GB2611297A

GB2611297A - A light aircraft with a dual wedge fuselage

Info

Publication number: GB2611297A
Application number: GB2113781.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Isaksen Guttorm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-09-27
Filing date: 2021-09-27
Publication date: 2023-04-05
Also published as: GB202113781D0

Abstract

A light aircraft has a fuselage 10 with fore and aft slopes, increasing in height towards the centre of the fuselage to form a duel wedge shape. The fuselage slopes configured to direct airflow over the surface to provide lift to the aircraft, the surface smooth to minimise drag. Side panels (fig.2,20) of the fuselage may extend beyond the aft fuselage forming a tail (fig.3,30), the fuselage may have a pair of wings (fig.3,40), and L-shaped flaps (fig.3,50) attached to either end of the fuselage. The side panels morph to act as rudders, and at least one of the fuselage, tail, wings or flaps has two or more morph points actuated by controlled electrical, pneumatic, magnetic or hydraulic systems to deform providing additional lift and/or steering. Internal and external surface of the aircraft may be coated in a layers (fig.7,130,130’) containing a mesh of doped/conductive graphene or CNT, the layers charged with opposite polarity to attract one another and attach to the aircraft, and layers peeled back to enable doors and hatches to open. A magnetic fluid or gel (fig.7,140) is inserted between the layers at either side of openings to seal them.

Description

A Light Aircraft with a dual wedge fuselage

Background

The present invention provides a light aircraft. The use of light aircraft is becoming more common particularly when used for short journeys for public transport, such as intercity travel in the form of airbuses, but can also be used for business travel, and sometimes for recreation. As such journeys are usually carried out often, with only a few passengers, it would be impractical to use larger aircraft. Further, for these uses, the use of a smaller aircraft can reduce the overall amount of pollution produced when compared to larger aircraft, they may also produce less noise pollution as well, due to the use of smaller turbines and/or engines.

One problem with the increase use of small aircraft, is the lack of suitable options for takeoff and landing locations, that is small aircraft used for commuting and business journeys require a suitable runway, meaning the aircraft would need to take off and land at suitable locations, such as airports or airfields, which limits their practicality. Therefore, there is a desire to have small aircraft with better acceleration so as to need a small runway, or better the ability for vertical or near vertical takeoff, which would remove the need for a runway entirely and instead allow the aircraft to land and takeoff from suitable platforms, such as a helicopter pad. This will increase the practicality of the small aircraft by increasing the number of suitable locations the aircraft can reach, for example when being used for business travel for a board meeting, vertical takeoff would allow the aircraft to land on the roof of the building where the meeting would be taking place.

It is also noted that small aircraft can suffer from the problems caused by drag, in particular 'parasite drag' caused by any breaks or changes in the surface of the aircraft, such as those around windows and doors. Though all aircraft can suffer from such drag effects, it is noted that this additional drag may cause additional wear of the aircraft, or at least affect its performance, relatively more when compared to larger aircraft, especially at high speeds. Therefore, there is a need to provide methods of reducing the overall drag on the aircraft, such as by changing the shape of the aircraft, removing windows, or the need for windows, and by looking at using steering mechanisms that produces less parasite drag, while still providing effective steering.

One way to address the pollution and noise problems can be through the use of electrical or hybrid aircraft that instead of moving on the ground by thrusting air by propellers or turbofan compressors can move by the use of in-wheel motors in the undercarriage. Additionally, the use of an electrical aircraft can vastly decrease the amount of noise pollution created by the aircraft, not only when taxiing across the ground, but also when performing takeoff and landing maneuvers, and thereby help the aircraft achieve takeoff velocity, Vr (rotation velocity), on a shorter take-off distance, enabling the aircraft making use of shorter runways. However, there are some problems with the use of an electric aircraft, for example an electric aircraft may produce less thrust when compared to other propulsion methods, one way to help address this problem will be to make the aircraft from a lighter material, however such materials tend to be relatively weak, and therefore would wear more easily and may not be strong enough to withstand the impact force when the aircraft is landing, or the force cause by the changes in pressure at high altitude. Therefore, there is a need for the aircraft to be formed of a material that is both strong and light weight. In particular the material will need a relatively high strength, and stiffness in order to withstand not only the force of the aircraft from landing, but also to withstand the forces caused by takeoff and from the pressure changes at high altitudes. While also being a light enough to allow the small aircraft to travel at high speed, reduce the amount of thrust needed to reach such speeds, and to allow the aircraft to accelerate enough to have a short takeoff distance, or to perform a vertical takeoff.

