Abstract

A canard wing surface for aircraft, especially supersonic aircraft, which can be lowered and retracted flush into the fuselage of the aircraft when no longer needed. The canard is hinged to an extendible platform at or near its upper edge, so that a raising mechanism on the platform can raise the canard from a position integral with the skin of the fuselage to a fully extended position as a curved wing. The platform is extended to allow the canard to clear the fuselage, and may be rotated to adjust the angle of attack of the canard from nearly flat, for the transition to high-speed flight, to a range of low-to-medium angles of attack when used as a lift surface during takeoff and landing, to nearly vertical for use as a speed brake during the landing roll. If desired, multiple canard surfaces can be used on an aircraft, arranged along the fuselage.