A fully compounding rotorcraft includes a fuselage having first and second wings extending therefrom and configured to provide lift compounding responsive to forward airspeed. A twin boom includes first and second tail boom members that extend aftward from the first and second wings. An empennage is coupled between the aft ends of the tail boom members. An anti-torque system includes a tail rotor that is rotatably coupled to the empennage. An engine is disposed within the fuselage and is configured to provide torque to a main rotor assembly via an output shaft and a main rotor gearbox. An auxiliary propulsive system is coupled to the fuselage and is configured to generate a propulsive thrust to offload at least a portion of a thrust requirement from the main rotor during forward flight, thereby providing propulsion compounding to increase the forward airspeed of the rotorcraft.

Disclosed herein is a VTOL tilt-wing aircraft that serves as a 4-6 passenger airliner for scheduled service between city centers and that is optimized for travel distances from 100-500 miles fully loaded with passengers and fuel. The VTOL aircraft solves technical, cost, and time problems inherent in other forms of transportation, including, but not limited to, rail, passenger airlines, and helicopters. The VTOL aircraft (1) takes off and lands like a helicopter, (2) flies fast like a jet, and (3) costs less than or comparable to a helicopter.

A method for assisting piloting beyond an altitude that can be reached with only the capabilities of a thermal power plant of a rotorcraft, by supplying power from an electrical power plant. After defining a take-off point of the rotorcraft and a target point, and their respective altitudes, a determination of a first maximum altitude that can be reached by the rotorcraft using only the thermal power plant is carried out according to a first altitude law. Then, an estimate of a second maximum altitude that can be reached by the rotorcraft using the thermal power plant and the electrical power plant jointly driving each rotor of the rotorcraft is made according to a second altitude law. If the second maximum altitude is higher than the altitude of the target point, the rotorcraft can fly to the target point.

A method for assisting piloting beyond an altitude that can be reached with only the capabilities of a thermal power plant of a rotorcraft, by supplying power from an electrical power plant. After defining a take-off point of the rotorcraft and a target point, and their respective altitudes, a determination of a first maximum altitude that can be reached by the rotorcraft using only the thermal power plant is carried out according to a first altitude law. Then, an estimate of a second maximum altitude that can be reached by the rotorcraft using the thermal power plant and the electrical power plant jointly driving each rotor of the rotorcraft is made according to a second altitude law. If the second maximum altitude is higher than the altitude of the target point, the rotorcraft can fly to the target point.

An aircraft having a fuselage with a nose and a flat tail at opposite ends and a pair of wings extending therefrom. A pair of nacelles are detachably connected to the top of respective ones of the wings to be spaced from the fuselage to establish an air flow space therebetween. Each wing-mounted nacelle includes a plurality of fans, a corresponding plurality of electric motors to drive the fans, and dividers that separate the fans from one another. Each wing-mounted nacelle also includes a pair of rotatable air inlet slats at an air intake end and a pair of rotatable air exhaust flaps at an air exhaust end that are rotated relative to one another to control horizontal propulsive thrust, thrust vectoring and thrust reversing of the aircraft. A third nacelle is mounted on top of the flat tail of the fuselage between a pair of horizontal turbo generators.

An aircraft having a fuselage with a nose and a flat tail at opposite ends and a pair of wings extending therefrom. A pair of nacelles are detachably connected to the top of respective ones of the wings to be spaced from the fuselage to establish an air flow space therebetween. Each wing-mounted nacelle includes a plurality of fans, a corresponding plurality of electric motors to drive the fans, and dividers that separate the fans from one another. Each wing-mounted nacelle also includes a pair of rotatable air inlet slats at an air intake end and a pair of rotatable air exhaust flaps at an air exhaust end that are rotated relative to one another to control horizontal propulsive thrust, thrust vectoring and thrust reversing of the aircraft. A third nacelle is mounted on top of the flat tail of the fuselage between a pair of horizontal turbo generators.

An aircraft (41) including a fuselage (14) having a skin (15) and extending along a longitudinal axis (39) from a front end to a rear end (17) of the aircraft, and an engine (30) including an air intake (31) forming an opening in the skin (15) and an exhaust (32) forming another opening in the skin (15). The engine is in a rear fuselage section, in which the exhaust (32) is situated ahead of the air intake (31) along the longitudinal direction (39).

A multi-engine system for an aircraft, has: a first engine having a first output shaft, a first core shaft, and a first electric machine drivingly engaged by the first output shaft or the first core shaft; a second engine having a second output shaft, a second core shaft, and a second electric machine drivingly engaged to the second core shaft; a reduction gearbox drivingly engaged by the first output shaft and by the second output shaft for driving a common load; and a transmission path between the first engine and the second engine, the transmission path being independent from the reduction gearbox and being one or more of: a torque-transfer connection between the second core shaft and the first core shaft or the first output shaft via a coupling gearbox, and an electrical connection between the generator and the electric motor to transmit electrical power to the electric motor.

A boundary layer ingestion fan system for location aft of the fuselage of an aircraft is shown. It comprises a nacelle defining a duct, and a fan located within the duct. The fan comprises a hub arranged to rotate around a rotational axis and a plurality of blades attached to the hub, each of which has a span from a root at the hub defining a 0 percent span position (r.sub.hub) to a tip defining a 100 percent span position (r.sub.tip) and a plurality of span positions therebetween (r∈[r.sub.hub, r.sub.tip]). A plurality of outlet guide vanes are positioned aft of the fan. An afterbody is located aft of the plurality of outlet guide vanes and which tapers to an apex having an apex angle with respect to the rotational axis of between 35 and 45 degrees.

Aspects of the invention regard an aircraft including: a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including an intake, a nacelle, and gas turbine engine components located radially inside the nacelle; and an aircraft structure. The intake of the gas turbine engine is mounted to the aircraft structure in a manner such that its position can be adjusted. The nacelle and the gas turbine engine components located radially inside the nacelle are rigidly mounted to the aircraft structure. Other aspects of the invention regard a gas turbine engine and a method for adjusting the input of air flowing into a gas turbine engine.