Abstract: Aircraft air funnel slat system of this invention for increased lift to aircraft wings and rotors comprises a pair of symmetrical and retractable slats or flaps or planks or other similarly shaped strong rigid and light weight rectangular members angled above the leading edge of aircraft wings so as to form a funnel over each wing so as to provide increased airspeed above the wing and increased lift from below the wing, which in turn greatly reduces the take off and landing distance so as to result in V/STOL aircraft.

Abstract: A vane-airfoil combination for shifting forces associated with an airfoil. The vane-airfoil combination includes an airfoil moving through a fluid, such as air. A plurality of vanes is positioned in front of the airfoil to divert the path of the fluid to the airfoil. The change in the path of the fluid rotates the forces associated with the airfoil in relation to the original path of the fluid. Specifically, a lift force is rotated to provide a thrust component force, as well as a lift component force. In addition, a drag force is rotated to provide a lift component force, as well as a reduced drag component force. The airfoil may be any type of airfoil, such as a rotating cylinder. The vane-airfoil combination may also include a fore-body and an after-body for reducing the pressure along an upper portion of the airfoil.

Abstract: A secondary wing system for use on an aircraft augments the lift, stability, and control of the aircraft at subsonic speeds. The secondary wing system includes a mechanism that allows the canard to be retracted within the contour of the aircraft fuselage from an operational position to a stowed position. The top surface of the canard is exposed to air flow in the stowed position, and is contoured to integrate aerodynamically and smoothly within the contour of the fuselage when the canard is retracted for high speed flight. The bottom portion of the canard is substantially flat for rotation into a storage recess within the fuselage. The single canard rotates about a vertical axis at its spanwise midpoint. The canard can be positioned between a range of sweep angles during flight and a stowed position in which its span is substantially parallel to the aircraft fuselage. The canard can be deployed and retracted during flight.

Abstract: In an aircraft (1) according to the invention the engine drives a blower and the compressed air is used to increase the lift of the wing (18) and the canard (22) using jet flap propulsion.The airfoil profile has maximum thickness just forward of the control surface device (12) which has large included trailing edge angle and large leading edge radius. The control surface device hinge (17) is positioned close to the mean line (19) of the plane, and air slots (10) in the plane are blowing the control surface device.

Abstract: A novel set of serrated-planform lifting surfaces produce unexpectedly high lift coefficients at moderate to high angles-of-attack. Each serration, or tooth, is designed to shed a vortex. The interaction of the vortices greatly enhances the lifting capability over an extremely large operating range. Variations of the invention use serrated-planform lifting surfaces in planes different than that of a primary lifting surface. In an alternate embodiment, the individual teeth are controllably retractable and deployable to provide for active control of the vortex system and hence lift coefficient. Differential lift on multiple serrated-planform lifting surfaces provides an means for vehicle control. The important aerodynamic advantages of the serrated-planform lifting surfaces are not limited to aircraft applications but can be used to establish desirable performance characteristics for missiles, land vehicles, and/or watercraft.

Abstract: The present invention is a laminar supersonic transport aircraft having a reverse delta wing located between a forward section and a distal end of the aircraft, a set of jet engines superposed on another set of jet engines, a stabilizing vertical tail located near the distal end of the aircraft, a stabilizing canard surface located near the forward section of said aircraft. Also, a laminar flow control device can be incorporated within the wing. The reverse delta aerodynamic wing has a basic reverse delta wing portion bounded by a leading edge and by a pair of trailing edges extending from respective ends of the leading edge toward a trailing apex point and respective span-wise wing extensions in a natural laminar boundary layer wing region extending chordwise from the leading edge by a fraction of the chordlength of the wing and extending span-wise from opposing sides of said wing.

Abstract: A sonic control device that reduces the effects of shock waves generated by an aircraft traveling at supersonic speeds. The control device includes a control surface located at or near the nose section of the aircraft. The position of the control surface can be moved between a retracted position and an extended position. When in a deflected position, the control surface increases the air pressure at the nose section. The increase in air pressure at the nose section decreases both the pressure amplitude and the slope of the overall shock wave as the wave travels toward the ground. Additionally, the deflection of the control surface may induce a downward directed pressure increase which creates less of a drag penalty than a truly blunt nose. When shock control is not desired, the control surface is moved back to the retracted position to reduce the drag on the plane. The moving control device allows a supersonic aircraft to efficiently travel above both land and water.

