Aerodynamically efficient lightweight vertical take-off and landing aircraft with multi-configuration wing tip mounted rotors

An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and horizontal flight, said aerial vehicle comprising:

• an aerial vehicle body;
• three or more thrust producing elements differentially spaced relative to the thrust direction of said thrust producing elements while said vehicle body is in vertical flight;
• one or more wings;
• and
• a flight control system, said flight control system adapted to control the attitude of said aerial vehicle while taking off vertically by varying the thrust of the three or more thrust producing elements;
• wherein said one or more wings comprise:
• a first left wing, said first left wing comprising a first left wing tip rotor;
• and
• a first right wing, said first right wing comprising a first right wing tip rotor
• wherein said wing tip rotors are powered by electric motors mounted at the tips of said wings,
• said electric motors comprising a rotor and a stator, and
• wherein each of said wing tip rotors comprises a first blade and a second blade, and
• wherein said first left wing tip rotor and said first right wing tip rotor are adapted to deploy from a forward flight configuration wherein said wing tip rotors are configured as tandem wingtips to a vertical takeoff configuration wherein said wing tip rotors are configured as a two bladed propeller, and
• wherein said first blade and said second blade have leading edges during vertical flight, and
• wherein each of said leading edges of said first blade and said second blade face forward when in said forward flight configuration, and
• wherein the rotors of said electric motors rotate around said stators of said electric motors around a first axis, and wherein said first blade deploys from said forward flight configuration to said vertical takeoff configuration by rotating around a second axis within the rotor.