US 12,441,467 B2
Aircraft with tilting fan assemblies
James Joseph Tighe, San Jose, CA (US); and Uri Tzarnotzky, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Wisk Aero LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Wisk Aero LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 17, 2025, as Appl. No. 19/029,720.
Application 19/029,720 is a continuation of application No. 17/162,313, filed on Jan. 29, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/968,852, filed on Jan. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2025/0214701 A1, Jul. 3, 2025
Int. Cl. B64C 29/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 29/0033 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aircraft configured for vertical takeoff and landing, the aircraft comprising:
a fuselage;
a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;
a plurality of lift fan assemblies coupled to the pair of wings, wherein the plurality of lift fan assemblies are configured to create a vertical lift;
a pair of tilting fan assemblies configured to move between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position, wherein the plurality of tilting fan assemblies are configured to create a vertical lift when in the vertical lift position;
one or more lateral support structures coupled to the fuselage forward of the pair of wings, wherein the pair of tilting fan assemblies are coupled to the one or more lateral support structures;
a plurality of support structures coupled to each one of the pair of wings, wherein:
each of a set of lift fan assemblies among the plurality of lift fan assemblies is non-tiltably mounted to a first end of each support structure,
each of a pair of lift fan assemblies among the plurality of lift fan assemblies is non-tiltably mounted to a second end of a support structure among the plurality of support structures on each side of the fuselage,
the set of lift fan assemblies are provided at a trailing edge of the pair of wings,
the pair of lift fan assemblies are provided at a leading edge of the pair of wings; and
a control system configurable to activate and deactivate the plurality of lift fan assemblies and control the pair of tilting fan assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position.