Stability and control system and apparatus for ducted fan aircraft

Claim 1

A VERTICAL FLIGHT APPARATUS UTILIZING A TILTING DUCTED FLUID TRANSPORTING IMPELLER AND HAVING GREATLY REDUCED AERODYNAMIC PITCHING MOMENT VARIATIONS DUE TO VARIATIONS OF TILT ANGLE OF SAID DUCTED FLUID TRANSPORTED IMPELLER COMPRISING A CENTRAL BODY PORTION WITH A LONGITUDINAL AXIS PARALLEL TO A HIGH SPEED DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID APPARATUS AND A TILTING DUCTED FLUID TRANSPORTING IMPELLER MOUNTED ON A SIDE OF SAID CENTRAL BODY AND HAVING AN IMPELLER AXIS AND A DUCT WITH A FLUID INTAKE MOUTH WITH LIP PORTIONS ON SAID MOUTH AND A MOUNTH''S DIAMETER; CONNECTING MEANS MOUNTING SAID TILTING DUCTED FLUID TRANSPORTING IMPELLER ON SAID CENTRAL BODY PORTION FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A HIGH SPEED DUCT POSITION IN WHICH SAID IMPELLER AXIS IS APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND A VERTICAL FLIGHT POSITION IN WHICH SAID IMPELLER AXIS IS IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION APPROXIMATELY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, COMPRISING A CONNECTION HAVING A PIVOTAL TILT AXIS APPROXIMATELY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND TO SAID IMPELLER AXIS, SAID DUCTED FLUID TRANSPORTING IMPELLER BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID PIVOTAL TILT AXIS IS LOCATED RELATIVE TO SAID DUCT IN A REGION BETWEEN A FIRST PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID LIP PORTION OF SAID INTAKE MOUTH AND A SECOND PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST PLANE AND LOCATED UPSTREAM OF SAID FIRST PLANE AT A DISTANCE NO GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID INTAKE MOUTH.