CN117550067A

CN117550067A - Aircraft

Info

Publication number: CN117550067A
Application number: CN202410034614.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张鑫; 汤继斌; 张明玉; 李高洋; 张倬铭
Original assignee: Qinghang Aerospace Beijing Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Qinghang Aerospace Beijing Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2024-01-10
Filing date: 2024-01-10
Publication date: 2024-02-13

Abstract

The application discloses an aircraft, include: the structural system comprises a bearing main body and a plurality of supporting arms extending from the periphery of the bearing main body; the vector thrust system comprises a plurality of first deflection mechanisms correspondingly arranged on the plurality of support arms and a plurality of groups of power devices correspondingly arranged on the plurality of first deflection mechanisms; the first deflection mechanism is movably connected with the supporting arm and is arranged to adjust the power output direction of the power device so as to control the gesture of the aircraft.

Description

Aircraft

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to aircraft technology, and more particularly to an aircraft.

Background

In the civil field, the medium and small aircraft has the advantages of simple structure and low cost, and also has wide application in the aspects of meteorological observation, environment detection, geodetic survey, disaster prevention, disaster relief, military and the like. In particular in the military field, the medium and small aircraft has good concealment and is particularly suitable for being used as a reconnaissance and attack weapon. But the existing aircraft has lower flight flexibility and stability, and brings great potential safety hazard to the aircraft.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an aircraft with higher flight stability and flexibility.

The application provides an aircraft, comprising: the structural system comprises a bearing main body and a plurality of supporting arms extending from the periphery of the bearing main body; the vector thrust system comprises a plurality of first deflection mechanisms correspondingly arranged on the plurality of support arms and a plurality of groups of power devices correspondingly arranged on the plurality of first deflection mechanisms; the first deflection mechanism is movably connected with the supporting arm and is arranged to adjust the power output direction of the power device so as to control the gesture of the aircraft.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of groups of power devices are distributed in an array and symmetrically arranged along the width direction of the aircraft; and/or a set of said power plants comprises one or more engines.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first deflection mechanism is rotatably connected with the supporting arm and is configured to drive the power device to rotate around a first rotation axis relative to the supporting arm so as to adjust the power output direction of the power device; the first axis of rotation extends in a width direction of the structural system and is arranged to control a pitch attitude of the aircraft.

In one exemplary embodiment, the first deflection mechanism includes a cartridge, and the power device is sleeved on the cartridge;

the vector thrust system further comprises a first rotating shaft and a first driving device, wherein the first rotating shaft is connected with the cylinder seat and the supporting arm, and the first driving device is connected with the first rotating shaft and is arranged to drive the first rotating shaft to rotate so as to drive the cylinder seat and the power device to rotate around the first rotating shaft.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first yaw mechanism is configured to adjust a power output direction of the power plant to control a pitch attitude of the aircraft;

the vector thrust system further includes a second yaw mechanism configured to adjust a power output direction of the power plant to control a yaw attitude and a roll attitude of the aircraft.

In one exemplary embodiment, the power plant includes a main body, and a nozzle connected to the main body; the second deflection mechanism is correspondingly arranged with the spray pipe and is arranged to adjust the air flow direction sprayed by the spray pipe so as to adjust the power output direction of the power device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second deflection mechanism includes a nozzle cap provided at an outlet end of the nozzle and swingable with respect to the nozzle to adjust a direction of the air flow sprayed by the nozzle;

the vector thrust system further comprises a second rotating shaft and a second driving device, wherein the second rotating shaft is directly or indirectly connected with the spray pipe cover; the second driving device is connected with the second rotating shaft and is arranged to drive the second rotating shaft to rotate so as to drive the spray pipe cover to swing around the second rotating shaft.

In an exemplary embodiment, the power device further includes a connection seat connected with the main body and provided at a circumferential side of the nozzle, and the second rotation shaft connects the nozzle cover and the connection seat.

In an exemplary embodiment, the power plant includes a plurality of engines, the second deflection mechanism includes a plurality of nozzle caps respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of engines of a group of power plants, and the second deflection mechanism further includes a linkage shaft connecting the plurality of nozzle caps.

In one exemplary embodiment, the plurality of sets of power devices are located on an upper side of a center of gravity of the aircraft and are distributed around a center location of the aircraft.

