Abstract: A tiltrotor aircraft includes a spanwise-flow redirector having a pair of flow-redirection panels respectively mounted on the aircraft's mid-fuselage area for rotation about a panel pivot axis between a stowed position and a deployed position. In the stowed position, each panel is substantially flush with an adjacent surface of the mid-fuselage area. In the deployed position, each panel is raised into the path of one of the inbound spanwise flows generated by the aircraft's rotors during hover operation, whereupon each panel redirects the respective one of the inbound spanwise flows either forward or aft of the other inbound spanwise flow. In this manner, the deployed panels prevent stagnation of the inbound spanwise flow atop the mid-fuselage area while further serving to minimize re-ingestion of merged spanwise flow into the rotors, resulting in decreased airframe download forces, increased rotor thrust, and reduced noise levels during hover operation.

Abstract: Rotor blade stowing system for stowing rotor blades that conserves storage space without adding significant weight or cost to the aircraft. The system includes a rotary actuator disposed on a blade grip member. A rotor blade is pivotally connected to the blade grip member. The rotary actuator is operably coupled to a blade pivoting cam and a locking cam. The system includes a cam follower linkage which has a first end which includes a blade pivoting cam follower and a locking cam follower and a second end. The blade pivoting cam follower follows the blade pivoting cam. The locking cam follower follows the locking cam. The second end of the cam follower linkage is coupled to the blade grip member. The system includes a shaft rotatably coupled to the blade grip member, a locking linkage bell crank operably coupled to the shaft, a delay cam coupled to the blade grip member, and a locking linkage idler operably coupled to the locking linkage bell crank.

Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft has a fuselage with a wing located above the fuselage at the rearward end and with a horizontal stabilizer located at the forward end. The propellers are mounted on booms separate from the wings and located just behind the center of gravity of the aircraft. The propellers are pivotable between horizontal and vertical axes and brakes are provided to allow locking of propeller position. When the brakes are released, the propellers automatically pivot between vertical and horizontal orientations and vice-versa based upon control of the aircraft by the pilot.

Abstract: A hybrid aircraft is taught having VTOL, R-VTOL and S-STOL capabilities. The aircraft has a lifting body hull and four wing sections arranged in tandem which are pivotally moveable about their neutral axis. Each wing section has mounted thereon a pivotal propeller-rotor assembly for providing thrust substantially in a range between horizontal and vertical. The wings and propellers are integrated to the hull by an outrigger designed to be very stiff and to distribute forces from the wings and propellers to the hull. The hull is shaped to provide aerodynamic lift in an airstream and to facilitate construction by minimizing the number of panels of differing curvature required. The hull is formed of a pressure tensioned frame covered with semi-rigid panels, a lower cladding frame and bow and stem cladding nose cones. The semi-rigid panels covering the frame are formed of gas-tight and abrasion resistant laminate material and are connected to the frame by means of an interface rib and latch system.

Abstract: The vehicle includes a fuselage; a plurality of lifting surfaces attached to the fuselage having control devices attached thereto; and, an articulated propulsion system attached to the fuselage. The propulsion system includes a duct assembly pivotally connected to the fuselage. The duct assembly includes a duct and a propeller assembly mounted within the duct. A motor assembly is connected to the propeller assembly. The duct assembly may be positioned in a substantially vertical position to provide sufficient direct vertical thrust for vertical take-off and landing and may be directed in other positions to provide a varying spectrum of take-off and landing configurations, as well as a substantially horizontal position for high speed horizontal flight. Use of the control surface in the ducted propulsion assembly provides VTOL capability in a very small environment. The environment is not required to be prepared in any special manner.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tiltrotor helicopter comprising a fuselage (1), a wing arrangement (2) and at least one power plant (5), and including two contrarotating, cyclically controllable rotors (7, 8) which are spaced from one another in the longitudinal direction of the fuselage and arranged substantially on a longitudinal axis of the fuselage (1) as well as being respectively tiltable out of a first tilted position for helicopter flight into a second tilted position for airplane flight, the first rotor (7) being arranged at the front end of the fuselage (1) and substantially above the same and the second rotor (8) being arranged at the rear end of the fuselage (1) and substantially beneath the same, and the first rotor (7) being tiltable about a tilting axis (17) extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage (1) out of the first tilted position downwardly and in front of the fuselage (1) into the second tilting position and the second rotor (8) being tiltable about a ti

Abstract: The transport facility with dynamic air cushion, which has a hull, a wing with flaps, and a tail empennage. A power system turns propellers connected with a transmission. The propellers are installed in front of the wing. Pneumatic cylinders are located at the ends of the wings parallel to the fore-and-aft axis of the transport facility. The engine is installed inside the hull and the propellers, used for a power-augmented ram technique, are driven by the transmission system connected to the engine. Turning pylons connected to the propeller bosses change the propellers rotation plane within the angle (.alpha.=0.degree.-80.degree.). The pylons are installed on the hull. The tail empennage consists of two fins and a stabilizer installed on the fins. A retractable elastic pneumatic ski is installed at the lower bow surface of the hull. The lower surface of the ski, in a release position, is located below the lower surface of the side pneumatic cylinders.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft has an upwardly-open U-shaped channel extending from a front edge to a rear edge of each of two fixed wings and a thrust providing device, such as a propeller, mounted for tilting at the rear end of the channel. The thrust providing device has an inlet at which low pressure is produced by drawing in air along a path and the thrust providing device is tilted to vary the angle of the air drawing-in path relative to the wing and effect vertical take-off and landing by variably enhancing the lift of the wing.

