Personal Aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing ("VTOL") which comprises:
- (a) a fuselage having a front end, a rear end and two lateral sides,
the fuselage having a central longitudinal axis extending from the front end to
the rear end, between the two lateral sides;
- (b) at least one, and preferably two or more, ducted fans, each arranged
in the fuselage between the front end and the rear end and between the two lateral
sides, for providing vertical lift; and
- (c) at least one substantially horizontal wing attached to each side
of the fuselage and extending outward with respect to the central longitudinal
axis. The wings and fuselage of the aircraft are designed to provide a lift-to-drag
(L/D) ratio during flight, when flying at an airspeed in the range of 50 to 100
MPH, of at least 4:1.
According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the width and
wingspan of the aircraft wings are adjustable during flight so that the L/D ratio
and the footprint of the aircraft may be matched to the needs of the pilot.
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