It is also noted that to help reduce the weight of the aircraft further, the cockpit of the aircraft may be redesigned to reduce the number of components, such as displays, consoles and/or control panels, that are necessary. Thereby reducing the weight of the avionics within the aircraft cockpit, and also free up more room aboard the aircraft for the passenger, cargo and crew. This may be achieved through the inclusions of virtual controls and holographic displays that can present information and receive inputs from the flight crew without the need for physical avionic equipment.

The aircraft will also include features that will assist in de-icing the surface of the aircraft, and/or to prevent ice from forming, as such ice can damage the aircraft, and in some circumstances may even cause the aircraft to crash. However, it is noted that some de-icing systems may add significant weight to the aircraft, thereby lowering the maximum speed and/or altitudes that can be achieved. Therefore, there is a need to provide the aircraft with light weight de-icing and/or ice preventing features.

Another way the aircraft can reduce the amount of thrust needed to propel the aircraft, is to shape the fuselage of the aircraft in a manner that can reduce the air resistance and drag on the aircraft in flight, it is also possible that the shape of the fuselage could be design in a manner to direct airflow to provide additional lift, or at least to reduce the amount of lift required. In some light aircraft, such as the one from US3632064A, the additional lift is provided by a secondary set of wings.

However as stated it is preferable for the aircraft to be as light as possible so instead this problem could be addressed by including a fuselage with curved and sloped surfaces that can improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft. Such a fuselage can be seen in lifting body aircraft, such as those in W01997043176A1, which can take an array of shapes, at usually have small or no wings as it is the surface of the fuselage itself that generates lift. In W01997043176A1, the fuselage has an elliptical cross-section to redirect the airflow over the surface of the aircraft to generate additional lift, as opposed to the more common cylindrical fuselage shape used in many other aircraft. However, in recent times, these self-lifting fuselages have been used more often in spacecraft, than aircraft, as the specific shapes of such aircraft often generate not only lift but also a lot of drag, which can make the aircraft unstable, further alternatives such as delta wing fuselages produced faster aircraft, which can remain stable even when travelling at high speeds. It is noted that in several of these alternatives, slopes and wedges are used to create surfaces that can redirect airflow in order to reduce the amount of air resistance/drag, allowing the aircraft to maintain higher speeds.

Therefore, there is a need for a fuselage for a small aircraft that not only provides lift to the aircraft but can also redirect airflow in a manner that will allow the aircraft to reach and maintain high speeds, note that some embodiment of the aircraft may be able to reach higher speeds than conventional propulsion methods by using of a electrostatic propulsion system that increases laminar airflow all along the upper side of the fuselage. By forcing air to flow over the upside of the fuselage, the boundary layer (airflow layer closest to the fuselage skin) will remain laminar throughout the full length of the aircraft, reducing drag and increasing lift significantly.

It is noted that for an aircraft design for commercial use, there are additional factors that need to be considered, regarding the fuselage. For example, the commercial aircraft may include windows, so that passengers can see out of the aircraft, but the inclusions of such windows will introduce gaps, or breaks within the surface of the aircraft, which can cause additional drag, across the surface of the aircraft thereby, reducing the speed of the aircraft, and thereby reduce the aircraft's lift.

Surnmary The present invention provides a light aircraft with a dual wedge fuselage. The dual wedge shape comprises a wedge at both the fore and aft ends of the fuselage, this shape provides improved aerodynamics as the airflow can be better directed over the surface of the aircraft in a manner that can reduce the air resistance on the aircraft. The shape may also direct the airflow under the aircraft in a manner that would provide additional lift to the aircraft. By having such a shape, the aircraft is able to reduce the overall drag over the aircrafts surface, this can make the propulsion of the aircraft more efficient, while also allowing the aircraft to reach and maintain a higher overall speed.

It is noted that this dual wedge fuselage is made of a strong, light weight material for withstanding the forces experience during takeoff, landing and at high altitudes. in this case the term strong means that the material chosen should have a relatively high tensile, compressive, shear strength, and stiffness. It may also be preferable for the chosen material to be transparent which will remove the need for windows which may cause additional drag, due to the slits and groves around the edges of windows, disrupting the airflow over the aircraft. It is noted that such a transparent material may not be suitable for painting onto, which would be necessary to add ID and livery to the aircraft, therefore the aircraft may include side panels, such as OLED or other image generating panels, which can change color and show the necessary livery and ID when on the ground, and then become transparent when the aircraft is in the air to allow passengers to see out of the aircraft.

However, the fuselage material will also need some flexibility, not only for absorbing impacts and the various forces the aircraft will experience during flight, but also to allow the material to form a smoother wedge shape, which may include curving the surface of the fuselage to again improve the aircraft's aerodynamics. To achieve the desired balance between strength and flexibility the fuselage will be made of a strong material, but will be formed in layers, some of these layers will be solid providing the necessary structural strength, however between these solid layers will be a more flexible mesh or webbed layer, made of the same material, that can be bent into shape, acting as a guide, or frame, for the solid layers to ensure the fuselage has the correct shape, and provides some extra flexibility to the overall fuselage structure.

It is noted that to further reduce the drag across the surface of the fuselage the aircraft may include an external layer that will cover the entire surface of the fuselage, especially covering openings, such as doors and hatches, as there will be a slit, or groove, around the edge of these openings that can cause additional drag.

This external layer may cover, or fill and cover such gaps, thereby giving the aircraft a smooth surface with no breaks, thereby eliminating the drag such features cause. Though there will be a need for a means to manipulate this layer so that the layer may be removed, or peeled away when the doors and hatches need to be opened.

Note this layer, or an additional layer may be added to the surface of the aircraft to prevent ice from forming. For such ice may damage the surface of the fuselage, reduce the aircraft performance, and may break off impacting and damaging other portions of the aircraft. This deicing layer may utilize materials with a high thermal conductivity and/or a material that is hydrophobic, to prevent ice and moister forming on the surface of the fuselage, and other pads of the aircraft. It is also noted that this layer may also have a high electrical conductivity, so that the layer may also act as a lightening deflector.

It is also noted that to further reduce the drag on the aircraft, the aircraft may use morphing technology for steering. That is moving parts of the aircraft's steering features used for steering and balancing the aircraft, such as the tail and wings of the aircraft, will utilize a plurality of morphing points. These morphing points will be able to expand or contract in one or more directions, using a magneto-electric, hydraulic or pneumatic system to actuate these points. Wherein the morphing points can change the shape of the steering feature, in order to redirect the airflow over the feature and steer the aircraft. by using this technology, the aircraft can remove, or at least reduce the gaps and groves around the moving parts of the aircraft that would cause drag.

Drawings Figure 1: depicts an example fuselage for the claimed light aircraft.

Figure 2: depicts an example light aircraft, including the fuselage from figure 1, wings, tail, and L-shaped flaps on the fuselage.

Figure 3: depicts a light aircraft including additional turbines.

Figure 4: depicts the sandwich structure used to form the fuselage, with the additional deicing layer Figure 5: depicts the concept for the deicing layer, including the oscillating layer.

Figure 6: depicts an example aircraft wing using the disclosed morphing technology.

Figure 7: depicts the concept of the external surface layer, using an internal and external surface layer and magnetic fluid to form a seal and smoothens the aircrafts external surface.

Detailed Description

The present invention comprises a light aircraft, specifically a light aircraft comprising a dual wedge fuselage 10. Wherein the dual wedge shape of the fuselage 10 has one wedge at the fore end of the fuselage, and another slope at the aft end of the fuselage. Specifically, the slopes of the fuselage 10 are positioned so that the slope of each wedge increases in height as you move from either the fore or aft end of the fuselage towards the center of the fuselage. Each slope of the fuselage 10 is configured to direct airflow over the surface of the fuselage in a manner that would allow the airflow to provide lift to the aircraft, in particular the airflow over the underside of the fuselage will have a higher pressure, helping to provide lift. Also, the surface of the fuselage will be smooth to reduce the overall drag on the aircraft, it is noted that the slopes of the wedges may be curved to help further reduce the drag as the airflow passes over the fuselage 10.

Further the light aircraft may comprise other features such as wings 40, and a tail 30.

In a preferred embodiment of the aircraft the sides of the fuselage 10, can comprise a pair of side panels, in particular a set of extended side panels 20 that start proximate to the fore end of the fuselage, and extend beyond the aft end of the fuselage. Wherein the aft ends of the extended side panels 20 may be connected to form a tail 30 of the aircraft. This tail 30 may be formed with a spoiler like member, or similar member that is shaped to direct the airflow over the tail to again provide additional lift, note that the member may also be configured to change its shape, likely by bending or stretching, to allow the shape of the member to be changed to provide additional lift and/or steering. It is also note that by forming the aircraft tail 30 in the manner described above, the tail 30 will provide less weight to the overall aircraft and will reduce the number of parts that will need to be replaced/maintained, thereby making maintenance of the aircraft easier and allowing the aircraft to potential reach greater speed due to the reduce weight.