In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft further comprises a flight control system arranged on the structural system, wherein the flight control system comprises a flight controller electrically connected with the vector thrust system, a control device connected with the flight controller, a sensor for sensing flight information and a display device; the flight controller is configured to receive signals sent by the control device and the sensor to control the vector thrust system and display the signals through the display device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the carrying body includes a head portion, a tail portion, and a seat body connecting the head portion and the tail portion, the head portion is provided with a protection device, and the manipulation device includes an operation handle provided at the head portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft further comprises an energy system provided to the structural system and configured to provide energy to the power plant; the energy system comprises a plurality of oil tanks distributed on the bearing main body.

In one exemplary embodiment, the structural system further includes a plurality of support legs supporting the load bearing body, and support wheels provided on the support legs.

In one exemplary embodiment, the power plant includes at least one engine that employs a micro turbojet or turbofan engine.

Compared with the related art, the aircraft provided by the embodiment of the application can adjust the thrust direction of the power device of the aircraft by arranging the vector thrust system so as to control the attitude of the aircraft, and flexible flight of the aircraft is realized.

Additional features and advantages of the application will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the application. Other advantages of the present application may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide an understanding of the technical aspects of the present application, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the technical aspects of the present application and together with the examples of the present application, and not constitute a limitation of the technical aspects of the present application.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a top view of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a side directional view of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a mechanical schematic diagram of stability adjustment of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a partial view of a first deflector mechanism portion of the vector thrust system of the aircraft of FIG. 1 in a first flight state;

FIG. 6 is a partial view of a first deflector mechanism portion of the vector thrust system of the aircraft of FIG. 1 in a second flight state;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vector thrust system of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a vector thrust system of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a view of a second deflector mechanism of a vector thrust system of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application in a third flight state;

fig. 10 is a view of a second deflector mechanism of a vector thrust system of an aircraft of an embodiment of the present application in a fourth flight state.

Detailed Description

The present application describes a number of embodiments, but the description is illustrative and not limiting and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the drawings and discussed in the detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are possible. Any feature or element of any embodiment may be used in combination with or in place of any other feature or element of any other embodiment unless specifically limited.

The present application includes and contemplates combinations of features and elements known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments, features and elements of the present disclosure may also be combined with any conventional features or elements to form a unique inventive arrangement as defined in the claims. Any feature or element of any embodiment may also be combined with features or elements from other inventive arrangements to form another unique inventive arrangement as defined in the claims. Thus, it should be understood that any of the features shown and/or discussed in this application may be implemented alone or in any suitable combination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Further, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Furthermore, in describing representative embodiments, the specification may have presented the method and/or process as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. Other sequences of steps are possible as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. Furthermore, the claims directed to the method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1-10, embodiments of the present application provide an aircraft 100 that may be used for manned flight, including a structural system 1 and a vector thrust system 2. The structural system 1 comprises a bearing main body 10 and a plurality of supporting arms 11 extending from the periphery of the bearing main body 10; the vector thrust system 2 includes a plurality of first deflector mechanisms 20 mounted to the plurality of support arms 11, respectively, and a plurality of sets of power units 21 mounted to the plurality of deflector mechanisms 20, respectively. The first deflection mechanism 20 is movably connected with the support arm 11 and is configured to adjust the power output direction of the power device 21, thereby controlling the attitude of the aircraft 100.

The aircraft 100 of the embodiment of the application can adjust the thrust direction of the power device 21 of the aircraft 100 by arranging the vector thrust system 2 so as to control the gesture of the aircraft 100, thereby realizing flexible flight of the aircraft 100.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the carrying body 10 in this embodiment includes a head 101, a tail 102, and a seat body 103 connecting the head 101 and the tail 102, so that a person can fly in the air in a riding posture, and a mechanical interface can be provided for other systems. The head 101 is provided with a guard 1011, the guard 1011 comprising a head fairing, a windscreen or the like. The carrying body 10 further includes a cushion, a buffer, etc. provided to the seat body 103 to increase riding comfort. The carrying body 10 may be designed to carry a person in other postures such as sitting posture, prone posture, and is not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 1, the structural system 1 in this embodiment further includes a plurality of support legs 12 for supporting the bearing body 10, and support wheels 120 disposed on the support legs 12, so as to realize floor support and sliding.

As shown in fig. 1, the power plant 21 in this embodiment includes at least one engine that is a microturbine engine. In other embodiments, a turbofan engine may be used, without limitation.

