US3550883A

US3550883A - Helicopter

Info

Publication number: US3550883A
Application number: US730749A
Authority: US
Inventors: James E Irby
Original assignee: JAMES E IRBY
Current assignee: JAMES E IRBY
Priority date: 1968-05-21
Filing date: 1968-05-21
Publication date: 1970-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 1987-12-29

Description

United States Patent References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1951 Bussiere et al 5/l96l Howard, Jr., et al. 5/1964 Jensen et al. 8/1966 Melton FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1909 France Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Sauberer Attorney-Wellington M. Manning, Jr.

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PATENTEDBEmSIQm 1 3,550,883

INVEN'I'OR.

Jiuss E. IRBY HELICOPTER SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My helicopter has a fuselage with upper and lower sections. The lower section is rotatable about a vertical axis defined by a vertical drive shaft which extends through the upper section and rotates propeller means secured to the upper end of the shaft. An engine in the upper section rotates the shaft. The upper section does not rotate about the shaft. Jet means secured to the lower section rotates the lower section through any selected are in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions as desired by an operator, either pilot or crew, who is positioned in the lower section.

This invention is particularly advantageous, when the lower section carries weapons such as machine guns, rocket launchers and the like, which are installed in selected stations or positions in the lower section.

When the helicopter is flying along a given course, and the weapons are to be aimed and fired at off course targets, it is necessary, in the absence of a rotatable lower section, to change the course. The time required to change course may be critical and a target might escape. In my invention, it is not necessary to change the course of flight. Instead, by use of the jet means, the lower section is rotated to a position at which the weapons can be properly aimed and tired regardless of the course employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a front view of my helicopter;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a helicopter has a fuselage with an upper section having an elongated tail portion 12 and a lower section 14. A vertical drive shaft 16 extends upwardly from the top of the lower section through the upper section and ends or terminates above the upper section. Section 14 is rotatable about shaft 16; section 10 is not rotatable about the shaft 16.

The shaft is driven or rotated by an internal combustion engine disposed in the upper section. First propeller means 18 is secured to the top end of the shaft and is rotated thereby in a horizontal plane in conventional manner. The engine has another drive shaft or transmission which extends to the tail portion and is connected to second propeller means 20 secured thereto and rotated thereby in a conventional manner in a vertical plane.

The lower section can contain one or more pilots and crew with weapons as described above and is provided with landing skis or the like 22. At least two jet engines 24 and 26 are disposed opposite each other on opposite sides of the lower section and discharge horizontal jets in opposite directions. Controls within the lower section enable an operator by selective firing of these jets, to rotate the lower section in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions through any desired arc, for example from the solid line position to the phantom position as shown in FIG. 3, and to thereafter hold the lower section in this position or to change it as desired.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

lclaim:

l. A helicopter comprising:

a fuselage having upper and lower sections, the lower section being rotatable about a vertical axis, the upper section being nonrotatable about said axis;

an engine in said upper section;

landing means attached to said lower section;

a vertical drive shaft for said engine which defines said axis, said shaft extending through said upper section, the upper end of said shaft being disposed thereabove' first propeller means secured to the top end of said shaft and rotated thereby; and

jet means secured to said lower section for causing selected rotation thereof.

2. A helicopter as set forth in claim I wherein said jet means includes first and second oppositely disposed jet engines which fire horizontally.

3. A helicopter as set forth in claim 2 wherein said engines fire in opposite directions.

4. A helicopter as set forth in claim 3 wherein said lower section is rotatably secured about the bottom end of the drive shaft.

5. A helicopter as set forth in claim 4 further including second propeller means coupled to said engine and rotated thereby, the first propeller means rotating in a horizontal plane, the second propeller means rotating in a vertical plane.