Tandem-rotor gyroplane
First Claim
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1. An autogiro comprising:
- a fuselage having forward, rearward, port and starboard regions;
a power unit capable of propelling said fuselage;
forward and rearward non-powered rotor units mounted in tandem on said fuselage, each rotor unit being capable of tilting movement with respect to said fuselage in any selecteda first control input device operatively connected to said forward rotor unit wherein manipulation of said first control input device causes tilting movement of said forward rotor unit in any selected azimuth with respect to said fuselage.
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Abstract
A tandem-rotor autogiro has a control system that facilitates operation of the tandem-rotor autogiro by fixed-wing aircraft pilots, without the requirement of extensive additional flight training. The autogiro includes forward and rearward non-powered rotors mounted in tandem on the fuselage of the aircraft. The forward rotor is controlled by manipulation of a control stick, and the rearward rotor is controlled by manipulation of foot operated pedals and trim control sticks. In a preferred embodiment the forward rotor is mounted in a plane vertically above a plane of the rearward rotor so as to facilitate an efficient aerodynamic air flow through the rotors.
82 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An autogiro comprising:
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a fuselage having forward, rearward, port and starboard regions; a power unit capable of propelling said fuselage; forward and rearward non-powered rotor units mounted in tandem on said fuselage, each rotor unit being capable of tilting movement with respect to said fuselage in any selected a first control input device operatively connected to said forward rotor unit wherein manipulation of said first control input device causes tilting movement of said forward rotor unit in any selected azimuth with respect to said fuselage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An autogiro comprising:
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an aircraft body; a power unit capable of propelling said aircraft body; fore and aft auto-rotating airfoils mounted on said aircraft body and being capable of tilting movement with respect to said aircraft body in any selected azimuth; and a control input device capable of causing tilting movement of said aft auto-rotating airfoil in any selected azimuth with respect to said aircraft body so as to maneuver said aircraft body during flight. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An autogiro comprising:
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an aircraft body; a power unit capable of propelling said aircraft body; first and second non-powered rotors mounted on said aircraft body and being capable of independently controlled tilting movement in any selected azimuth with respect to said aircraft body wherein the first rotor is mounted on the aircraft body forward of the second rotor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An autogiro comprising:
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a fuselage having forward, rearward, port and starboard regions; a power unit capable of propelling said fuselage; forward and rearward non-powered rotor units mounted in tandem on said fuselage, each rotor unit being capable of tilting movement in any selected azimuth with respect to said fuselage; and a conventional rotary wing aircraft control system operatively connected to said non-powered rotor units;
said control system including;a control stick mounted within said fuselage and wherein forward manipulation of said control stick causes attendant forward tilting movement of said forward rotor unit with respect to said fuselage and wherein rearward manipulation of said control stick causes attendant rearward tilting movement of said forward rotor unit with respect to said fuselage; and
wherein manipulation of said control stick toward the port region of the fuselage causes attendant tilting movement of said forward rotor unit toward the port region of the fuselage and wherein manipulation of said control stick toward the starboard region of the fuselage causes attendant tilting movement of said forward rotor unit toward the starboard region of the fuselage;wherein said control system is operatively connected to said rearward rotor unit wherein manipulation of said conventional rotary wing aircraft control system causes corresponding port and starboard tilting movement of said rearward rotor unit with respect to said fuselage, and said control system includes first and second pedals mounted within said fuselage and wherein forward manipulation of said first pedal causes attendant tilting movement of said rearward rotor unit toward the port region of the fuselage and wherein forward manipulation of said second pedal causes attendant tilting movement of said rearward rotor unit toward the starboard region of the fuselage; and
wherein manipulation of said aircraft control causes corresponding forward and rearward tilting movement of said rearward rotor unit with respect to said fuselage, wherein said control system is operable to tilt said forward and rearward non-powered rotor units in any selected azimuth reactive to said fuselage. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification