GB851916A - Aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

851,916. Jet propelled aircraft. POWER JETS (RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT) Ltd. Dec. 12, 1958 [Oct. 21, 1957], No. 32760/57. Class 4. An aircraft has at least two jet propulsion engines one of which is bodily movable in a direction normal to its axis between an inoperative position in which the engines lie in axial alignment with respect to the normal direction of flight, and an operative position in which its axis is parallel to but out of alignment with that of the other engine, so that each engine can discharge its jet stream clear of the other engine. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of an aircraft of triangular plan form, Fig. 2, composed a of fuselage 1 and wings 2, 3. The aircraft has main jet propulsion engines 4, 5 in the fuselage, used for take-off and normal forward flight. Also housed in the fuselage during normal forward flight are four inoperative axial flow turbo-jet or turbo-fan engines 10, 11, 12, 13, engine 10 being directly in front of engine 11 in the upper part of the fuselage, Fig. 2, and engines 12 and 13 being similarly arranged in the lower part of the fuselage. For vertical take-off and landing, with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft vertical, the four engines are swung outboard on links 15 about pivots 14 to the disposition of Fig. 5, and become operative. The fuselage is provided with suitable doors (not shown). A pod supporting a plurality of engines may be similarly mounted. Alternatively, a plurality of engines may be disposed in each of two pods, at the wing tips or on the sides of the fuselage. In the inoperative position, the engines of one pod lie axially one behind the other. In the operative position, all the engines are swung out of the pod except the rearmost. These engines may be used to shorten a take-off run, and the pods may be tiltable so that there is a component of vertical thrust. The operative positions of the engines may be wholly within the aircraft.