Abstract: The subject tiltrotor aircraft has three modes of operation: airplane mode, helicopter mode, and transition mode. A tilting mast, which transitions the aircraft between airplane mode and helicopter mode, is controlled by systems that allow selective movement of the rotor blades between the flight modes. A hub couples the rotor blades to the tilting mast such that torque and thrust are transferred, while allowing rotor thrust vector tilting. A main swash plate controls rotor thrust vector direction. Pitch horns are coupled to the rotor blades and the main swash plate via pitch links such that swash plate inputs are communicated to the rotor blades. The pitch links are coupled at “delta-3” values that are not optimum. A feedback swash plate and feedback links receive disk tilting inputs from the rotor blades, and supply inputs to the main swash plate, which compensates for the less than optimum delta-3 coupling.

Abstract: An aircraft with a tilt rotor assembly comprising a craft body, a plurality of rotor blades which are subject to three modes of flight operation, a tilting mast coupling the plurality of rotor blades to the craft body and for selectively moving the plurality of rotor blades between the three modes of flight operation, a hub coupling the plurality of rotor blades to the tilting mast in a manner which transfers torque and thrust while allowing tilting of a rotor thrust vector, a main swashplate for tilting in response to operator input to control the direction of the rotor thrust vector, a plurality of pitch horns, each mechanically coupled to a particular one of the plurality of rotor blades and to the main swashplate, for communicating swashplate input to each of the plurality of rotor blades, a plurality of links coupling the main swashplate to the plurality of pitch horns, wherein each of the plurality of pitch horns is mechanically coupled to a particular one of the plurality of rotor blades by one of the