Abstract: Airplane (1) including a mainplane (3), elevator aerodynamic surfaces (4) and a front canard empennage adjustable in orientation. This airplane includes:a device for calculating (14) continuously receiving measurements:of the speed (V) of the airplane with respect to the air,of the centering (c) of the airplane (1),of the flight altitude (H), andof the mass (m) of said airplane and calculating the angular setting to be given to said planes (5) of the canard empennage, during phases of stabilized flight without atmospheric disturbances, so that the lift of said canard empennage corresponds, at any moment, to the smallest possible value of the drag of the airplane; and a device (9) forconferring an at least substantially constant lift on said empennage when the airplane in flight is not in a phase of stabilized flight without atmospheric disturbances.

Abstract: A vehicle, lacking an empennage, has a gull wing with ailerons movably mounted at the trailing edges of the wing for controlling pitch, yaw and roll, or has a wing and a gull tail with flaps movably mounted at the trailing edges of the tail surface for controlling pitch, yaw and roll.

Abstract: A canard wing surface for aircraft, especially supersonic aircraft, which can be lowered and retracted flush into the fuselage of the aircraft when no longer needed. The canard is hinged to an extendible platform at or near its upper edge, so that a raising mechanism on the platform can raise the canard from a position integral with the skin of the fuselage to a fully extended position as a curved wing. The platform is extended to allow the canard to clear the fuselage, and may be rotated to adjust the angle of attack of the canard from nearly flat, for the transition to high-speed flight, to a range of low-to-medium angles of attack when used as a lift surface during takeoff and landing, to nearly vertical for use as a speed brake during the landing roll. If desired, multiple canard surfaces can be used on an aircraft, arranged along the fuselage.

Abstract: A control surface for a vehicle comprising a flexible elastomeric body with ts base joined to the vehicle to form a smooth surface, a rigid tip bar joined to the distal end of the body, and a control member for turning the rigid tip bar to bend the elastomeric body and generate lift. The control member can be a shaft which extends from the interior of the vehicle to said rigid tip bar to allow said shaft to rotate said tip bar.

Abstract: A dual-mode high speed rotorcraft is disclosed which combines the efficiency of a helicopter with the high-speed capability of a fixed wing aircraft. The rotorcraft includes a rotor for propulsion during low-speed flight and hover, which is stopped and locked to function as a fixed wing during a high-speed flight. Also included are a canard and a high-lift tail, which together function to provide substantially all of the lift for the rotorcraft during the transition between low and high-speed flight, so that the rotor may be unloaded while starting and stopping.

Abstract: The aircraft incorporates a primary and two control ducted propeller assemblies. The propellers are interconnected for rotation by a single engine. Each propeller assembly is inclined in horizontal flight and has two groups of louvers. When the groups of louvers in a propeller assembly are set to divert air horizontally in opposed directions, reduced vertical thrust is realized. In this manner, pitch and roll may be controlled in vertical flight. Vanes on the control ducts produce differential horizontal thrust to control yaw in the vertical mode. In horizontal flight, all groups of louvers are set to direct the flow aft to produce thrust for high speed forward flight.

Abstract: A pivotal strake located at the nose section of an aircraft forebody. The strake pivots about an axis that is essentially perpendicular to the surface of the nose section. Rotation of the strake will influence the forebody vortices to create a resulting yawing moment on the aircraft. The rotating strake can be used to provide directional control of an aircraft, even at high angles of attack.

Abstract: A thrust unit for an aircraft having a lift unit for propelling the aircraft in upward flight. The lift unit includes a duct for directing air substantially downwardly, the duct being shaped so that air exhausting from its downstream end is in a stream having substantially the same cross-sectional dimension of the duct at the downstream end, and an air pump disposed for inducing a draught of air through the duct. In use, the draught of air exhausting from the duct can produce an upward thrust and is substantially non-convergent.

Abstract: Aerodynamic control apparatus for an aircraft is provided which includes a pair of control surfaces, one for each side of the aircraft, each control surface extending between a root end at the fuselage and a distant tip end. The root end of each control surface is pivotally mounted on the fuselage on a stationary hinge axis which is angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The hinge axis is elevated or depressed at the leading edge of the control surface relative to the trailing edge such that the hinge axis is in an oblique orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. An actuator enables selective movement of each control surface to any one of a range of positions between an inactive position flush with a contoured outer surface of the fuselage and a deployed position at which a tip end of the control surface is distant from the fuselage.

