Vertical take-off and landing aircraft and control method

A control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the aircraft having a vertical motion mode and a forward thrust mode, the aircraft comprising:

• an airframe, comprising a wing section;
• a forward thrust means, for use during the forward thrust mode;
• and a vertical lift rotor system, the rotor system being housed in a portion of the airframe, the method comprising:
• during the forward thrust mode, actuating the rotor system to modify the aerodynamic flow around the portion of the airframe housing the rotor system.

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

• a main fuselage section;
• a left main wing extending from a left side of said fuselage and a right main wing extending from a right side of said fuselage;
• a lifting rotor that is shrouded within said left wing with its centre at a station location of less than 45 percent of the wing span dimension, and at least a second lift rotor shrouded within said left wing behind or slightly off-parallel line to the first rotor in relation to an overall longitudinal axis of the aircraft;
• a lifting rotor that is shrouded within said right wing with its centre at a station location of less than 45 percent of the wing span dimension, and at least a second lift rotor shrouded within said right wing behind or slightly off-parallel line to the first rotor in relation to the overall longitudinal axis of the aircraft;
• and
• at least two longitudinally aligned primary forward thrusters.

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft having a substantially thick-chorded, blended and tapered main wing design, the aircraft comprising:

• a main fuselage section that is abbreviated near a main wings' trailing edge dimension;
• a main wing mounted on and extending from the left side of said fuselage, and from the right side of said fuselage;
• a left side tail boom empennage mounted to and extending rearward from the left main wing at a station location of at least 45 percent of the wing span dimension;
• a right side tail boom empennage mounted to and extending rearward from the right main wing at a station location of at least 45 percent of the wing span;
• a primary forward lift rotor embedded in said left main wing section with its centre located at a span station of 45 percent of the wing's span dimension from the centre of the main fuselage, and at least one other rotor embedded in said left wing section generally behind said primary forward lift rotor's mount,
• a primary forward lift rotor embedded in said right main wing section with its centre located at a span station of 45 percent of the wing's span dimension from the centre of the main fuselage, and at least one other rotor embedded in said right wing section generally behind said primary forward lift rotor's mount;
• wherein said at least two left side lifting rotors and said at least two right side lifting rotors are each configured to provide collective pitch control;
• and
• at least one primary forward thruster generally aligned with the primary longitudinal axis of said aircraft.

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising:

• a main fuselage section;
• a left main wing mounted on and extending from the left side of said fuselage and a right main wing mounted on and extending from the right side of said fuselage;
• a left, sub-fuselage, lift rotor beam frame mounted on said left wing at a station location of at least 65 percent of the wing span dimension;
• a right, sub-fuselage, lift rotor beam frame mounted on said right wing at a station location of at least 65 percent of the wing span dimension;
• a left lifting rotor mounted forward on and above said left mounting beam frame;
• and at least a second left lifting rotor mounted rearward on but below said left mounting beam frame;
• a right lifting rotor mounted forward on and above said right mounting beam frame;
• and at least a second right lifting rotor mounted rearward on but below said right mounting beam frame;
• at least two left lift rotor systems and at least two right lift rotor systems, each having collective pitch control;
• at least one primary forward thruster generally aligned with the primary longitudinal axis of said aircraft and mounted aft of the empennage section.