It is noted that to form the fuselage 10 of the aircraft it is desired that the fuselage 10 be may of a flexible, light weight material. The material should be light weight to reduce the amount of lift the aircraft needs for take-off and will again allow the aircraft to reach greater speeds, flexibility will allow the material to bend to form the smooth curved surface needed to form the wedge shape, and reduce the drag on the aircraft. However, the material used is selected from those sufficiently strong, so as to endure the forces exerted on the aircraft when in use, such as the retarding force during takeoff, and the force caused by the pressure difference at high altitudes, also in case of an emergency/crash landing to protect the occupants. Therefore, the material should have a relatively high tensile, compressive, and shear strength, and also stiffness, to endure all of the various forces applied to the aircraft. An example of such a material that meets all of these requirements are various super polymers, another possible material would be the polymers used for example in riot shields, in both cases the material is also transparent, this may be preferable as these material will remove the need for windows to see out of the aircraft, this may be beneficial as such windows causes deformations in the aircraft's surface, such deformations can results in gaps, groves and/or raised or lowered edges that can result in additional drag on the aircraft.

It is also noted that some super polymers may provide an additional benefit of self-repairing, for such material may begin to liquify when heated or impacted, therefore after an impact that damages the surface of the aircraft the polymer around the point of impact may liquify and fill or cover the damage area, thereby partially or completely repairing the damaged caused.

To help further reinforce the fuselage 10 to better endure the forces exerted onto it, while still retaining some flexibility, the surface of the fuselage can be made from a sandwich, or double sandwich structure. Wherein the sandwich structure comprises at least three layers, comprise an inner and outer solid layer 70, with a flexible mesh zo layer 80 placed between. The solid layers 70 provide strength to the structure, while the mesh layer 80 provides the flexibility, and may be bent into shape, thereby forming a frame that the solid layers 70 can be formed around, which may be used to form the necessary curves in the fuselage 10. To strengthen the overall structure further a second sandwich structure, as described above, can be placed over the zs first. In the preferred embodiment of this sandwich, and double sandwich, structure, as depicted in figure 4, the various layers 70, 80 would have a thickness between (most likely) 3mm and 5mm. though the mesh layer 80 may have a cross-section of approximately1Ommx1Omm, and would preferably comprises a plurality of hexagons, each hexagon comprising an opening that each of the six sides has a length between 8-12 cm.

It is noted that these suggested materials for forming the fuselage 10 are likely to be transparent, and therefore may not be suitable to painted over, as a result it may be difficult to present information, such as an ID or livery, on the fuselage 10 of the aircraft. To address this, in some embodiments of the aircraft, the fuselage 10 can further comprise a set of side panels, said side panels may cover at least a portion of the fuselage sides, or the extended side panels 20 if present. Said side panels may be made of a material that would be suitable for displaying this information on, by painting it onto the side panels or by other means. In the preferred embodiment said side panels would comprise a screen of OLEDs or LCDs, or another image generating material. By using such materials, the side panels will show information and designed patterns that can be changed electronically, allowing the information displayed on the aircraft to be changed more easily, for example changing the livery on the fuselage 10 without the need to repaint the entire aircraft. Additionally, it is noted that to save power these screen side panels may be configured to only turn on, and display the livery and information, when the aircraft is on the ground, for example inside an airport, but will be turned off when the aircraft is in flight, and if possible, may be made transparent when turned off allowing occupants of the aircraft to see through the panel and thereby see outside the aircraft. But the image generating panels can also serve as position markers during flight, in case of need for added safety.

Another issue that the aircraft will need to address is that at high altitude ice may form on the surface of the fuselage 10, and other features of the aircraft such as the wings 40 and tail 30, once formed this ice may damage the surface it is on, or may break off and impact other parts of the aircraft, such as turbines 60 or propellors, damaging these parts. Therefore, the aircraft may further comprise a deicing layer 90, said layer may cover some or all surfaces of the aircraft's airframe, such as the surface of the fuselage 10, wings 40 and/or tail 30. This deicing layer 90 may be in the form of a heat conducting mesh, which should preferably be made of graphene for its smooth, hydrophobic and for its thermo-conductive properties, but as this my not be commercially available, materials such as a copper mesh or carbon nanotube (CNT) grid, can deliver the same de-icing properties at a light weight, that can be heated to melt away any ice that could form on the aircraft. Further, some materials such as CNT may be sufficiently conductive that it is able to stop ice forming through thermal conduction without the need for external heating, or with very little external heating when compared to other materials. To further improve the deicing layer, the heated mesh may be coated in a hydrophobic material, such as ETFE, this coating will help remove water and moisture from the surface of the aircraft preventing the ice from forming initially, and may help remove the ice that does form when partially melted by the heated mesh. It is also noted that this conductive meshes and layers, may also have a relatively high electrical conductivity. This will be preferable as the high electrical conductivity may allow the deicing layer to also act as a lightening deflector, protecting the airframe, and the covered components, from being damaged by lightning striking the aircraft.