Abstract: High lift producing apparatus for an aircraft includes a pair of foreplanes, one for each side of the aircraft, each foreplane extending between a root end at the fuselage and a distant tip end. Wings are mounted on the fuselage aft of the foreplanes and, intermediate the wings and the foreplanes, are a pair of strakes which are generally coplanar with their associated foreplanes and strakes, a leading edge of each strake being substantially coincident with a trailing edge of its associated foreplane, and a trailing edge of each strake being substantially coincident with a leading edge of its associated wing. The span of the strakes is smaller than the span of the foreplanes at the location of intersection of said strake and said foreplane. Each foreplane may be pivotally mounted on the fuselage at its root end on a stationary hinge axis which is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

Abstract: A maneuvering system for a flight vehicle rotates a lifting aerodynamic surface of the flight vehicle about an axis parallel with a direction of flight of the vehicle in a rotational direction corresponding to the desired change of flight direction to which the vehicle is to be steered, while maintaining attitude stability of the flight vehicle by altering other aerodynamic surfaces of the vehicle.

Abstract: The aircraft comprises a rotor with a vertical axis arranged in a housing for generating a lift exceeding the weight of the aircraft. The housing is essentially shaped as a circular wing. A first way of guiding air is provided for controlling the air stream generated by the rotor, by means of which the position of the aircraft can be controlled in hovering flight. From hovering flight, the aircraft can be moved into a cruise flight, where the lift of the aircraft is generated aerodynamically by the circular wing of the housing and its forward thrust by a propeller. For the transition between hovering flight and cruise flight, a second way of guiding air is provided for controlling the pitch of the aircraft. The structure for the second way of guiding air is arranged outside a zone defined by the air stream of the rotor.

Abstract: An engine inlet having strakes for landing speed reduction on a trapezoidal wing shaped aircraft, specifically the T-38. The strakes are mounted on the engine inlet just forward of the wing leading edge and well above the wing plane. The preferred strakes have an area greater than 3% of the wing area and are uncanted with respect to the wing. Use of the strakes forstalls wing buffet, yet exhibits well behaved longitudinal stability at high angles of attack thereby allowing operation of the aircraft at higher angles of attack and associated higher coefficients of lift, such as during landing, resulting in a reduction of the landing speed of the aircraft. Various strakes in the placement thereof are disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for stability and maneuver control using rotatable nose strakes to control forebody vortices at medium to high angles of attack are disclosed. In one form, small left and right nose strakes are supported on a member or members forming the forward most contours of the forebody. Supporting of the two strakes on a single member allows rotation of the two in unison, the angular position thereof controlling the asymmetry of the forebody vortices at higher angles of attack, while support of each strake on a separate forebody nose member allows individual strake control for the same purpose. In another embodiment, the strakes may be mounted on a nose boom for rotation about the axis of the nose boom, whereby rotation of the strakes about the nose boom axis affects the development of the forebody vortices and the asymmetry thereof. Various embodiments and methods of operation thereof are disclosed.

Abstract: An improved fighter aircraft has three primary lifting surfaces acting as wings on the airframe. The lifting surfaces are attached 120 degrees apart on the airframe so the fighter may turn in any direction without prior movements. The pilot has means to position himself to feel only positive g's in these maneuvers. A rotatable cockpit section, for example, moves independent of the airframe with the canard wings thereon. The pilot flies the cockpit section and the airframe with wings thereon responds accordingly.

Abstract: A flight vehicle includes a fuselage 10 having a consumable fuel supply 18,12, main wings 12 each with an elevon 14 and a pair of jettisonable foreplanes 16. The foreplanes provide lift at take-off and during transonic flight and, at higher supersonic speeds they are jettisoned.

Abstract: An unmanned aircraft is provided which dual turbo shaft engines diving contra-rotating propellers. A bow plane provides pitch control during normal aircraft cruising. The contra-rotating propellers generate a slipstream for wing and tail sections that permit the aircraft to execute hover without the use of complicated tiltable rotor or jet assemblies.

Abstract: A fuselage, particularly of a guided missile, having a rotatable nose body carrying a pair of similar strakes symmetricaly disposed about the body and for anchoring incidence generated vortices thereon.

