The present invention provides a tilt rotor aircraft having a centrally mounted tiltable engine and rotor assembly. A turbine or other type of engine (or engines) is pivotally mounted on a central frame above and between the pilot and co-pilot, who occupy separate and identical control cockpit pods
The present invention provides a tilt rotor aircraft having a centrally mounted tiltable engine and rotor assembly. A turbine or other type of engine (or engines) is pivotally mounted on a central frame above and between the pilot and co-pilot, who occupy separate and identical control cockpit pods on either side of the engine. Placing the engine between the pilot and copilot maintains the CG within a narrow band in both horizontal and vertical flight modes, simplifying control and handling. Counter-rotating propellers may be driven by the engine(s) to eliminate torque effects. By mounting the engine and rotor package between and above the pilot and copilot, the rotor can be made to clear the ground, allowing the aircraft to land like an ordinary fixed-wing aircraft without damaging the propellers. Thus, the craft can be launched and landed in VTOL, HTOL, or STOL configurations, depending upon conditions and available landing and takeoff sites.
대표청구항▼
I claim: 1. A short or vertical take-off aircraft, comprising: at least one rotor; a centrally mounted engine nacelle containing at least one engine, coupled to the at least one rotor, rotatably mounted substantially at aircraft center of gravity, the centrally mounted engine nacelle pivoting in an
I claim: 1. A short or vertical take-off aircraft, comprising: at least one rotor; a centrally mounted engine nacelle containing at least one engine, coupled to the at least one rotor, rotatably mounted substantially at aircraft center of gravity, the centrally mounted engine nacelle pivoting in an arc from a first position where the rotating planes of the at least one rotor is substantially horizontal for short take off, vertical take off, and vertical flight to a second position where the rotating planes of the at least one rotor is substantially vertical for horizontal flight, wherein the aircraft center of gravity remains substantially the same when the centrally mounted engine nacelle pivots from the first position to the second position. 2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one rotor comprises a pair of counter-rotating rotors mounted on a common axis. 3. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising: a fuselage having a pair of cockpit modules, each of the pair of cockpit modules mounted on a respective side of the centrally mounted engine nacelle such that the centrally mounted engine nacelle is located between the cockpit modules, maintaining the center of gravity of the aircraft substantially between the cockpit modules. 4. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising: at least one tail boom, coupled to the fuselage, the tail boom including at least one vertical and one horizontal stabilizer for controlling pitch and direction of the aircraft. 5. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising: at least one nose boom, coupled to the fuselage, the nose boom including at least one substantially horizontal canard wing. 6. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising: detachable wings, attached to either side of the fuselage for providing additional lift for the aircraft. 7. The aircraft of claim 6, wherein the detachable wings further include ailerons for providing yaw control for the aircraft. 8. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising: foldable wings, attached to either side of the fuselage, for providing additional lift for the aircraft. 9. The aircraft of claim 8, wherein the foldable wings further include ailerons for providing yaw control for the aircraft. 10. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising: a reversible tail rotor, for controlling yaw about a vertical axis of the aircraft, the tail rotor being mounted adjacent the centrally mounted engine nacelle and pair of cockpit modules, the tail rotor providing reversible thrust to selectively rotate the aircraft about a vertical axis. 11. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the substantially horizontal canard wing is a fixed canard wing. 12. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the substantially horizontal canard wing is a movable canard wing. 13. A tilt rotor aircraft, comprising: a centrally mounted tiltable engine nacelle and rotor assembly mounted substantially at the center of gravity of the aircraft, the engine nacelle and rotor assembly tiltable without substantially disturbing the center of gravity of the aircraft; an aircraft frame, having a pivot mount to pivotally mount the engine nacelle and rotor assembly, a pair of cockpit pods, for at least a pilot and co-pilot, the cockpit pods mounted to the aircraft frame on either side of the engine nacelle. 14. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 13, wherein the centrally mounted tiltable engine nacelle and rotor assembly includes at least one engine and at least one pair of counter-rotating rotors driven by the at least one engine to eliminate torque effects. 15. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 14, wherein the at least one engine comprises a turbine engine. 16. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 15, wherein the radius of the rotor assembly is less than the distance from the rotor assembly to the ground such that the rotor clears the ground when in vertical flight mode, allowing the aircraft to land like an ordinary fixed-wing aircraft without damaging the counter-rotating rotors and allowing the tilt rotor aircraft to be launched and landed in one or more of VTOL, HTOL, and STOL configurations. 17. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 16, further comprising: at least one tail boom, coupled to the aircraft frame, the tail boom including at least one vertical and one horizontal stabilizer for controlling pitch and direction of the aircraft. 18. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 17, further comprising: at least one nose boom, coupled to the aircraft frame, the nose boom including at least one substantially horizontal canard wing. 19. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 18, further comprising: detachable wings, attached to either side of the aircraft frame for providing additional lift for the aircraft. 20. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 19, wherein the detachable wings further include ailerons for providing yaw control for the aircraft. 21. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 20, further comprising: a reversible tail rotor, for controlling yaw about a vertical axis of the aircraft, the tail rotor being mounted adjacent the engine nacelle and pair of cockpit modules, the tail rotor providing reversible thrust to selectively rotate the aircraft about a vertical axis. 22. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 18, wherein the substantially horizontal canard wing is a fixed canard wing. 23. The tilt rotor aircraft of claim 18, wherein the substantially horizontal canard wing is a movable canard wing. 24. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein in the first position, the at least one rotor is located horizontally at a position above the engine nacelle, and in the second position, the at least one rotor is located vertically at a position in front of the engine nacelle.
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