HYBRID JET/ELECTRIC VTOL AIRCRAFT
First Claim
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1. A fixed-wing VTOL or STOVL aircraft, comprising:
- an airframe comprising a fuselage and wings;
a thrust-producing gas turbine engine;
an electrical generator that is driven by said gas turbine engine to generate electricity;
a plurality of electric lift-producing fans distributed across said airframe; and
an electrical system configured and arranged to provide electricity generated by said electrical generator to said electric fans to power said electric fans.
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Abstract
A fixed-wing VTOL aircraft features an array of electric lift fans distributed over the surface of the aircraft. A generator is (selectively) coupled to the gas turbine engine of the aircraft. During VTOL operation of the aircraft, the engine drives the generator to generate electricity to power the lifting fans. Power to the lifting fans is reduced as the aircraft gains forward speed and is increasingly supported by the wings.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A fixed-wing VTOL or STOVL aircraft, comprising:
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an airframe comprising a fuselage and wings; a thrust-producing gas turbine engine; an electrical generator that is driven by said gas turbine engine to generate electricity; a plurality of electric lift-producing fans distributed across said airframe; and an electrical system configured and arranged to provide electricity generated by said electrical generator to said electric fans to power said electric fans. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of operating an aircraft, the aircraft having wings, a thrust-producing gas turbine engine, an electrical generator driven by the engine, and a plurality of electrically driven lifting fans, said method comprising:
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a) lifting the aircraft off of a surface using the lifting fans to lift at least some of the weight of the aircraft, wherein the lifting fans are powered by electricity generated by the generator; b) decreasing the amount of lift generated by the lifting fans, whereby the lifting fans support a decreased amount of the weight of the aircraft; c) increasing thrust produced by the engine and directing at least a component of the thrust in a rearward direction so as to move the aircraft in a forward direction, whereby the wings support an increased amount of the weight of the aircraft; d) repeating steps b) and c). - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of operating a fixed-wing aircraft, the aircraft having a thrust-producing gas turbine engine, an electrical generator, and a plurality of electrically driven lifting fans, said method comprising:
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driving the generator with the gas turbine engine to generate electricity; driving the lifting fans with the electricity generated by the generator; hovering the aircraft supported at least in part on lift created by the lifting fans. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method of improving the lifting power loading efficiency of a fixed-wing, gas turbine engine-powered VTOL or STOVL aircraft, comprising distributing the lifting power produced by the gas turbine engine to a series of electric lifting fans distributed over the body of the aircraft by converting mechanical power produced by the gas turbine engines to electrical power and using the electrical power to drive the series of electric lifting fans.
Specification