VTOL aircraft
AssigneeXTI Aircraft Company
InventorsDavid E. Brody, Dennis D. Olcott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft includes a pair of ducted lift/thrust fans that are rotatably movable between a first vertical lift position and a second horizontal thrust position. The lift/thrust fans are disposed within curvilinear fan recesses formed within leading edge portions of the aircraft's wings. A downwardly exhausting, ducted lift fan is disposed within the aircraft's fuselage, aft of the aircraft's pitch axis. A power plant, disposed within the fuselage, is coupled with the lift/thrust fans and the lift fan by a transmission system. The lift/thrust fans and lift fan are positioned with respect to one another to be triangulated about the aircraft's center of gravity and the aircraft's center of lift.
Claims21
An aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, the aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage having a forward end portion, a rearward end portion, and a central portion that extends between the forward end portion and rearward end portion;
- the fuselage defining a central longitudinal axis of the aircraft;
- a pair of wings, each having:
- a leading edge portion;
- a trailing edge portion;
- a root end respectively coupled with the central portion of the fuselage;
- and an opposite tip end portion extending laterally outward from the fuselage;
- the leading edge portions of each of the wings include a curvilinear fan recess;
- a pair of ducted lift/thrust fans respectively coupled with one of the pair of wings such that the fans are positioned symmetrically with one another on opposite sides of a roll axis of the aircraft and forward of a pitch axis of the aircraft;
- the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans being selectively, rotatably movable between a first position in which they provide vertical lift and a second position in which they provide horizontal thrust;
- each of the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans respectively, rotatably disposed within a curvilinear fan recess, wherein the curvilinear fan recesses are shaped to approximate a shape of a circumferential edge portion of the ducted lift/thrust fans and leave the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans uncovered when the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans are in the first position;
- and
- a downwardly exhausting, ducted lift fan disposed within the fuselage, between the pitch axis and the rearward end portion of the fuselage.
An aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, the aircraft comprising:
- a pair of ducted lift/thrust fans respectively coupled with one of a pair of wings such that the fans are positioned symmetrically with one another on opposite sides of a roll axis of the aircraft and forward of a pitch axis of the aircraft;
- the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans being selectively, rotatably movable between a first position in which they provide vertical lift and a second position in which they provide horizontal thrust;
- the leading edge portions of each of the wings include a curvilinear fan recess;
- each of the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans respectively, rotatably disposed within a curvilinear fan recess;
- wherein the curvilinear fan recesses are shaped to approximate a shape of a circumferential edge portion of the ducted lift/thrust fans and leave the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans uncovered when the pair of ducted lift/thrust fans are in the first position;
- and
- a downwardly exhausting, ducted lift fan disposed within a fuselage of the aircraft, between the pitch axis and the rearward end portion of the fuselage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.