The power device 21 in the embodiment adopts the design of an turbojet engine array based on a large thrust-weight ratio, so that vertical take-off and landing and high maneuvering flight are realized, the unit volume load is increased by 5-6 times compared with that of a helicopter and an electric rotor wing type aircraft, and the unit volume range is increased by 4-5 times. The turbojet engine is an engine which relies on the gas flow to generate thrust, has the advantages of high thrust-weight ratio, low cost, high energy density and the like, and is very suitable for being used as a power driving device of a medium-small aircraft.

As shown in fig. 1-3, in the embodiment of the present application, a plurality of sets of power units 21 are arranged in an array and symmetrically arranged along the width direction (X direction in fig. 1) of the aircraft 1, and one set of power units 21 includes one or more engines. Of course, the multiple sets of power units 21 may be symmetrically distributed along the circumferential direction in an array manner, and the width direction may be the circumferential diameter direction at this time, which is not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 1, the power unit 21 in the present embodiment includes a total of 4 sets of 8 engine array layouts, and a single set is connected in parallel and mounted to the corresponding first deflector mechanism 20.

As shown in fig. 1-3, the plurality of sets of power units 21 are located above the center of gravity of the aircraft 100 and the array is distributed about the center of the aircraft 100. With the above design, when the entire attitude of the aircraft 100 is deviated from the center position (as shown in fig. 4), the gravity MG of the aircraft 100 itself generates a restoring moment and can be automatically restored to the equilibrium state. Meanwhile, aerodynamic force generates damping moment MQ, and gyro moment MD of an engine rotor rotating at high speed also generates damping moment energy consumption, so that the aircraft 100 can be helped to return to the central position as soon as possible, and the aircraft 100 has high safety, adopts a stable configuration and has high safety.

As shown in fig. 5-6, the first deflection mechanism 20 is rotatably connected to the support arm 11 and configured to drive the power unit 21 to rotate about a first rotation axis a (see fig. 5 and 7) relative to the support arm 11, so as to adjust the power output direction of the power unit 21. The first axis of rotation a extends in the width direction of the structural system and is arranged to control the pitch attitude of the aircraft 100. In the initial flight state, the first axis of rotation a is parallel to the horizontal plane.

As shown in fig. 5, in the first flight state, the first deflecting mechanism 20 keeps the power direction of the power device 21 perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and can achieve the ascent and descent of the aircraft 100.

As shown in fig. 6, in the second flight configuration, the first deflecting mechanism 20 deflects the power direction of the power unit 21, and thus the aircraft 100 can be controlled to fly in the pitch, forward and backward directions.

As shown in fig. 7, the first deflecting mechanism 20 in the present embodiment includes a barrel seat 201, and the engine 21 is sleeved on the corresponding barrel seat 201 and is capable of rotating following the barrel seat 201. The cartridge 201 in the present embodiment includes a plurality of cartridges 201, the plurality of cartridges 201 are connected to each other and are symmetrically arranged based on the rotational center of the first deflector mechanism 20, and the plurality of cartridges 201 can mount a plurality of engines 21. Of course, the first deflection mechanism 20 may be provided with only one cartridge 201, which is not limited herein.

The vector thrust system 2 further comprises a first rotation shaft 22 and a first driving device (not shown), wherein the first rotation shaft 22 is connected with the cartridge holder 201 and the support arm 11, and the first driving device is connected with the first rotation shaft 22 and is configured to drive the first rotation shaft 22 to rotate so as to drive the cartridge holder 201 and the power device 21 to rotate around the first rotation shaft 22.

The first driving device can adopt a driving motor which can be arranged on the supporting arm 22 to drive the first rotating shaft 22 to rotate; the driving motor can also be installed on the bearing body 10, and the cylinder seat 201 is driven to rotate through the connecting rod shaft. The first driving device may also be a hydraulic or pneumatic device, etc., and is not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 8, the vector thrust system 2 further comprises a second yaw mechanism 23, the second yaw mechanism 23 being arranged to adjust the power output direction of the power plant 21 to control the yaw attitude and roll attitude of the aircraft 100.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the power unit 21 includes a main body 210 and a nozzle 211 connected to the main body 210, and the second deflection mechanism 23 is installed corresponding to the nozzle 211 and is configured to adjust the direction of the air flow sprayed from the nozzle 211, thereby adjusting the power output direction of the power unit 21. The power unit 21 includes a plurality of engines, the second deflecting mechanism 23 includes a plurality of nozzle caps 231 provided corresponding to the plurality of engines of the power unit 21, and the second deflecting mechanism 23 further includes a linkage shaft 232 connected to the plurality of nozzle caps 231, whereby the plurality of nozzle caps 231 can swing synchronously.

