The Boeing Company

Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation

Steven D Richardson

Eric W Walliser

A method of operating an aircraft having a rotor/wing assembly and a nozzle comprises vectoring the nozzle into a position for creating vertical thrust, and using the rotor/wing assembly and the nozzle together to create vertical thrust during a rotary mode of operation.

Rotor/wing aircraft including vectorable nozzle

A rotational position-adjusting system () for a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (). The system () includes multiple detectors () that generate rotor signals. The rotor signals are indicative of the position of each rotor () of the aircraft (). The rotors () provide lift to the aircraft (). A controller () is coupled to the detectors () and adjusts the rotational speed of one or more of the rotors () in response to the rotor signals.

Tandem rotor wing rotational position control system

Aircraft including an airframe having a fuselage extending between a forward end and an aft end and a fixed wing extending laterally from the fuselage. The aircraft includes a power plant mounted on the airframe producing exhaust during operation. The aircraft includes a rotor/wing rotatably mounted on the airframe including a plurality of blades and an adjustable nozzle mounted on the airframe downstream from the power plant exhaust for selectively directing the power plant exhaust to exit the aircraft at a pre-selected angle with respect to the airframe within a range of angles extending from about horizontally rearward to about vertically downward.

Rotor wing aircraft having an adjustable tail nozzle

The fire and explosion suppression system is mounted external to a tank and injects a suppressant medium into the tank via a preformed opening in the tank wall. The fire and explosion suppressant system includes a container for housing a suppressant medium which includes an opening removably connected to the predefined opening in a tank wall. The fire and explosion suppressant system also includes an actuator, such as a detonator, for activating the suppressant medium upon detection of a fire or explosion within the tank. The fire and explosion suppressant system further includes a reclosable valve for sealing the predefined opening in the tank wall. The valve includes a valve housing having at least one port and mounted over the opening in the tank wall. The valve further includes a piston disposed within the valve housing for sealing the tank wall opening. In the absence of an explosion or fire within the tank, the piston is disposed in a closed position against or within the opening in the tank wall, thereby sealing the tank wall and preventing leakage. Upon detecting a fire or explosion within the tank, however, the actuator initiates a reaction involving the suppressant medium which increases the pressure within the container and unseats the piston from the opening in the tank wall such that the suppressant medium is delivered to the tank via the ports defined by the valve housing in order to extinguish the fire or explosion.

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St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Steven D Richardson