Piasecki Aircraft Corporation

Donald N Meyers

Frank N Piasecki

An improved version of a vectored thrust ducted propeller tail assembly or 'ring tail' for rotary wing aircraft in which a deflecting surface or surfaces is pivotally mounted behind the shrouded propeller in the tail duct for rotation transversely of the duct interior in deflecting the propeller slip stream transversely of the duct establishing a transversely directed thrust for providing rotor torque counteracting and aircraft yaw control. In the improved version the slip stream deflecting surfaces are pivotally supported to extend transversely across the duct rear exit in both directions as will deflect the propeller slip stream either out the left or the right sides or out both the left and right sides of the duct end. In this version the deflecting surfaces comprise a rudder surface pivotally mounted to swing between a neutral position coincident with the duct longitudinal axis and fully deflected positions extending transversely across the duct interior in either direction and a pair of arcuate duct end sectors each configured to partially circumferentially overlie an end portion of the respective opposite lateral sides of the duct. The sectors are pivotally supported for rotation between a stowed position in which each sector of the pair spans a duct end portion of respective opposite lateral sides of the duct and alternate extended positions in which both sectors are arranged in a juxtaposed array with adjacent side edges abutting.

Rotary wing aircraft split segmented duct shrouded propeller tail

An airship with provisions for vectored thrust provided by a plurality of controllable pitch rotor thrust producing units attached to the elongated aerostat hull spaced from and on opposite sides of the center of overall mass of the airship. The pitch control systems for the rotors of all thrust units include collective and cyclic pitch controls of the main, horizontally rotating lifting rotors and the control systems are interconnected to be operable by a master control which establishes both similar and differential pitch settings of the rotors of selected thrust units in a manner to establish vectored thrust in directions which establish the required amounts of vertical lift, propulsion thrust, trim and control forces to control all flight aspects of the airship.

Vectored thrust airship

A wingless vertical take-off aircraft having multiple ducted propeller rotors with controllable pitch blades symmetrically mounted in the forward and the rear portions and on both sides of the aircraft with the ducts angled downwardly at an acute angle to the aircraft longitudinal axis, transversely extending deflector vanes pivotable vertically within the exit portion of the ducts, and a rudder for yaw control mounted in the exit portion of each rearwardly located duct. Control in altitude and in attitude about the pitch and roll axes is achieved by controlling the collective pitch of the propellers in selected ducts with the roll control being interconnected to the yaw control to counteract roll/yaw coupling effects and control in trim and forward flight thrust being provided by setting the position of the deflector vane to divert the air flow from the ducts in variable directions with respect to the aircraft axis and the vertical.

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Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Donald N Meyers