CONTROL SURFACE CONTINUOUS SEAL

A continuous skin and seal airfoil comprises a rigid structural wing box located centrally chordwise and extending spanwise and including a spanwise extending spar, an upper skin surface and a lower skin surface. Upper and lower control surfaces are pivotally mounted on the spar for movement about a spanwise extending axis between an elevated position and a lowered position and includes an upper skin surface. In similar fashion, a lower control surface is pivotally mounted on the wing box for movement about a spanwise extending axis between an elevated position and a lowered position and includes a lower skin surface. An upper seal member extends spanwise and is fixed to both the wing box and to the upper control surface. Similarly, a lower seal member extends spanwise and is fixed to both the wing box and to the lower control surface. Actuators move the control surfaces between an elevated position and a lowered position. Positioners maintain the upper and lower seals in a substantially zero tension state as the upper and lower control surfaces are moved between the elevated and the lowered positions. The positioners include an extensible upper positioner extending between and pivotally mounted to the spar and to the upper control surface, respectively, and an extensible lower positioner extending between and pivotally mounted to the spar and to the lower control surface, respectively.