Mechanically-distributed propulsion drivetrain and architecture

An aerial vehicle comprising:

• a fuselage having a forward end and an aft end;
• a wing set operatively coupled to said fuselage;
• an empennage at the aft end of said fuselage, the empennage having a plurality of flight control surfaces;
• a propulsor fan integrated at the aft end of said fuselage, the aft end of said fuselage being shaped with a geometry to direct a boundary layer flowing over the fuselage to the propulsor fan;
• an engine positioned within the fuselage to generate a mechanical drive power wherein the engine is configured to expel exhaust toward the forward end;
• and
• a direction-reversing transmission to receive the mechanical drive power from the engine and to redirect the mechanical drive power from a first direction to face a second direction.

A method of operating an aircraft having a mechanically-distributed propulsion system, the method comprising:

• generating a mechanical drive power using an engine, wherein the engine is configured to expel exhaust toward a forward end of the aircraft;
• receiving the mechanical drive power from the engine via a drive shaft;
• receiving the mechanical drive power from the drive shaft via a direction-reversing transmission, wherein the direction-reversing transmission comprises a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft, the first rotating shaft being operatively coupled to the drive shaft;
• redirecting the exhaust toward an aft end of the aircraft using a rear-facing engine exhaust;
• redirecting the mechanical drive power received at the first rotating shaft from a first direction to face a second direction at the second rotating shaft;
• and
• rotating a propulsor fan to convert the mechanical drive power into thrust, wherein the propulsor fan is operatively coupled to the second rotating shaft.