Abstract: A tail sitter airplane will take off and land on its tail section, with its fuselage and nose pointed up. The airplane has a single driven propeller mounted to the nose section. Wings extend outward from the fuselage. Four airfoils locate in the tail section, two horizontal and two vertical. Each has a control surface. Four additional airfoils locate in a forward section, behind the propeller and in front of the wings. Two of the airfoils in the forward section are horizontal and two vertical. Movable control surfaces on these airfoils control the flight during takeoff and landing. The airfoils have chord lengths selected to remove the twist from the slip-stream from the propeller, thereby balancing the torque from the propeller.

Abstract: A canard based air speed, angle of attack and sideslip measurement system consisting of canard mounted pressure transducers. The canard includes a leading edge, a side surface, a bottom surface and a top surface. The apparatus includes pressure sensors including a plurality of flush orifice pressure sensors mounted on the canard further including a first configuration of pressure sensors flush mounted on the side surface, a second configuration of pressure sensors flush mounted on the bottom surface, a third configuration of pressure sensors mounted on the top surface, and a fourth configuration of pressure sensors mounted on the leading edge and wherein each pressure sensors provides an output signal and the combinations of all of the output signals are proportional to the angles of attack of the aircraft. A shaft encoder provides displacement angles for the canard.

Abstract: A pitch control trimming system for a canard design aircraft has the ability to reposition the center of gravity of the aircraft along the longitudinal axis. The design permits trimming of the aircraft without external trim tabs and permits flaps to be used on a canard design aircraft without a nose down or negative pitching moment occurring. The aircraft has a substantial mass associated with the aircraft preferably the power plant including engine and propeller, which is movable substantially along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and includes an actuator to move the mass forward and aft on the longitudinal axis to reposition the center of gravity of the aircraft.

Abstract: Actuated forebody strakes provide yaw control at high angles of attack. In one embodiment, the strakes are axially slidable in the forebody to be deployed out of slots provided for the strakes in the forebody. In another embodiment, the strakes are pivotally connected at the tip of the strakes to pivot radially outwardly out of the slots provided in the forebody. In another embodiment, the forebody is provided with either a single strake or two strakes and the forebody is rotatable to vary the radial location of the strake or strakes. All embodiments achieve significant yaw control capability over a wide angle of attack and sideslip ranges.

Abstract: A high altitude reconnaissance platform is implemented by an ultralight aircraft powered solely by long wave infrared cells mounted on the lower surfaces of the wings and the fuselage. The aircraft may be of the pusher, slow speed propeller style, with a larger rear wing and a small, canard-type front wing. The bottom of the fuselage may be flat. The two wings may be vertically offset from one-another, and the cross-section of the wings may be relatively thick, with the ratio of the width of the wings to their thickness being in the order of about 6 to 8.

Abstract: A ground-air-water craft comprises a fuselage body with a passenger compartment mounted thereon, a box-type main wing connected to the fuselage and extending outwardly on both sides thereof, the main wing comprising an upper wing and a lower wing which are substantially horizontal and which have a total wing span in the range of 5 to 10 feet, as well as a right side member and a left side member, each side member extending substantially vertically and connected between the lateral ends of the upper and lower wings on the respective right and left sides of the craft. The craft also comprises a control or canard wing connected to the fuselage and extending outwardly on both sides of the fuselage with a wing span no greater than 10 feet.

Abstract: A superagile tactical fighter aircraft and a method of flying it are disclosed. The superagile aircraft is characterized by articulatable air inlets, articulatable exhaust nozzles, highly deflectable canard surfaces, and control thruster jets located around the nose of the fuselage, on the top and bottom surfaces of the propulsion system near the exhaust nozzles, and on both sides of at least one vertical tail. The method of operating the superagile aircraft comprises the step of articulating the air inlets and exhaust nozzles, deflecting the canard surfaces, and vectoring the thruster jets so that supernormal flight is attained. Supernormal flight may be defined as flight at which the superagile aircraft operates at an angle of attack much greater than the angle of attack which produces maximum lift. In supernormal flight, the superagile aircraft is capable of almost vertical ascents, sharp turns, and very steep descents without losing control.

Abstract: A convertible airplane to automobile and visa versa, having a fuselage and three wings, including a forward canard wing, a foldable main wing and a secondary lift wing. The foldable wing is capable of folding to a size for safely driving the automobile on a roadway. All wings are used as ground effect airfoils for roadway use.

