Apparatus and method for vertical take-off and landing aircraft
OwnerFrick A. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fixed wing Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft for use as a Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) or unmanned vehicle. A first double-ended drive shaft engine is mounted sideways in the front of the fuselage to serve a first pair of ducted fans mounted at the ends of the front wing. A second double-ended drive shaft engine is mounted sideways in the rear of the fuselage to serve a second pair of ducted fans mounted on the rear fuselage. The ducted fans are rotatable from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation to permit the aircraft to take off and land as a VTOL or conventional aircraft, and to be flown as a conventional aircraft. A parachute is provided with inflation assistance to permit rapid low altitude deployment for a controlled descent of the aircraft in an emergency.
Claims15
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, a front portion, a middle portion, and a rear portion;
- a canard wing extending from said front portion of said fuselage, said canard wing having a left end and a right end;
- a main wing extending from said middle portion of said fuselage;
- a tail section extending from said rear portion of said fuselage;
- a first propeller rotatably mounted to said left end of said canard wing;
- a second propeller rotatably mounted to said right end of said canard wing;
- a third propeller rotatably mounted on a left side of said rear portion of said fuselage;
- a fourth propeller rotatably mounted on a right side of said rear portion of said fuselage;
- said first and second propellers being mounted further from said longitudinal axis than said third and fourth propellers;
- a first engine disposed in said front portion of said fuselage, said first engine comprising a first double-ended driveshaft having a first axis of rotation oriented transverse to said longitudinal axis of said fuselage, said first double-ended driveshaft comprising a continuous driveshaft extending from said first propeller to said second propeller;
- and
- a second engine disposed in said rear portion of said fuselage, said second engine comprising a second double-ended driveshaft having a second axis of rotation oriented transverse to said longitudinal axis of said fuselage, said second double-ended driveshaft comprising a continuous driveshaft extending from said third propeller to said fourth propeller.
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, a front portion, a middle portion, and a rear portion;
- a canard wing extending from said front portion of said fuselage, said canard wing having a left end and a right end;
- a main wing extending from said middle portion of said fuselage, said main wing having no engine or propeller attached thereto;
- a tail section extending from said rear portion of said fuselage;
- a first propeller rotatably mounted to said left end of said canard wing;
- a second propeller rotatably mounted to said right end of said canard wing;
- a third propeller rotatably mounted on a left side of said rear portion of said fuselage;
- a fourth propeller rotatably mounted on a right side of said rear portion of said fuselage;
- a first engine disposed in said front portion of said fuselage, said first engine comprising a first driveshaft operably connected between said first propeller and said second propeller;
- and
- a second engine disposed in said rear portion of said fuselage, said second engine comprising a second driveshaft operably connected between said third propeller and said fourth propeller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.