In a preferred embodiment the deicing layer 90, as depicted in figure 5, would be in the form of a layer of graphene 100, as graphene is both highly conductive and hydrophobic, it can fulfill the role of both the conductive mesh and hydrophobic coating. Additionally, the deicing layer 90 may further include an oscillating layer 110 positioned between the deicing layer 90 and the surface 120 of the aircraft. This oscillating layer 110 may be in the form of a paper-thin layer, that can help reduce the surface friction, a type of friction caused by molecules scraping against the surfaces 120 of the aircraft, by rippling and redirecting such particles away from the surface, but due to the layer being so thin this rippling is not sufficient to disrupt the airflow over the fuselage 10 wedge structure. Also, the oscillating layer 110 can assist the deicing layer 90, by oscillating the deicing layer 90 itself, thereby shaking lose any ice or moisture that manages to form on the deicing layer 90.

In addition to the features above it is noted that the fuselage 10 can include additional features to help steer and balance the aircraft when in flight. These features may include a tail 30 and/or one or more pairs of wings 40 with steering rudders allowing the wings 40 and tail 30 to steer the aircraft. Further, the aircraft may include L-shaped flaps 50 which can be positioned at one end, or both ends of the aircraft's fuselage 10. Wherein said L-shaped flaps 50 are configured to bend to redirect the airflow over the flap. Depending on which portion of the [-shape flap 50 is moving the redirected airflow may provide additional lift, and/or steering to the aircraft. Said L-flaps 50 will function in concert with the elevator in order to assist the aircraft in changing altitude, and may also be used to help balance the aircraft by counteracting imbalances in the forces acting on the fuselage, for example during take-off, or due to an imbalanced lift acting on the aircraft mid-flight. But the [-flaps wil also, upon pilot directions, assist the ailerons in altering the balance in flight, typically during change of direction. It is noted that if the aircraft is sufficiently small in size, and light weight, these L-shape flaps 50 may replace the need for wings 40, or at least will allow the aircraft to operate with smaller wings, which can make the aircraft more compact, and therefore easier to store making it more suitable for urban environments It is noted that the various steering features mentioned above, may cause additional drag on the aircraft due to the breaks in the surface of the aircraft, especially around the moving portions of the wings 40, flaps 50 and tail 30. To help prevent this the aircraft may include a morphing technology based steering system. That is to say that the steering features, the wings 40, flaps 50 and tail 30, will comprise a plurality of morphing points, each point comprising a morphing actuator. Each of these morph actuators will be configured to expand and/or contract along at least one of a length axis, width axis or depth axis, to morph the shape of the aircraft maneuvering surfaces, specifically the shape of the associated steering feature, to redirect the airflow over the surface of the feature, thereby provide additional lift and/or steering. Wherein these morphing actuators can expand or contract to change the shape of a portion of the steering feature, or the entirety of the steering feature, to redirect the airflow over the steering feature to provide lift, provide steering and/or stabilize the aircraft.

The concept for this steering system is that the morphing system is piloted by the stick, in the same manner as conventional maneuvering surfaces (i.e., flaps, ailerons, elevators). And the aircraft can function perfectly well with only a small assistance of servo technology. In this state, the morphing system is only an extension of the pilot's handling of the aircraft. An extension with less drag, less moving parts and a lower weight compared to the conventional means. But is may also be automatically piloted by the use of sensors located on the maneuvering surfaces, guided by a central computer, which may include software memory and a CPU to assist in making piloting decisions.

By using such morphing systems, the aircraft may remove the need to separate moving parts within the steering feature, which may introduce gaps and changes within the surface of the steering features, thereby reducing the undesired drag produced by these moving components, as normally the gaps and grooves around the moving parts could disrupt the airflow thereby creating unnecessary drag.

It is noted that in the preferred system, to help simplify the morphing system, especially in regard to the controls of the morphing system, each of the plurality of morphing actuators may be limited to expand and contract along only a single axis each, rather than each of the axes listed above. An example of this morphing technology is depicted in figure 6, showing how the morphing point may change the profile of a steering feature, in this case a wing 40 of the aircraft, to redirect the airflow over the wing.