Abstract: A tilt wing VTOL aircraft has a fuselage with sides and an upper surface, an upper wing having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a chord, a lower surface and an upper surface. The wing is pivotally mounted on the fuselage for rotation from a cruise flight position in which the upper surface of the wing is flush with the upper surface of the fuselage to a hover position in which the wing is perpendicular to the upper surface of the fuselage. Aircraft engines are mounted on the wing. The aircraft has a pair of flaps at the trailing edge of the wing, each located between the fuselage and an engine and each spaced the same distance from the fuselage and each of the engines. The flaps are mounted for selective movement from colinearity with the chord of the wing to a first angle of about +30.degree. with the chord and about 30.degree. with the upper surface of the wing and to a second angle of about -30.degree. with the chord and about 30.degree. with the lower surface of the wing.

Abstract: A tiltwing aircraft, capable of in-flight conversion between a hover and forward cruise mode, employs a counter-rotating proprotor arrangement which permits a significantly increased cruise efficiency without sacrificing either the size of the conversion envelope or the wing efficiency. A benefit in hover is also provided because of the lower effective disk loading for the counter-rotating proprotor, as opposed to a single rotation proprotor of the same diameter. At least one proprotor is provided on each wing section, preferably mounted on the wingtip, with each proprotor having two counter-rotating blade rows. Each blade row has a plurality of blades which are relatively stiff-in-plane and are mounted such that cyclic pitch adjustments may be made for hover control during flight.

Abstract: System for reducing vibrations in the cabin of an aircraft driven by two or more propellers each having n blades (n being an integer equal or larger than 2) of which the relative phase angle can be adjusted, said system comprising synchrophase means for adjusting said relative phase angle such that a predetermined relative phase angle is maintained. The system furthermore comprises means supplying information about the vibration level at one or more positions within the cabin or thereto related information and for generating a thereto corresponding level signal, and a control unit which in response to said level signal supplies an error signal to the synchrophase means causing the synchrophase means to adjust the blades of the various propellers such that a new relative phase angle is maintained which differs m.(2.pi./n) radians (m being an integer) from the previous relative phase angle.

Abstract: A tilt wing VTOL aircraft has an upper wing with a leading edge, a trailing edge, an inboard area adjacent the fuselage, spaced opposite end tip areas and an upper surface. The wing is pivotally mounted on the fuselage for rotation from a cruise position in which the upper surface of the wing is flush with the upper surface of the fuselage to a hover position in which the wing is perpendicular to the upper surface of the fuselage. The wing has a forward portion in the leading edge of the inboard area affixed to the fuselage and cut out of the wing and an aft portion in the trailing edge of the inboard area affixed to the fuselage and cut out of the wing.

Abstract: A drive system for a tiltrotor aircraft that provides for the operation of both proprotors by either engine or by both engines. The drive system provides an interconnecting drive shaft that extends between and connects the engines in such a manner that power is transferred from one engine to the opposite proprotor in the case of an engine failure. Also, the arrangement provides for the operation of a redundant essential systems for the aircraft should an electrical or hydraulic system fail to operate properly.

Abstract: A rotor system for a rotor convertible fixed winged aircraft comprising a rotatable rotor shaft mounted on one of the wings of the aircraft, the shaft tiltable between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position, a rotor mounted to the shaft and including at least one blade, the blade having an adjustable blade angle relative to the shaft, apparatus for tilting the shaft between the vertical and horizontal positions, controls responsive to the tilting of the shaft for automatically adjusting the blade angle of a blade to an autogyro blade angle when the shaft is in the vertical position and to a substantially feathered blade angle when the shaft is in the horizontal position.

Abstract: An airborne craft with at least four propellers arranged in a front propeller pair and a rear propeller pair having substantial vertical or forwardly inclined axes has hydraulic motors which drive the propellers. A pumping device supplies two pairs of separated flows to the motors. One pair of the flows has fixed delivery and equal flow quantities per revolution of the pump while the other pair has variable flow-rates but the flow quantities of both flows of the variable flow pair are also equal relatively to each other. One of the flow pairs drives the front propellers at equal speeds and the other pair of flows drives the rear propellers with equal speeds. But the variability of the rates of flow of one of the pairs of flows is utilized to let one of the pairs run with a different rotary velocity of the propellers than the other pair.

Abstract: A power unit for a hang-glider (1) or the like comprises a combustion motor (2) connected to one end of a drive shaft (9) and a propeller (10) connected to the other end of the drive shaft. To enable the power unit to be used both with pulling or traction-force propellers and pushing propellers (10) there is provided between the drive shaft (9) and the shaft (22) of the propeller (10) a flexible coupling (14) which enables the angle between the drive shaft and the propeller shaft to be adjusted at least in a vertical direction.

Abstract: A fuselage is provided including front and rear ends, opposite side and top and bottom portions. A pair of laterally spaced front-to-rear extending elongated support structures are supported from opposite sides of the fuselage with the front and rear ends of the support structures extending forward and rearward of the fuselage. A pair of front and rear tubular wings are oscillatably supported between the front and rear ends of the support structures for angular displacement about axes extending between corresponding ends of the support structures and disposed generally along diametric planes of the tubular wings. The tubular wings include inlet and discharge ends and control structure is connected between the tubular wings and the support structures operative to simultaneously and equally angularly adjust the tubular wings relative to the support structures between upright positions with the inlet ends opening upwardly and horizontal positions with the inlet ends opening forwardly.