Embodiments of the present invention are related to a Y-shaped airliner including an elongate main fuselage bifurcated into two outwardly angled fuselage extensions defined as a first fuselage extension and a second fuselage extension. The airliner includes a NACA inlet, a medial fan, a pair of forward canard wings, and a pair of side wings each including at least one engine. The medial fan is positioned between the first fuselage extension and the second fuselage extension. The NACA inlet is positioned on the main fuselage rear skin and is structured to feed airflow into the medial fan.

A flow body of an aircraft includes: a flow surface exposed to an airstream during flight of the aircraft, the flow surface generating at least one region of turbulent airflow during flight of the aircraft, at least one perforated area including a plurality of openings extending through the flow surface, a manifold positioned interior to the flow surface in fluid communication with the openings, and at least one suction duct having a first end and a second end, the first end being in fluid communication with the manifold, the second end including a suction opening and being arranged in the at least one region of turbulent airflow, wherein the suction opening is adapted for inducing a suction force in the at least one suction duct when the flow surface is exposed to an airstream during flight, thereby inducing a flow of air from through the plurality of openings.

A flow body of an aircraft includes: a flow surface exposed to an airstream during flight of the aircraft, the flow surface generating at least one region of turbulent airflow during flight of the aircraft, at least one perforated area including a plurality of openings extending through the flow surface, a manifold positioned interior to the flow surface in fluid communication with the openings, and at least one suction duct having a first end and a second end, the first end being in fluid communication with the manifold, the second end including a suction opening and being arranged in the at least one region of turbulent airflow, wherein the suction opening is adapted for inducing a suction force in the at least one suction duct when the flow surface is exposed to an airstream during flight, thereby inducing a flow of air from through the plurality of openings.

Presented are flush-mounted fluid inlets, methods for making/using such fluid inlets, and aircraft equipped with flush-mounted air inlets for engine intake/cooling, bleed air flow, etc. A fluid inlet device is presented for improving vehicle aerodynamic performance. The fluid inlet device includes an inlet base that rigidly mounts to the vehicle, laying substantially flush with a washed outer surface across which fluid flows. The inlet base has a mouth that fluidly couples with a vehicle duct. Two sidewalls are attached to the inlet base, extending between leading and trailing edges of the inlet mouth. An inlet ramp, which is interposed between and attached to the sidewalls, projects inward at an oblique angle from the mouth's leading edge. A highlight is attached to the inlet base, projecting forward from the trailing edge towards the leading edge of the mouth. The highlight has a waveform plan-view profile and undulating outer surface.

Presented are flush-mounted fluid inlets, methods for making/using such fluid inlets, and aircraft equipped with flush-mounted air inlets for engine intake/cooling, bleed air flow, etc. A fluid inlet device is presented for improving vehicle aerodynamic performance. The fluid inlet device includes an inlet base that rigidly mounts to the vehicle, laying substantially flush with a washed outer surface across which fluid flows. The inlet base has a mouth that fluidly couples with a vehicle duct. Two sidewalls are attached to the inlet base, extending between leading and trailing edges of the inlet mouth. An inlet ramp, which is interposed between and attached to the sidewalls, projects inward at an oblique angle from the mouth's leading edge. A highlight is attached to the inlet base, projecting forward from the trailing edge towards the leading edge of the mouth. The highlight has a waveform plan-view profile and undulating outer surface.

A boundary layer ingestion fan system for location aft of the fuselage of an aircraft is shown. It comprises a nacelle (501) defining a duct, and a fan located therewithin. The fan comprises a hub arranged to rotate around a rotational axis (A-A) and a plurality of blades attached thereto. Each blade has a span (r) from a root at the hub defining a 0 percent span position (r=0) to a tip defining a 100 percent span position (r=1) and a plurality of span positions therebetween (r ∈ [0, 1]), and leading and trailing edges defining, for each span position, a chord therebetween to having a chord length (c). For each of said plurality of blades, the ratio of chord length at the 0 percent span position (c.sub.hub) to chord length at the 100 percent span position (c.sub.tip) is 1 or greater.

A boundary layer ingestion fan system for location aft of the fuselage of an aircraft is shown. It comprises a nacelle (501) defining a duct, and a fan located therewithin. The fan comprises a hub arranged to rotate around a rotational axis (A-A) and a plurality of blades attached thereto. Each blade has a span (r) from a root at the hub defining a 0 percent span position (r=0) to a tip defining a 100 percent span position (r=1) and a plurality of span positions therebetween (r ∈ [0, 1]), and leading and trailing edges defining, for each span position, a chord therebetween to having a chord length (c). For each of said plurality of blades, the ratio of chord length at the 0 percent span position (c.sub.hub) to chord length at the 100 percent span position (c.sub.tip) is 1 or greater.

A boundary layer ingestion fan system for location aft of the fuselage of an aircraft is shown. It comprises a nacelle (501) defining a duct (502), and a fan (503) located within the duct. The fan comprises a hub arranged to rotate around a rotational axis (A-A) and a plurality of blades attached to the hub. Each blade has a span (r) from a root at the hub defining a 0 percent span position (r=0) to a tip defining a 100 percent span position (r=1) and a plurality of span positions therebetween (r ∈ [0, 1]), and a stagger angle at the 0 percent span position (ζ.sub.hub) relative to the rotational axis of 40 degrees or greater.

A boundary layer ingestion fan system for location aft of the fuselage of an aircraft is shown. It comprises a nacelle (501) defining a duct (502), and a fan (503) located within the duct. The fan comprises a hub arranged to rotate around a rotational axis (A-A) and a plurality of blades attached to the hub. Each blade has a span (r) from a root at the hub defining a 0 percent span position (r=0) to a tip defining a 100 percent span position (r=1) and a plurality of span positions therebetween (r ∈ [0, 1]), and a stagger angle at the 0 percent span position (ζ.sub.hub) relative to the rotational axis of 40 degrees or greater.

A fluid adjustment device is provided with: a body part mounted on a wing tip, which is an end part of a main wing on the opposite side to the wing root, and having an upper opening and a lower opening formed in an upper surface of the body part and a lower surface of the body part; a first Francis turbine that sucks air from the upper opening and the lower opening and discharges the sucked air from the trailing edge side of the main wing; and a first motor for rotating the first Francis turbine in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of a wingtip vortex generated at the wingtip. The first Francis turbine has a central axis extending from the leading edge of the main wing toward the trailing edge, sucks air from the circumferential direction, and discharges the sucked air in the axial direction.