Airplane with configuration changing in flight
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorMathias FAROUZ-FOUQUET
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An airplane comprising a fuselage, two wings, a rear tail unit comprising a horizontal tail provided with two tail ends, and at least two engines arranged on the fuselage on either side of a vertical plane of symmetry of the airplane, the airplane having a longitudinal axis, the engines being mounted so as to be able to be displaced, at least in flight, on the fuselage, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the tail ends being mounted so as to be able to be pivoted, at least in flight, relative to the horizontal tail, the airplane thus having a configuration that changes in flight.
Claims10
An airplane comprising:
- a fuselage having a longitudinal axis,
- two wings,
- a rear tail unit comprising a horizontal tail provided with two tail ends, and
- at least two engines arranged on the fuselage on either side of a vertical plane of symmetry of the airplane,
- said engines being displaceably mounted, at least in flight, on said fuselage, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and
- said tail ends being pivotably mounted, at least in flight, relative to said horizontal tail.
A method for modifying a configuration of an airplane in flight, said airplane comprising a fuselage, two wings, a rear tail unit comprising a horizontal tail provided with two tail ends, and at least two engines arranged on the fuselage on either side of a vertical plane of symmetry of the airplane, said engines being displaceably mounted on said fuselage, substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the airplane, and said tail ends being pivotably mounted relative to said horizontal tail,
- the method comprising:
- a first step comprising bringing said engines into a forward position and in bringing said tail ends into a folded position in which said tail ends are arranged substantially orthogonally to a general plane of said horizontal tail;
- and
- a second step comprising bringing said engines into an aft position, displaced towards the rear of the airplane relative to said forward position and in bringing said tail ends into a deployed position in which said tail ends are arranged substantially in the general plane of said horizontal tail,
- said first and second steps being implemented alternately at least during a flight of the airplane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.