# US 12,759,718 B2 · Aircraft engine takeoff and climb thrust control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,718 B2 - Document ID: US12759718B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 19/094,561 - Filed: 2025-03-28 - Published: 2026-10-01 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2025-03-28 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Brandon W. Miller; Jeffrey D. Clements; Jeffrey D. Rambo; Brian K. Kestner; Matthew Wyborski; Daniel A. Niergarth; Arthur W. Sibbach - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759718B2 ## CPC - B64D 31/06: actuated automatically - B64D 27/12: within, or attached to, wings - G05D 1/652: Take-off (delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667) - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract Engines of an aircraft are controlled during a mission including a takeoff phase, a climb phase, and a cruise phase, the climb phase including a top of climb (ToC) period prior to transitioning to the cruise phase. A controller may control the one or more engines to output a takeoff thrust during the takeoff phase, the takeoff thrust corresponding to the maximum thrust during the takeoff phase. The controller may further control the one or more engines to output a ToC thrust during the ToC period, the ToC thrust corresponding to the average thrust during the ToC period, wherein the one or more engines is controlled such that a thrust ratio is between 1.1 to 1.6, the thrust ratio being defined as a ratio of the ToC thrust as normalized by a ToC ambient static pressure to the takeoff thrust as normalized by a takeoff ambient static pressure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating engines of an aircraft, the method comprising: controlling operations of one or more engines of the aircraft during a mission including a takeoff phase, a climb phase, and a cruise phase, the climb phase including a top of climb (ToC) period prior to transitioning to the cruise phase; controlling the one or more engines to output a takeoff thrust during the takeoff phase, the takeoff thrust corresponding to a maximum thrust during the takeoff phase; controlling the one or more engines to output a ToC thrust during the ToC period, the ToC thrust corresponding to an average thrust during the ToC period; and controlling the one or more engines to cause the aircraft to cruise at 0.5 Mach or above; wherein the one or more engines are controlled such that a thrust ratio is between 1.1 to 1.6, the thrust ratio being defined as a ratio of the ToC thrust as normalized by a ToC ambient static pressure to the takeoff thrust as normalized by a takeoff ambient static pressure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more engines comprise an open rotor engine including a rotor and stator vanes aft of the rotor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more engines comprise an open rotor engine including counter-rotating rotors. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more engines comprise an engine with an annular core inlet. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft comprise two or more engines. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the ToC period ends at an altitude above 28,000 ft. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the ToC period comprises a last two minutes of the climb phase. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the ToC period occurs in an altitude range within two thousand feet below cruise altitude of the cruise phase. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more engines are coupled to wings of the aircraft dimensioned to have a wing aspect ratio greater than 10, the wing aspect ratio of a wing being the ratio of a square of a wingspan to a projected wing area. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more engines includes a ducted engine. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of wing of the aircraft includes folding wing tips. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a truss is coupled between each wing of the aircraft and a fuselage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the engines are coupled to a fuselage dimensioned to hold 270 or less passengers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling thrust produced by each of the one or more engines to be less than 50,000 lbs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more engines is configured to have a bypass ratio (BPR) of 15 to 100. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more engines are configured to have a fan pressure ratio (FPR) of 1.05 to 1.5. ### Claim 17 A method of operating engines of an aircraft, the method comprising: controlling operations of one or more engines of the aircraft during a mission including a takeoff phase, a climb phase, and a cruise phase, the climb phase including a top of climb (ToC) period prior to transitioning to the cruise phase, wherein the ToC period ends at an altitude above 28,000 ft; controlling the one or more engines to output a takeoff thrust during the takeoff phase, the takeoff thrust corresponding to a maximum thrust during the takeoff phase; and controlling the one or more engines to output a ToC thrust during the ToC period, the ToC thrust corresponding to an average thrust during the ToC period; wherein the one or more engines is controlled such that a thrust ratio is between 1.1 to 1.6, the thrust ratio being defined as a ratio of the ToC thrust as normalized by a ToC ambient static pressure to the takeoff thrust as normalized by a takeoff ambient static pressure. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the aircraft comprises two or more engines. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the ToC period occurs at an altitude range within two thousand feet below cruise altitude of the cruise phase. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for controlling operation of one or more engines in an aircraft, the method including: controlling the operations of one or more engines during a mission, which includes a takeoff phase, a climb phase, and a cruise phase, where the climb phase includes a top of climb (ToC) period prior to transitioning to the cruise phase; controlling the one or more engines to output a takeoff thrust during the takeoff phase, where the takeoff thrust corresponds to a maximum thrust during the takeoff phase; controlling the one or more engines to output a ToC thrust during the ToC period, where the ToC thrust corresponds to an average thrust during the ToC period; and controlling the one or more engines to cause the aircraft to cruise at 0.5 Mach or above; wherein the instructions control the one or more engines such that a thrust ratio is maintained between 1.1 to 1.6, the thrust ratio being defined as a ratio of the ToC thrust normalized by a ToC ambient static pressure to the takeoff thrust normalized by a takeoff ambient static pressure. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more engines comprise an open rotor engine including counter-rotating rotors.