초록 ▼

A VTOL-capable tilt-rotor airplane having a single tiltable large-diameter prop-rotor attached to an elongated power pod containing the collective and cyclical pitch mechanism, transmission, and engine. The tiltable power pod is disposed at the airplane's longitudinal axis and is partially buried wi

A VTOL-capable tilt-rotor airplane having a single tiltable large-diameter prop-rotor attached to an elongated power pod containing the collective and cyclical pitch mechanism, transmission, and engine. The tiltable power pod is disposed at the airplane's longitudinal axis and is partially buried within the depth of the fuselage and protrudes 3-4 ft (0.915-1.22 m) above the top of the fuselage in the VTOL mode. In the horizontal cruising mode, the power pod perched on top of the fuselage front section with the rotor blades protruding in front of the airplane's nose. A connecting bar is used to connect the power pod to the fuselage, allowing the power pod to travel significantly rearward and forward as required for proper balance as the power pod pivots 90 degrees during transition from VTOL mode to the cruising mode, without the power pod being excessively long and unwieldy. A small anti-torque rotor toward the tail of the aircraft, driven by a hydraulic motor provides the necessary force to overcome the main rotor's torque. A pair of high-aspect-ratio wings supported by wing struts on both sides of the fuselage provide highly efficient lift during cruising flight with very little induced drag. Conventional horizontal and vertical tail planes are used for directional stability in the cruising mode.

대표청구항 ▼

1. In a VTOL airplane capable of a vertical takeoff and landing mode (VTOL) as well as an efficient horizontal cruising mode, the combination comprising:a pair of wings disposed on opposing lateral sides of the airplane for supporting the airplane in the horizontal mode, each of said wings having a

1. In a VTOL airplane capable of a vertical takeoff and landing mode (VTOL) as well as an efficient horizontal cruising mode, the combination comprising:a pair of wings disposed on opposing lateral sides of the airplane for supporting the airplane in the horizontal mode, each of said wings having a wing tip and a wing root, a horizontal stabilizing surface and a vertical fin disposed at a tail end of the airplane for providing necessary aerodynamic stability in horizontal cruising mode, a fuselage having a top, a bottom, a front section, a tail section, and a longitudinal axis forming a center line running from the front section toward the tail section, means for controlling said airplane in the VTOL mode in all 3 typical pitch, roll and yaw axes, means for controlling said airplane in the horizontal cruising mode typical for a conventional airplane, comprising of ailerons, rudders and elevator, a main prop-rotor mounted on top of a power pod having a significant length, said power pod is disposed generally in a vertical plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fuselage, said prop-rotor having a plurality of elongated rotor blades radially arranged around a main rotor axis, said main rotor axis traverses the length of the power pod, said main rotor axis is tiltable generally in the vertical plane of the longitudinal axis of said fuselage, between a vertical orientation wherein said main prop-rotor rises above the fuselage for providing vertical lift in the VTOL mode, and a horizontal orientation wherein said main prop-rotor blades protrude in front of the fuselage's front section, for providing forward thrust in the horizontal cruising mode, rotor tilting means for tilting of said main prop-rotor over 90 degrees between the vertical orientation and the horizontal orientation, engine powering means housed within said power pod, said power pod having a top end mechanically connected to said main prop-rotor for powering said main prop-rotor in both VTOL mode and horizontal cruising mode, said power pod having a location significantly below said top end thereof pivotably connected to a structural member of the fuselage, said powering means generates a reactive torque in the yaw axis on the fuselage as a resulting of turning said main pro-rotor in the vertical orientation, and said power means generates a reactive torque in the roll axis on the fuselage when turning said main prop-rotor in the horizontal orientation, yaw-control means for countering said yaw-axis reactive torque effect from said power means, and, roll-control means disposed in the wings capable of rotating said wings in the roll axis, for countering said roll-axis reactive torque in the horizontal cruising mode.