The vector thrust system 2 further includes a second rotary shaft 24 and a second drive device (not shown), the second rotary shaft 24 being directly or indirectly connected to the nozzle housing 231. The second driving device is connected to the second rotation shaft 24, and is configured to drive the second rotation shaft 24 to rotate, so as to drive the nozzle cover 231 to swing around the second rotation shaft 24.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the power unit 21 further includes a connection base 212 connected to the main body 210 and provided on the circumferential side of the nozzle 231, and the second rotation shaft 24 connects the nozzle cover 231 and the connection base 212. The second rotation shaft 24 in this embodiment is a connection screw or bolt or the like for connecting the nozzle housing 231 and the connection base 212.

The second driving device can also adopt a driving motor, and the driving motor can also be arranged on the supporting arm 22 to drive the second rotating shaft 24 to rotate; the driving motor can also be installed on the bearing body 10, and the cylinder seat 201 is driven to rotate through the connecting rod shaft. The second driving device may also be a hydraulic or pneumatic device, and the like, and is not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 9, in the third flight state, the second deflector mechanism 23 keeps the power direction of the power device 21 the same as the nozzle injection direction.

As shown in fig. 10, in the fourth flight configuration, the second deflector 23 swings and deflects the nozzle injection direction of the power unit 21, and yaw and roll attitude control of the aircraft 100 can be realized.

The vector thrust system 2 of the embodiment of the application has two degrees of freedom rotation by driving the deflection of the first deflection mechanism 20 and the second deflection mechanism 23, so that the thrust direction of the micro turbojet engine 21 can be regulated, the problem of slower response speed of the micro turbojet engine is solved, and the flexible maneuvering of the aircraft 100 is realized.

The vector thrust system 2 with two degrees of freedom according to the embodiment of the present application may employ a mode of combining the integrally rotating engine 21 and the swinging boom cover 23, or may employ a mode of integrally rotating the engine 21 in two directions or rotating the boom cover 23 in two directions.

The aircraft 100 according to the embodiment of the present application further includes a flight control system (which cannot be shown and can refer to the control system of the existing aircraft) disposed on the structural system 1, where the flight control system includes a flight controller connected with the vector thrust system 2, a control device connected with the flight controller, and a sensor and a display device for sensing flight information. The flight controller is arranged to receive signals from the steering device and the sensors to control the vector thrust system 2 and to display it via the display device. The handling device comprises an operating handle 3 (see fig. 1) provided on the head of the aircraft 100.

The sensor of the flight control system 3 in the embodiment of the application senses flight information and feeds the information back to the flight controller, the flight controller processes the related information and then displays the information to a pilot through a display device, the pilot inputs instructions to the flight controller through a personnel control device, and therefore the aircraft 100 can sense and control the flight attitude.

The aircraft 100 provided by the embodiment of the application has good driving experience and low learning cost, can adopt a man/machine dual-mode intelligent control technology, has two modes of intelligent automatic driving and man-in-loop control, can liberate hands of a driver, and enables personnel to have multi-task operation capability. The man-machine dual-mode intelligent control can also adopt full-automatic flight control or full-personnel control flight mode.

As shown in fig. 2, the aircraft 100 further comprises an energy system (not fully illustrated) provided in the structural system 1 and configured to provide energy to the power plant 21, the energy system comprising a plurality of fuel tanks 4 and supply devices distributed over the carrying body (reference is made to the fuel tanks 4 and supply device forms of motorcycles in the prior art). The oil supply system is integrated inside the oil tank 4 and is connected to the power units 21 arranged in an array through oil pipes (not shown). The adoption of the design of the distributed oil tank 4 can reduce the problem of stability degradation caused to the aircraft 100 by a large amount of oil sloshing in a single oil tank.

When flying, the fuel system receives a flying control system instruction or an operating signal to supply oil to the power device, the power device 21 is connected to the structural system 1 through the vector thrust system 2, and the vector thrust system 2 moves under the driving of the driving device, so that the thrust direction of the engine is regulated to realize stable flying.