To control the plurality of morphing points the aircraft requires an onboard system to actuate each of the plurality of morphing points. This feature can be one of an electrical, magneto-electric (paramagnetic) system, a system based on permanent magnets, a pneumatic system or a hydraulic system. It is noted that of these options a system based on permanent magnets is the least desirably as the magnetic fields produce have the potential to interfere with other onboard systems, also the addition of shielding to protect the onboard systems could result in a large amount of unnecessary weight being added to the aircraft. This extra weight may negatively impact the aircraft's performance, reducing the aircraft's overall speed, and increasing the amount of propulsion needed for take-off. The shielding may also limit the number of available morphing points, as the shielding will take up a lot of the available space, and may also limit how far each of the morphing points can expand, thereby making the steering less efficient.

In regards to an electronic systems, though it would not produce the same interference as the magnetic system, and therefore would not require shielding, it would require a large amount of energy for the vast number of potential morphing points, this may result in the system being more costly to operate compared to the other options.

Therefore, of the options presented it seems that either a pneumatic or hydraulic system would be preferable, though it is noted that the hydraulic system would likely add more weight to the aircraft compared to the pneumatic system, due to using water. Both systems may also require the addition one or more of storage tanks, however, the pneumatic system may remove the need for such tanks, for example, by using recycle exhaust gases.

Regardless of which system is used to actuate the morphing points, the aircraft may further comprise an onboard control system, that may control these morph points automatically, or in response to user input. This control system may use one or more sensors positioned proximate to the morphing points to monitor the conditions around the associated steering features, such as the air pressure over the surface of the steering feature, and/or the current positions of the morphing points. Wherein the controller can analyze the sensor readings to determine a desirable position for the morphing points, after which a user or the control system may use the actuating system to actuate the plurality of morphing points, moving each point to the determined desirable position. For example, the system may use the reading of air pressure sensors to determine the airflow over the steering features, analysis of the reading may determine that there is an imbalance in the airflow on different sides of the aircraft and will more the morphing point to compensate. Alternatively, the pilot may begin to turn the aircraft, at which point the control system can monitor the positions of the morphing points and the airflow surrounding them to determine how the steering features could be morphing to assist in the aircraft's turning while also retaining the aircraft's balance.

It is noted that the control system may comprise a memory, or be in communication with a remote processor with a memory, either memory storing a set of sensor thresholds and predetermined positions for the morphing points to be used based on the sensor readings, or based on the aircraft's current position in the flight path (i.e. taxiing, taking off, ascending, level flight, descending or landing). Wherein based on the air pressure around the morphing points, the control will use the stored thresholds and morphing point positions to determine the desired morphing point positions. In some cases, the control system may receive from a user, or otherwise determine the aircraft's current position in the flight path, for example using sensor readings such as a set of accelerometers and may move the morphing points to a predetermined position based on the aircraft current position in the flight path. Further on determining the aircrafts position in the flight path, the controller may determine and apply limits to the possible positions of certain morphing points, for example during take-off the aircraft may limit the possible height of the steering features, as extending the vertical height of the features may result in additional drag that will hinder the aircraft's take-off, by reducing the overall lift.

It is also noted that in some embodiments of the claimed aircraft can include one or more turbines 80 to provide the aircraft with additional propulsion. When the aircraft includes turbines 80, as previously noted, the turbines, in particular the propellors and outer surface of the turbines, may be coated in a deicing layer 90, preferably in the form of a layer of graphene 100, this will help protect the surface of the turbine, especially the propellors, from being damaged due to ice forming. Further, these turbines 80 may include cowl over the turbines input, and some of these cowls may include a plurality of morphing points in order to increase air intake at higher altitudes. In particular the cowl may include a plurality of morphing points that may expand or contract in order to increase/reduce the air intake area.

This can allow the shape of the intake to morph dependent on the aircraft's altitude, because at higher altitudes the air becomes thinner meaning the turbine needs a larger intake to maintain its current performance. Therefore, by having a morphing cowl at the air intake, the turbine can widen or narrow the intake to increase or decrease the amount of air entering the turbine to keep the preperformance of the turbine at a desired level, regardless of the aircraft's current altitude.