Abstract: A system with a canard disposed in a cage with canard fore and aft movement within the cage for trimming purposes. Rails support the cage and include both horizontal and inclined segments with the cage and canard inclined by the latter segments to increase the canard angle of attack to preserve the canard-stallfirst characteristic of the aircraft. A combined canard and flap control assures automatic advancement and inclining of the canard to counteract forward pitching of the aircraft caused by flap deployment.

Abstract: A vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft comprising a fuselage, a set canard wings, a set of lift fan wings, air deflectors, lift wings, and a pusher propeller. The canard wings are attached forward of the center of gravity to the fuselage. The lift fan wings are attached about the fuselage generally about the center of gravity of the aircraft. The lift fan wings comprise a generally circular duct extending vertically through the wing, a multi-bladed fan mounted for free rotation axially in the duct, and a prime mover connected to the fan for selectively applying rotational torque to the fan. The air deflectors are arranged about the lift fan wing in a louver-type of system for directing even flow of air to the fan. The lift wings are attached to the fuselage aft of the center of gravity of the aircraft and generally at a location vertically higher than the lift fan wings. The pusher propeller is connected to the prime mover and attached to the fuselage aft of the lift Jan wings.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling the yaw and pitch of air vehicles at high angles of attack by controlling the vortex pattern around the forebodies of the air vehicles by means of deflecting strakes 11 and 16.

Abstract: A high performance aircraft capable of subsonic, transonic and supersonic speeds employs a forward swept wing planform and at least one first-and-second-solution ejector located on the inboard section of the wing. A high degree of flow control on the inboard sections of the wing is achieved along with improved maneuverability and control of pitch, roll and yaw. Lift loss is delayed to higher angles of attack than in conventional aircraft. In one embodiment the ejectors may be advantageously positioned spanwise on the wing while the ductwork is kept to a minimum.

Abstract: This invention relates to an aircraft having three lift surfaces, and precisely a main wing lift surface located in an intermediate position of the aircraft and two less extended lift surfaces positioned, respectively, in a position ahead of the main wing surface and astern thereof.

Abstract: An airplane having a number of airfoils including a delta nose wing, a winglet, a midspan wing, a V-tail delta wing without an upswept fuselage, a vertical tail and upper body stabilizer. These airfoils are coupled with a system of four jet engines and an aft center of gravity. Full control of the airplane is possible under high maneuverability conditions, extremely high accelerations and at large angles of attack. The delta nose wing creates swirling vortices that contribute substantially to the lift of the nose section. The winglet, an extension of the delta nose wing, allows the turbulent wake from the leading edge of the delta nose wing to flow over its upper surface to create additional lift while the midspan wing causes the turbulent flow over its upper surface to form a turbulent wake at its leading edge. The V-tail delta wing with a V-shaped underside and blunt leading edge gives additional lift and control to the airplane.

Abstract: This invention relates to a tandem or multi-winged aircraft wherein a primary wing system is so designed and equipped that it is capable of being actuated in a manner to bring about a shift in the neutral point of the craft relative to its center of gravity and wherein a secondary wing system located ahead of the primary one and movable fore and aft relative to the latter is deployed and angled during its excursion so as to effectively counteract the neutral point shift that would be brought about by deploying the primary wing system alone thereby maintaining the neutral point at approximately its former location in at least both the cruise mode as well as the high-lift mode preferred for landing and take-off.

Abstract: A fixed-wing aircraft with tandem lifting surfaces has monoplane main wings secured in an intermediate area of the fuselage and a horizontal tail surface with at least one stabilizer plane mounted at the tail of the fuselage. A third supporting surface on the fuselage is in tandem arrangement with the other supporting surfaces. The third supporting surface is a canard surface positioned ahead of the center of gravity of the aircraft.

Abstract: Canards are pivotally mounted on the fuselage of a variable sweep wing jet aircraft and project laterally with respect to the fuselage forwardly of the wings. The canards are positioned and configured to produce pitch control moments about the center of gravity. Thrust-vectoring devices extend from the jet engines of the aircraft for varying the thrust direction of such engines. A control system is mounted in the fuselage and extends to the wings, the canards and the thrust-vectoring devices for controlling the wings in angular positions relative to the fuselage, controlling the canards in rotary position relative to the fuselage and controlling the thrust-vectoring devices to control the thrust direction. The positions are controlled in coordination to overcome pitch departure, deep stall and spin, which might otherwise occur due to lack of nose-down pitch power, while also optimizing supersonic cruise and transonic maneuver performance of the aircraft.

