US 12,103,670 B2
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft
Kyle Clark, South Burlington, VT (US); and Herman Wiegman, South Burlington, VT (US)
Assigned to BETA AIR, LLC, South Burlington, VT (US)
Filed by BETA AIR, LLC, South Burlington, VT (US)
Filed on Apr. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/139,743.
Application 18/139,743 is a continuation of application No. 17/852,309, filed on Jun. 28, 2022, granted, now 11,667,377.
Application 17/852,309 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/713,520, filed on Dec. 13, 2019, granted, now 11,592,841, issued on Feb. 28, 2023.
Application 17/852,309 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/599,538, filed on Oct. 11, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/912,741, filed on Oct. 9, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/812,215, filed on Feb. 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0257112 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. B64C 27/26 (2006.01); B64C 9/02 (2006.01); B64C 27/82 (2006.01); B64D 27/24 (2024.01)
CPC B64C 27/26 (2013.01) [B64C 9/02 (2013.01); B64D 27/24 (2013.01); B64C 2027/8272 (2013.01); B64C 2027/829 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, wherein the aircraft comprises:
a plurality of lift components affixed to each boom of a plurality of booms, wherein the boom comprises a fore end and an aft end;
a fuselage comprising a fore end, an aft end, and a longitudinal axis; and
a tail affixed to the aft end of the fuselage, wherein the tail comprises:
a plurality of vertically projecting elements, wherein each vertically projecting element of the plurality of vertically projecting elements form an angle relative a horizontal plane extending through the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, wherein each vertically projecting element of the plurality of vertically projecting elements form a sweep angle relative a lateral plane of the aircraft, the lateral plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the horizontal plane, wherein the plurality of vertically projecting elements comprises:
a first vertically projecting element positioned to a first side of the fuselage; and
a second vertically projecting element positioned to a second side of the fuselage; and
the plurality of vertically projecting elements each are affixed at the aft end of a boom of the plurality of booms and are designed and configured to be positioned laterally outside of a wake from the plurality of lift components while the aircraft is engaged in conventional wing-borne flight; and
a plurality of laterally projecting elements that extend between a corresponding one of the vertically projecting elements and the fuselage and that each form an angle relative to the horizontal plane of the aircraft and a sweep angle relative to the lateral plane of the aircraft.