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A helicopter has a low profile electric motor mounted in each of the rotor blades to drive a cross-flow fan which draws air in through a slot at the leading edge of the blade and forces it out through an opposing slot adjacent the trailing edge of the blade to provide the thrust for rotating the rot

A helicopter has a low profile electric motor mounted in each of the rotor blades to drive a cross-flow fan which draws air in through a slot at the leading edge of the blade and forces it out through an opposing slot adjacent the trailing edge of the blade to provide the thrust for rotating the rotor blade. An engine is located in the fuselage of the helicopter for driving an electric generator to produce the electricity supplied to the motors mounted in the blades. In addition, yaw control is achieved without the necessity of tail structure or a tail rotor using a small electric motor driving or absorbing power from the main rotor shaft. Both the yaw control motor and the main rotor shaft tilt together as a rigid unit. Pitch and roll control is achieved without the necessity of aerodynamic surfaces by movement of the main rotor support mast about a gimbal bearing support located above the center of gravity of the helicopter.

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In a helicopter having a fuselage and at least one rotor blade having a hub end and a tip end and having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said blade mounted for free rotation on the fuselage, an improvement including in combination: an electric motor mounted in said rotor blade: power producing m

In a helicopter having a fuselage and at least one rotor blade having a hub end and a tip end and having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said blade mounted for free rotation on the fuselage, an improvement including in combination: an electric motor mounted in said rotor blade: power producing means located in the fuselage of said helicopter for providing electrical power; means for supplying electrical power from said power producing means to said motor; a cross-flow fan mounted for rotation in said rotor blade near the tip thereof and coupled to said motor to be rotated thereby; means for supplying air through the leading edge side of said blade to said fan; means for delivering air from said fan outwardly from the trailing edge side of said blde to provide the sole dynamic rotational thrust to said blade; a support shaft having a central axis; a hub interconnected with said support shaft, said rotor blade being coupled to said hub to rotate therewith; means for attaching said support shaft to the fuselage of said helicopter to a bearing for free rotation therethrough; and means connected to the fuselage of said helicopter for applying bi-directional relative rotational yaw control torque between said fuselage and the central axis of said support shaft to generate counteracting yaw rotational forces to the fuselage.