US 12,134,470 B2
Aircraft with side body articulating propulsion
Jeffrey Hymer, Webberville, MI (US)
Assigned to Hi-Lite Aircraft, Webberville, MI (US)
Filed by Hi-Lite Aircraft, Webberville, MI (US)
Filed on Apr. 10, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/297,941.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/329,665, filed on Apr. 11, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0322376 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. B64C 29/00 (2006.01); B64C 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 29/0033 (2013.01) [B64C 11/001 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aircraft configured for forward flight and vertical take-off/landing, said aircraft comprising:
a fuselage having a nose and a tail defining a longitudinal direction, said fuselage having a port side and a starboard side defining a lateral direction, said fuselage having a height defining a vertical direction that lies orthogonal to both of said longitudinal and lateral directions,
an airframe structurally supporting said fuselage, said airframe including a plurality of primary journals extending laterally through said fuselage, each said primary journal establishing an articulation axis, each said articulation axis being offset from the next adjacent articulation axis by a common rise in the vertical direction and a common run in the longitudinal direction such that all of said articulation axes are equally spaced apart from one another and lie along a propulsor slope defined by said common rise and said common run, said propulsor slope being in the range of about 30-60 degrees measured from said longitudinal direction, and
a side body articulating propulsion system operatively connected to said airframe, said side body articulating propulsion system including a plurality of propulsor sets, each said propulsor set associated with a respective one of said primary journals of said airframe, each said propulsor set comprising a port propulsor unit and a starboard propulsor unit, an articulation controller collectively connecting each said propulsor set for synchronized rotation of said plurality of propulsor sets about the respective said articulation axes between VTOL and forward flight positions.