The aircraft 100 of the embodiments of the present application has the advantages of large load, small size, high speed, long range, high intelligence, high safety, and vertical takeoff and landing.

In the description herein, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "one side", "another side", "one end", "another end", "side", "opposite", "four corners", "periphery", "mouth" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are merely for convenience in describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the structures referred to have a specific orientation, are configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "directly connected," "indirectly connected," "fixedly connected," "mounted," "assembled" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; the terms "mounted," "connected," and "fixedly connected" may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, and may also be in communication between two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in a specific context.

Although the embodiments disclosed in the present application are described above, the embodiments are only used for facilitating understanding of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. Any person skilled in the art to which this application pertains will be able to make any modifications and variations in form and detail of implementation without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, but the scope of the patent claims of this application shall be defined by the appended claims.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all or some of the steps, systems, functional modules/units in the apparatus, and methods disclosed above may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and suitable combinations thereof. In a hardware implementation, the division between the functional modules/units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, one physical component may have multiple functions, or one function or step may be performed cooperatively by several physical components. Some or all of the components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a digital signal processor or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on computer readable media, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transitory media). The term computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data, as known to those skilled in the art. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media.

Claims

1. An aircraft, comprising:

the structural system comprises a bearing main body and a plurality of supporting arms extending from the periphery of the bearing main body;

the vector thrust system comprises a plurality of first deflection mechanisms correspondingly arranged on the plurality of support arms and a plurality of groups of power devices correspondingly arranged on the plurality of first deflection mechanisms; the first deflection mechanism is movably connected with the supporting arm and is arranged to adjust the power output direction of the power device so as to control the gesture of the aircraft.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of the power units are distributed in an array and symmetrically disposed along a width direction of the aircraft; and/or a set of said power plants comprises one or more engines.

3. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first deflection mechanism is rotatably coupled to the support arm and configured to rotate the power plant about a first rotational axis relative to the support arm to adjust a power output direction of the power plant; the first axis of rotation extends in a width direction of the structural system and is arranged to control a pitch attitude of the aircraft.

4. The aircraft of claim 3, wherein the first deflection mechanism comprises a cartridge, the power device being nested in the cartridge;

5. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first yaw mechanism is configured to adjust a power output direction of the power plant to control a pitch attitude of the aircraft;

6. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the power plant comprises a main body, and a nozzle coupled to the main body; the second deflection mechanism is correspondingly arranged with the spray pipe and is arranged to adjust the air flow direction sprayed by the spray pipe so as to adjust the power output direction of the power device.

7. The aircraft of claim 6, wherein the second deflection mechanism includes a nozzle cap disposed at an outlet end of the nozzle and swingable relative to the nozzle to adjust a direction of the airflow emitted by the nozzle;

8. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the power unit further comprises a connection base connected to the main body and provided on a peripheral side of the nozzle, and the second rotating shaft connects the nozzle cover and the connection base.

9. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein the power plant includes a plurality of engines, the second deflection mechanism includes a plurality of nozzle hoods respectively disposed corresponding to the plurality of engines of a set of power plants, and the second deflection mechanism further includes a linkage shaft connecting the plurality of nozzle hoods.

10. The vehicle of any of claims 1-8, wherein the plurality of sets of power devices are located above a center of gravity of the vehicle and are distributed about a center of the vehicle.

11. The aircraft of any one of claims 1-8, further comprising a flight control system disposed on the structural system, the flight control system comprising a flight controller electrically coupled to the vector thrust system, and a steering device coupled to the flight controller, a sensor for sensing flight information, and a display device; the flight controller is configured to receive signals sent by the control device and the sensor to control the vector thrust system and display the signals through the display device.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the carrier body comprises a head portion, a tail portion, and a body portion connecting the head portion and the tail portion, the head portion being provided with a guard, and the steering device comprises an operating handle provided to the head portion.

13. The aircraft of any one of claims 1-8, further comprising an energy system disposed in the structural system and configured to provide energy to the power plant; the energy system comprises a plurality of oil tanks distributed on the bearing main body.

14. The vehicle of any of claims 1-8, wherein the structural system further comprises a plurality of support legs supporting the load bearing body, and support wheels provided on the support legs.

15. An aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the power plant comprises at least one engine, the engine being a micro turbojet or turbofan engine.