July 5, 1955 w. H. AMSTER ET AI. 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF' AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREF‘OR Filed Dec. l, 1951 9 SheeJLs--Shee'tl l “u1/J6 4 III-I1 a July 5, 1955 W. H, AMSTER ET AL 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREFOR Filed Dec. l. 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Empf July 5, 1955 . w. H. AMSTER ET AL 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE‘OF‘F AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREF‘OR July 5, 1955 w. H. AMsTER ET A1. 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREFOR Filed Dec. l , 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 July 5, 1955 w. H. AMsTER ET AL 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREF‘OR Filed Dec. l, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 @www July 5, 1955 w. H. AMSTER ETAL 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-‘OFF AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREFOR Filed Dec. 1, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 60 0. .7 i un «lf3.//7 www@ July 5, 1955 W. H. AMSTER ET AL. 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM yTHEREFOR Filed DGO. l , 1951 9 Shee’ßS--Shee'îa '7 i/Zäilí 5,/ ? @Mmmmf July 5, 1955 w. H. AMSTER ET Al. 2,712,420 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF' AIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREF‘OR Filed Deo. l, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 15 [6fm/nd ¿me j 0 l July 5, 1955 w. H. AMSTER ET AL 2,712,429 VERTICAL TAKE-‘OFF ÁIRPLANE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREF'OR Filed Dec. l, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 @§17 2,712,426 United States Patent Oñâce Patented July 5, 1955 1 I. 2 Figure’ 5 is a perspective view illustrating the aircraft in normal horizontalz flight. 2,712,420 Figure V6 ís a perspective view showing the aircraft in VERTÍCAL 'rancore ALRPLANEAND CONTROL hovering- position ju'st above' the take-off and landing deck SYSTEM 'rHEREFoR of a vessel; _, Warren H. Amster, Montclair, N. I., and Clarence> H. Figure 7 is a phantom perspective view diagran1mati~ Holleman', Tarzana, and Eugene V. Browne, Los An cally showing the r'najor components of the surface con' gilles, Calif., assignors to Northrop Aircraft, Inc., Haw trol systern- and showing the control surfaces as stippled thorne, Calif., a corporation of California áreas. Figure 8 is a plan view diagram of the rudder control Application December 1, i951-,- seiiài No, 259,334 system'. z'z claims. (ci. 244-41) Figure 9 is a diagram showing thev rudder control sys tem viewed from the side as indicated by line 9-9 in Figure 8. _ _ This invention relates to airplanes, and inore particu Figure 10 is azpla'n view diagram showing the right larIy', to a new_vertically landing (tail down), horizon hand ele‘von control system'. ’ tally ñying' airplane, and a control system therefor. Figure il is a diagram showing the right-hand elevon _Itis known thatpripr attempts have been made to pro connections viewed from the side as indicated by line vide' 'á'n‘air'cra'ft which cap'âble of flight as outlined in 11-11 in Figure' 10. the preceding paragraph. However, none as far as known Figure. 12 isa side view diagram showing the horizontal have been ~completely successful, for various' reasons. tail control- system and control stick connections to the Some disadvantages of the heretofore proposed airplanes elevon ­control system. _ of this type are unsuitable and impractical landing gear Figure 13 is a. diagram showing the control stick con ineans at _the tail section, inadequate control¿.­­systems, nections viewed from the rear as indicated by line i3-‘••13 poor stability, the lack of means for effecting a satis 2. in Figure l2, _ _ factory landingI operation at and on a desired spot', and Figure 14 is an enlarged perspective diagram showing impractical propeller designs requiring special, uncon~ the control stick mechanism of Figures l2 and 13 as ventional, and costly manufacture. _ _ viewed from the top left rear. _ _The tnain objects of the' present invention are" to pro .Figure l5 is a partial cut-away plan view of the air~ vide airplane capable of vertical take-orf and hover 30 plane, showing-_ landing _strut details with struts in the ing, transition from vertical to horizontal flight, static position on a ground line. _ _ _lii'gh speed, return to _vertical hovering attitude, and VFigure 1_6 is a horizontal side _view of a preferred pilot’s lowering to a good landing, wherein all the above listed seat installation in normal flight and ejection position. disadvantages and problems are overcome, and especially Figure 17 is a horizontal side view of the