll of sheet along the wing as disclosed in the prior art documents. Therefore it will be understood that even when a wing cover for a relatively large aircraft is concerned, the handling of the sheet will be relatively easy, straightforward and quick. Further the sheet will be located in the right position immediately, e. g. in relation to protuberating parts, and thus time-and effort-consuming corrective operations are avoided.

In accordance with the invention the stabilizers of an aircraft may also be provided with covers designed in a similar manner, i. e. with a shape and size corresponding exactly to a particular type of aircraft and with edges for folding down under the stabilizers. It will thus also be understood that cutouts and adaptations may be present in a similar manner to what has been described above in order to achieve a virtually 100% protection of the upward facing surfaces against ice and/or snow build-ups etc. Further, means for fastening the covers to the stabilizers are also present, e. g. in the form of straps for fastening and tightening of the leading edge to the trailing edges and possibly also to a tip edge. Straps for connecting the stabilizer cover on one side of an aircraft to the stabilizer on the other side may also be provided as with the wing covers. Since the stabilizers are relatively small, the sheets may be rolled up in the normal manner and may be unrolled either from the tip towards the root or vice versa.

When the covers according to the invention have to be removed, this has to be done as close to departure time as possible in order to avoid that any ice and/or snow build-up occurs. Thus, it is also essential that the removal is effected quickly and efficiently. Such a removal procedure is illustrated in fig. 10 that shows an aircraft corresponding to figs. 2 and 6 to 9, e. g. outfitted with a wing cover 20. Initially, all straps and flaps etc. are released, which may also be done using available lifting equipment etc. as shown in figs. 8 and 9. Thus, edges of the sheet are released as indicated by the wing tip edge 28 of the sheet hanging downwards. Further, the edges may possibly be freed from any protuberating parts such as static dischargers etc.

When this has been done, the sheet is pulled or peeled down, either to the rear as shown in fig. 10 or to the front of the wing or the stabilizer, depending on the particular make and type of aircraft. This is determined beforehand in consideration of e. g. the inclination of the wings and the stabilizers since it is preferred to pull the sheet in the direction of the inclination. Thus, this may also be marked on the sheet cover and particularly on the ends of the straps etc. For example, if a particular type of aircraft has wings that are inclined to the rear, the straps 30 and 31 connected to the leading edge of the cover sheet may have a length allowing them to be thrown over the wing and towards the trailing edge where they can be grabbed and used for

pulling or peeling down the cover sheet. Thus, the length itself may indicate to the user in which direction the sheet is to be pulled down, or the end of the strap may be provided with a marking such as"For removal"or the like. As shown in fig. 10, the sheet may be pulled down beginning at one end, e. g. at the wing tip as indicated or at the root 9. It may be preferable, though, that the peeling of the sheet is performed essentially uniformly along the wing as also indicated in fig. 10, e. g. in order to achieve that the sheet is removed in an orderly and expedient manner.

In order to effect a quick removal, the covers are pulled or peeled down on e. g. carts or the like and are transported to a suitable place where they may hang for drying before being folded and/or rolled-up in accordance with the method according to the invention.

To facilitate the folding/rolling up, the sheet may preferably be provided with markings for indicating the length that must be rolled-up and/or the length that must be folded. Further, the type of folding/rolling may be indicated on the particular parts of the sheet, possibly also including the width of each folding.

Fig. 11 shows another type of aircraft 1 seen from above, e. g. also showing the tail part of the aircraft with the horizontal stabilizers 60 with elevators etc. 66. Further, various flaps on the wings 4, e. g. the outboard flaps 64 are indicated in this figure. In fig. 12 such an aircraft is shown equipped with a complete set of coverings, e. g. wing covers 20 for both wings 5 and covers 62 for the stabilizers 60. These covers are as explained above designed specifically for the type of aircraft in question, e. g. with a size and shape corresponding to the wings and stabilizers, with adaptations allowing a 100% (or virtually 10%) compliance with the protuberating parts such as engines 10, fairings 11, light arrangements 12 etc. , with necessary markings etc. allowing a quick and flawless operation and with appropriate fastening means that secures the covers to the wings and stabilizers in a manner not allowing any disturbance of the protection, e. g. in windy or stormy conditions.

Suitable sheet material for covers in accordance with the invention will preferably be made of a material that is impervious to water, moist etc. and that has strength characteristics, e. g. high tear strength, assuring that any normal handling and use can be performed without tearing etc. of the material.

A sheet material having a weight of 660g/m2, a tensile strength in a range of 2500 N/5cm to 3500 N/5cm and a tongue tear strength in a range of 350 N to 800 N may for example be used in accordance with the invention.

Further, since quick and efficient handling is of major importance, it is essential that the sheet is flexible and is easy to handle also at low temperatures, e. g. below freezing point and as low as 20-30° Celcius. Thus, it is a requirement that the sheet material fulfils these requirements, e. g. in regard to flexibility, viscosity etc. in a large temperature interval, e. g. a range from-30° C to + 30 C. Hereby, it is also achieved that a perfect fit of the sheet to the wings and stabilizers are achieved since the sheet may be adapted to the shapes of the wings and stabilizers also at low temperatures.

Further on, it should be noted that it is preferable that at least the surface of the sheet facing downwards has a smooth surface characteristic and a low friction since this enhances the operation speed, e. g. reduces removal times etc. , and further enhances reliability since the sheet will easily slide over protruding parts, thereby also avoiding tearing of the sheet.

The sheet may be made of PVC or any other suitable material, e. g. synthetic material. Further, the sheet may be reinforced using any suitable reinforcing material, e. g. fibers, web, woven material, etc. , which will be evident to a person skilled in the art. Further on, it is noted that the sheet material preferably may be of a type that may easily be repaired, e. g. by welding, gluing etc. of patches if tearing should occur.

Also it is noted that the material for the sheet is selected in consideration of a long operative life, e. g. preferably 10 years. Also the resistance to aging when being

subjected to light, e. g. UV-light is of importance in relation to the material selected for the covers according to the invention.

The invention has been described above with reference to specific examples as shown in the drawings. It will be understood, however, that the covers according to the invention may be designed in numerous different manners, using different materials and equipment within the scope of the claims, which will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

List of references Aircraft 2 Aircraft body 4 Wing 5 Leading edge of wing 6 Trailing edge of wing 8 Tip of wing 9 Root of wing 10 Aircraft engine 11 Fairing 12 Indicator light arrangement 14 Static discharger 20 Wing sheet cover 21 Cutout for static discharger 22 Cutout for indicator light arrangement 23,24 Adaptations for engine, fairings etc.

25 Folding line 26 Leading edge part of sheet 27 Trailing edge part of sheet 28 Wing tip part of sheet 29 Cutouts 30,31 Straps 32 Attachment means for straps 34 Strapping means 41,42 Flaps at the sheet 43,44 Binders, Velcro-binders 50 Roll of sheet, bundle or package 51 First part of roll 52 Second part of roll 53 Pipe or the like 54 Strip, wire or the like

55 Lifting device 56 Work person 58 Lift, platform, basket or the like 60 Horizontal stabilizer 62 Cover for stabilizer 64 Flap on wing 66 Elevator on stabilizer