Abstract: A pair of vanes (26, 28) extend laterally outwardly from the fuselage (10) of a swept wing aircraft immediately forwardly of the wings (12, 14). The preferred vanes (26, 28) have a trapezoidal plan form, an outwardly tapering thickness and an airfoil cross-sectional configuration. The vanes (26, 28) are substantially aligned with streamlines (46) during level flight. In a maneuver the vanes generate vortices which flow rearwardly over the upper surfaces of the inboard portions of the wings (12, 14), causing the inboard portions of the wings (12, 14) to stall at lower angles of attack than that of the wings (12, 14) alone would otherwise dictate and a raising of the downwash of the wings in the region of the tail. This lifting of the downwash results in the horizontal stabilizers (16, 18) of the tail being effective to create moments in opposition to "pitchup" of the aircraft.

Abstract: A pair of canards (18, 20) are mounted to the fuselage (22) of an aircraft (10). Each canard is mounted to the fuselage by a hinge (44) for vertical swinging movement. Connected to the hinge (44) is a trunnion (72) about which the canard rotates for incidence adjustment. The hinge (44) for each canard is independently powered by a drive motor (58) enabling the canards (18, 20) to be vertically moved either symmetrically or asymmetrically. Incidence is changed by a rotary actuator housed within the trunnion (72) for each canard. The rotary actuator for each canard is independently operable enabling the canards (18, 20) to be symmetrically or asymmetrically rotated.

Abstract: The invention relates to an aircraft provided on either side of its fuselage with at least one lift structure constituted by at least two wings whose distal ends are connected either to each other or to at least one wing element, each structure forming in front elevation of said fuselage a closed polygon, and comprising an upper wing and a lower wing, the zone of attachment of the latter on the fuselage possibly being offset in the direction of the streamline flow with respect to the zone of attachment of the upper wing. According to the invention, each of the wings is made so that the values of the moment of inertia and of the lift, both varying as a function of the longitudinal distance, each take a maximum value at a zone of the wing other than the root. The invention is more particularly applicable to aircraft with multiple wing elements.

Abstract: A V/STOL aircraft comprising a fuselage, having three sets of wings that are offset lengthwise and vertically. The center set of relatively small relatively thick wings 34 between the canard 14 and the rear relatively thin relatively large aerodynamic lift wings 18 are equipped with identical lift fans 36 enclosed in the wing by upper and lower movable slotted deflectors 40. The attitude of the slatted deflectors may be varied to transition the present invention from hovering to forward flight, and vice versa. The present invention's lift fans are interconnected by a balanced power distribution system, to insure constant, efficient use of total power and provide symmetrical lift about the aircraft's center of gravity resistibility. In the event of an engine failure, the remaining lift is still properly distributed to maintain symmetrical lift, so as to maintain balance and operational control of the aircraft in the lift mode.

Abstract: An aircraft 10 includes a pair of aerodynamic control members 11 pivotally mounted one to each side of the cockpit, each for movement about a pivotal axis P. A probe 13 is carried adjacent the outboard end of each control member in a predetermined orientation by fixed support means 25 anchored to the aircraft body and extending through the aerodynamic control member 11 adjacent the pivotal axis P. By this arrangement, the probe 13 remains in its predetermined orientation with respect to the aircraft irrespective of the angular disposition of the control member. The probe may be an air-data probe.

Abstract: This invention relates to an aircraft having three lift surfaces, and precisely a main wing lift surface located in an intermediate position of the aircraft and two less extended lift surfaces positioned, respectively, in a position ahead of the main wing surface and astern thereof.

Abstract: A superagile tactical fighter aircraft and a method of flying it are disclosed. The superagile aircraft is characterized by articulatable air inlets, articulatable exhaust nozzles, highly deflectable canard surfaces, and control thruster jets located around the nose of the fuselage, on the top and bottom surfaces of the propulsion system near the exhaust nozzles, and on both sides of at least one vertical tail. The method of operating the superagile aircraft comprises the step of articulating the air inlets and exhaust nozzles, deflecting the canard surfaces, and vectoring the thruster jets so that supernormal flight is attained. Supernormal flight may be defined as flight at which the superagile aircraft operates at an angle of attack much greater than the angle of attack which produces maximum lift. In supernormal flight, the superagile aircraft is capable of almost vertical ascents, sharp turns, and very steep descents without losing control.