It is noted that even with the features described above, an aircraft may still experience some drag caused by drag in the aircraft's surface, specifically the slits, or slivers, around openings, such as around the aircraft's doors, landing gear hatches, windows, or hatches for accessing internal systems, the opening can cause parasitic drag as the edges of the slits disrupt the airflow passing over the aircraft creating a drag force on the aircraft, this additional drag may negatively impact the performance of the aircraft, by reducing the aircrafts overall speed. To help remove this drag the entire surface of the aircraft may be covered in a thin layer 130 that will smoothen the entire surface of the aircraft to a single level. This layer may be deformable allowing the layer itself to fill the various slits and gaps within the aircraft's surface, or the layer may be coupled with a gel 140, or fluid, that will fill the slits and gaps in the aircraft's surfaces, in place of the thin layer itself. Note that that to help seal this thin layer 130 to the aircraft, a second thin layer 130' may be used to cover the internal surface of the aircraft also, thereby creating a seal between the two thin layers 130, 130'. This seal can help secure the external layer 130 to the aircraft, and can prevent the deformable layer, gel or fluid from leaking into the interior of the aircraft through the various gaps and slits.

In a preferred embodiment, as depicted in Figure 6, may comprise both the internal and external surface of the aircraft being coated in a thin layer 130, 130' of graphene, or CNTs, which may be in the form of a continuous layer, that is thin enough to deform and fill the various gaps and slits in the surface of the aircraft, or as a mesh that will form a single, level surface that cover the entire aircraft. It is noted that to help secured these layers 130, 130' into place the graphene layers, or CNTs, may be doped so that each layer 130,130' can be electrically charged, each layer having the opposite polarity so that they will attract one another, thereby attracting the external layer 130 to the surface of the aircraft. Further, the aircraft may have a magnetic gel 140 that is first inserted into gaps and slits, around the aircraft's doors, hatches and other openings, before each side of the gap/slit is covered with the graphene layer 130,130', thereby forming a complete seal around the aircraft that will smooth the aircrafts outer surface, eliminating the parasitic drag caused by these features. Note that if the graphene is doped the magnetic field of the gel 140 will be able to further help attract the graphene layers 130,130' towards the aircraft and make the slit disappear altogether.

Further, when these thin sealing layers 130, 130' are included, the aircraft may require a means to peel back, or otherwise remove these layers temporarily, so that the doors and hatches covered by these layers can be opened without damaging said layers 130,130'. To this end the aircraft may use an induced electrostatic or magnetic field to manipulate the thin layers 130,130', this may include using the field to peel the thin layers back, and/or using said field to pull the layer over the aircraft, thereby peeling the layer back by removing the field. This may allow the aircraft to remove the thin layers from openings to allow the doors and hatches to be opened without damaging the external layers 130. It is noted that there may be buttons or other controls located near each of the aircraft's doors and hatches, wherein these controls can be used to peel back the thin layers around an associated door or hatch, for ease of access, this may be especially useful in emergency landings, or when a user needs to perform routine maintenance or maintenance checks on internal components of the aircraft, or the landing gear.

Therefore, by having an aircraft with a dual wedge fuselage and some or all of the features described above, the claimed invention provides a light aircraft which will have reduced drag over its surface, and the ability to direct airflow over the surface of the aircraft in a manner to provide lift and/or reduce air resistance on the aircraft, thereby improving the aircrafts efficiency. This can improve the aircraft's performance allowing the light aircraft to reach and maintain higher speeds. And may allow the aircraft to be smaller in size, and more compact, making it more suitable for shorter journeys as it will require less fuel, and also more suitable for use and storage within an urban environment, due to the small size and because the lighter weight and improved efficiency may reduce the runway distance needed for takeoff.

