Rotary wing producing lift and thrust - has horizontal blades with pitch control, rotating about horizontal shaft

摘要

A lift and thrust rotor for aircraft can be used in pairs mounted horizontally in the positions normall ied by the aircraft wings. Each consists of long thin blades (11, 12) parallel to and rotating around a horizontal drive shaft (18). Each blade is pivoted about a longitudinal axis (13) and a pitch mechanism comprising a toothed belt drive (32) actuated by a cam (38) ensures that its incidence is correctly maintained as the assembly rotates. The pitch mechanism can be adjusted during flight, so as to rotate the resultant aerodynamic force vector. There is reduced drag and the rotor is more efficient than a helicopter rotor because the baldes are at the same angle to the relative airstream along their entire length. An aircraft fitted with the rotor has short landing capability and also, because of low rotor speeds, low noise.