In the prior art, all air conditioning units for aircraft, such as helicopters and small airplanes, are air conditioned with permanently installed air conditioners. Generally these units are mounted to the mainframe and may be divided into several different modules. The various components or modules are connected via permanent hoses and electrical connections. Because of the various components and connections, these prior art systems are heavier than a single modular portable unit. Also, because these units are installed permanently, the aircraft must carry the additional weight of the air conditioner whether it is being used or not.
However, a portable unit is difficult to use in small aircraft because ducts cannot be easily installed to remove waist heat from the condenser. Generally, even if portable or semi-portable air conditioners are used the ducting must be permanent and in some instances, such as the BAK-109 used on the Beech 18 and DC-3, the airframe was permanently altered to allow for the ducting. Thus, these prior art air conditioners had to be installed when the aircraft was manufactured or as a retrofit in the factory.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable vapor cycle air conditioning unit for small aircraft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vapor cycle air conditioning unit that is easy to install and remove.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vapor cycle air conditioning unit that does not require any permanent alterations of the aircraft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vapor cycle air conditioning unit in which normal condensate within the air conditioning unit is eliminated without requiring any permanent alterations of the aircraft.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vapor cycle air conditioning unit that requires a very small space.