Claims

Claims: 1. A light aircraft comprising a fuselage (10); wherein the fuselage (10) has a dual wedge shape, with one wedge at the fore end of the fuselage, and another slope at the aft end of the fuselage; wherein the slopes of the fuselage are positioned so that they increase in height towards the center of the fuselage, wherein the slopes of the fuselage are configured to direct airflow over the surface of the fuselage in a manner that would allow the airflow to provide lift to the to aircraft; and the surface of the fuselage is smooth so as to produce minimal drag.
2. The light aircraft of claim 1, wherein the sides of the fuselage extend beyond the aft end of the fuselage, to form a pair of extended side panels (20); wherein the aft ends of the extended side panels are connected, via a connecting structure, to form a tail (30) of the aircraft; wherein the connecting structure may function as an elevator and/or horizontal stabilizer.
3. The light aircraft of claim 2, wherein connecting structure does not extend beyond the side of the airframe; and Wherein the extended side panels (20) will morph to act as directional rudders for the aircraft.
4. The light aircraft of claims 1 to 3, wherein an airframe of the aircraft is made of a sandwich structure; wherein the sandwich structured comprises a pair of solid layers (70), with a hexagonal mesh layer (80) positioned between the solid layers (70).
5. The light aircraft of claims 1 to 3, wherein an airframe of the aircraft is made of a double sandwich structure; wherein the double sandwich structured comprises a first sandwich structure comprising pair of solid layers (70), with a hexagonal mesh layer (80) positioned between the solid layers (70); with a second hexagonal mesh layer (80) positioned over the first sandwich structure and a third solid layer (70) place over the second mesh layer.
6. The light aircraft of claims 4 or 5, wherein the solid layers (70) and mesh layers (80) are made of a super polymer.
7. The light aircraft of claims 4 to 6, wherein the solid layers (70) and mesh layers (80) are between 3mm and 6mm thick
8. The light aircraft of claims 4 to 7, wherein the mesh layers (80) have a cross-section that is lOmmx1Omm; and wherein the mesh layers (80) comprise a plurality of hexagons, each hexagon comprising an opening that each of the six sides has a length between 8-12 cm.
9. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein the fuselage (10) is made of a transparent material.
10. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein the fuselage (10) further comprises a set of side panels, said side panels covering at least a portion of the 20 fuselage sides, and/or the extended side panels (20); Wherein said side panels comprise a screen of OLED or LCD or other image generating material.
11. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein the airframe is covered by a de-icing layer (90).
12. The light aircraft of claim 11, wherein the deicing layer (90) comprises a heat conducting mesh, such as a copper mesh or carbon nanotube (CNT) grid, coated in a hydrophobic material, such as [TEE.
13. The light aircraft of claim 11, wherein the deicing layer (90) comprises a layer of graphene (100).
14. The light aircraft of claim 11, wherein the deicing layer (90) comprises an electrically conductive material, such as copper wire, CNT or graphene, so that the layer may act as a lightening deflector.
15. The light aircraft of claims 11 to 14, where an oscillating layer (110) is placed between the airframe and the de-icing layer (90), configured to reduce skin friction between the airframe surface and the de-icing layer (90).
16. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the fore end of the fuselage or the aft end of the fuselage, further comprises a pair of L-shaped flaps (50); Wherein the L-shaped flaps (50) are configured to bend, in order to provide additional lift, and/or steering.
17. the light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein the fuselage (10) can further comprise at least one pair of wings (40).
18. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the fuselage (10), the tail (30), the one or more pair of wings (40), or one or more pairs of L-shaped flaps (50), comprises a plurality of morph points; Wherein the morphing points are configured to deform, by expanding or contracting, along at least one of a length axis, width axis or depth axis, to morph the shape of the aircraft to provide additional lift and/or steering.
19. The light aircraft of claim 18, wherein the aircraft further comprises one of an electrical system, a pneumatic system, a magnetic system or a hydraulic system, configured to actuate the plurality of morphing points.
20. The light aircraft of claims 18 and 19, wherein the aircraft further comprises a control system, configured to control the plurality of morphing points; The control system comprising one or more sensors to monitor the position of the morphing points, or the air pressure proximate the morphing points, and a processor configured to analyze the data from the sensors, determine if one or more morphing points need to be actuated, then on determination that one or more morphing points need to be actuated, actuates the desired one or more morphing points.
21. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein both internal and external surfaces of the light aircraft are coated in a layer (130,130') comprising a mesh of doped/conductive graphene or CNT, to form a smooth skin over the aircraft, wherein the layers (130,130') are charged with opposite polarity to attract one another, and attach to the aircraft.
22. The light aircraft of claim 21, wherein a magnetic fluid, or magnetic gel (140) in inserted between the internal and external doped graphene layers (130,130'), to affix the doped graphene layers (130,130') to the airframe.
23. The light aircraft of claim 22, wherein the magnetic fluid, or magnetic gel (140) is inserted into each side of a plurality of slits or slivers related to doors, hatches and other openings, and wherein the magnetic fluid, or magnetic gel (140) on each side of the slit or sliver attract one another to seal the opening.
24. Thelight aircraft of claims 21 and 23, wherein the internal and external doped 20 graphene layers (130,130') can be peeled back, to enable the opening of the doors and hatches.
25. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein the light aircraft further comprises one or more turbines (60).
26. The light aircraft of claim 25, wherein the one or more turbines (60) comprises a plurality of turbine blades; wherein the turbine blades are coated in a layer of graphene.
27. The light aircraft of claim 25 or 26, wherein the turbine intake comprises a cowl with a plurality of morphing points are configured to deform, by expanding or contracting, along at least one of a length axis, width axis or depth axis, thereby adjusting the shape of the cowl to adjust the size of the turbine intake.