Portable helicopter

• US 4,071,206 A
• Filed: 09/20/1976
• Issued: 01/31/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aerospace General Company
• Original Assignee: Aerospace General Company
• Inventors: Magill, Gilbert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen L.
• Application Number:
  US05/724,528
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 244/8, 244/17.11, 244/17.13, 244/17.17, 244/17.25, 244/17.27, 244/17.19, 244/17.21, 244/83 R, 244/83 F, 244/108, 244/138 A, 244/141, 244/4 A, 416/142, 416/21, 180/33 R, 180/90, D12/110, D12/178, D12/175, D12/177
• US Class Current: 244/17.11
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/50 Blades foldable to facilitate stowage of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/026 for use as personal propulsion unit

Abstract

A basic lightweight helicopter frame is strapped to the body of a pilot and includes vertical side bars interconnected above the pilot'"'"'s head to rotatably support a bladed rotor assembly and carry a rearwardly extending tail rotor assembly. The lower ends of the side bars carry fuel tanks from which rocket engines at the tips of the rotor blades draw fuel. A control assembly is supported at the upper end of the frame and extends forwardly therefrom for easy access by the pilot. The aircraft includes an attachable landing gear and an attachable pusher blade and engine assembly which can be used when desired.

Claims

1. In a rotary wing aircraft, a substantially "A"-shaped frame having an upper vertex portion and a pair of downwardly diverging side bars, one each of which side bars is pivotally mounted to one of the free ends of the upper vertex portion, means for adjusting the upper vertex portion of the frame and the side bars to control the position of a vertical lift axis spaced forwardly of and laterally between said side bars, harness means for attaching the frame to at least one pilot of the aircraft, the vertical lift axis being adjustable to the individual trim of the pilot by means of the adjusting means, rotor means mounted by the frame and having rotor blades, rocket means mounted on said blades for powered rotation thereof about the vertical lift axis, tail boom means connected to the frame, and means for controlling the aircraft.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tail boom means comprise:

an elongated boom pivotally connected at its inner end to the upper vertex portion of the frame, the boom extending downwardly and rearwardly of the frame;

stabilizer means mounted on the outer end of the boom; and

;

tail rotor means pivotally mounted on the boom between the inner end and the outer end of said boom.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 and further comprising:

a pair of links pivotally connected to the boom medially of its length, each of the links extending from said boom downwardly to pivotally connect with one each of the side bars of the frame.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the tail rotor means comprises a variable pitch rotor.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 and further comprising:

means for controlling the angular relation of the boom to the frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the last-mentioned means comprise:

a control stick pivotally mounted to the frame and extending forwardly thereof;

means pivotally mounting said control stick to the frame, said means pivotally mounting the inner end of the tail boom to the frame; and

,

instrument means located on the outer end of the control stick, the outer end of the control stick being disposed in oppositely facing relation to the face of the pilot.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:

forward thrust means mounted to the frame on the rear thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the forward thrust means comprise:

prime mover means disposed under the pilot, the center of gravity of the prime mover means beging substantially disposed on the vertical lift axis;

rotor blade means rotatably mounted to the frame on the rear thereof and vertically spaced from the prime mover means for propelling the aircraft in a forward direction substantially perpendicular to said vertical lift axis; and

,

means for driving the rotor blade means from the output of the prime mover means.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:

a pair of skids connected to the frame, the skids having forward and rear ends, the rear end of each of the skids being angularly turned upwardly from main body portions of said skids; and

,

a wheel mounted for rotation at the outer end of the rear end of each of the skids, said wheels being raised off the ground when the skids are flat on the ground, the aircraft being rollably supported by the wheels when the aircraft is tilted rearwardly.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising landing gear means detachably connected to the frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotor blades are foldable adjacent to the vertical lift axis and medially of the length of each of the rotor blades.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the side bars of the frame have lower end portions extending forwardly of each of said side bars and forwardly of the vertical lift axis, the apparatus further comprising:

a pair of fuel tanks detachably mounted one each on said lower end portion of the side bars, said fuel tanks each extending forwardly and rearwardly of the vertical lift axis.