| 摘要 |
1395652 VTOL aircraft SHORT BROS & HARLAND Ltd 29 Aug 1973 [1 Sept 1972] 40721/72 Heading B7W A V.T.O.L. aircraft, intended to be operated as a drone comprises an annular wing 4 which forms a shroud for a ducted propeller 1 driven by an engine 2 and supported from the shroud by rigid radial arms 5, the propeller having blades la positioned above stator blades 14. The engine carries a nose cone 7 housing a fuel tank. Wings 3 of planar configuration, with flat faces and a low aspect ratio delta profile is positioned in a common diametral plane on opposite sides of wing 4 with an adjustable control surface 11 extending from wing tip to wing tip and within the airflow from propeller 1. A further pair of control surfaces 12, which may be operated in unison or differentially, extend at right angles to and on either side of surface 11, also within the propeller airstream. The aircraft is supported on the ground for vertical take off by legs 6 and in this attitude when viewed normal to the plane of its intended line of flight the axis of the engine is tilted forwardly by about 10 degrees to the vertical and the plane containing the wing leading edge is set at right angles to the axis of the engine thereby assisting air flow into the duct during the take off manoeuvre. In alternative embodiments the wings 13 extend forward of the leading edge of wing 4 and are secured to nose cone 7 and the wings 13 and control surface 11 are offset from the axis of the duct. |