same pilot‘s having a simple yet _novel control system to provide and seat installation, showing the seat rotated as it wouid be maintain satisfactory control and all desired aspects of in the takeloff, hovering and landing position. maneuverability during and throughout all phases and _All directional references­ and locations specified in positions of night. _ this_description, and in the following claims, with respect Other _objects and features of advantage will be noted to `the airplane, i. e., downwardly, rearwardly, horizontal or specifically pointed out in the detailed description of «­ surfaces, et`c., are made relative to an assumed horizontal spccilic apparatus embodying this invention, which forms position 4ofthe airplane, as in conventional night. a major part of this specification. _ _Referring first to Figures l, 2 and 3 to begin the de In brief general terms, as to apparatus, our invention scription of detailed apparatus, the airplane of our inven comprises a relatively short fuselage, counter-rotating tion comprises a fuselage 1, two main wing panels 2 and dual propellcrs', a thin straight (únswept) high wing aft 3 intersecting the fuselage 1 near the top thereof, a ven of the fuselage center, a ventral tin, control system com tral fin 4_extending vertically downwardly from the aft ponents comprising full length elevon surfaces on the end of the fuselage, an all~movab1e horizontal tail surface trailing edge of the wing, a rudder on the vcntraltin trail 5 (hereinafter called elevator) mounted at the lower end ing edge, and an all-movable horizontal tail control sur o_f the ventral lin 4,_and dual counter-rotating propellers face at the lower end of the ventral fin. A unique conti-ol 50 6. A pilot’s cockpit with removable enclosure 7 is pro~ arrangement permits elevator and aileron movements of vided well forward of the wing paneis 2 and 3 where the the elevons, as controlled by a conventional stick or con range of vision is exceptionaly large. Each wing panel trol wheel, while in the vertical and transition positions, has‘a dihedral angle of about l_5° from the horizontal, and and allows elimination of elevator movements of the a­ wing' tip _pod 9_is mounted on the tip of each wing elevons, as controlled by the stick, while in horizontal 55 panel _2 and 3. The tip pods 9 are long and slender, and ñíght. The wing has several degrees of dihedral, and each carries a wing tip landing s't'rut 10 projecting a short carries tip bodies having rearwardly extending shock strut distance fromthé rear. -These wing tip struts 10, in co means therein, and the venti-_al tin mounts a similar shock operation with`­ afin landing strut 11 extending aft from strut» means, thus forming three widely spaced points for the­­ ventral fin­ 4 and a collapsible tail> cone 12 on the the landing support, together witha main landing shock 80 a_f_t'_e_'i_1'dv of _fr_xs'eflage` L_fOrin the landing gear for this absor‘berin the tail~section of the fuselage. __ aircraft, and will be in more detail later. _The The present invention will be- more clearly understood normal _ñighopos'ition of the _trailcone 12 isv shown in byY reference to the following' detailed description- oi _a hrolr'en line’sin Figùifesl 3. The tip p'od's 9 maybe preferred embodiment, together'- with the­ accompanying as’î fuel a?nìaiñent housings, o'r' other desired 65 use. .„ . drawings', wherein: _ _ áls'o shown in 1, 2 and 3, airplane attitude Figures l, 2i and 3 are plan, front end and left _side titiuittfol~ nieaús of a_ left­. and _a right-handY elevon views, respectively; of a preferredv aircraft configuration surface 1'4'_a`n"d 15 eritending' the full length of the wing embodying niepr'ese'?i invention; __ _ _ trailing edge, a rudder 16 _in the trailing edge of the Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating' thesame 70 ventral tin 4, and the elevatori. The elevons 14 and aircraft-in its _vertical resting position on the ground or 1li _are operated by a conventional control stick, for ex a-landing platform. ample, a'r'id, by a­ mechanism to be subsequently described 2,712,420 3 in detail, will function as both ailerons and elevators or « Ru'dder operating valves 27 are each provided with hy~ as ailerons alone. draulic line connections 32 to the supply and return lines This airplane is designed to take-olf vertically from a of two separate airplane hydraulic power systems (not tail-down landing position as shown in Figure 4. After a shown), one complete system for each rudder valve and desired suñicient altitude has been attained, it is inclined actuating cylinder. Both hydraulic power systems nor toward the horizontal and starts to pick up speed in this mally are in operation, but in the case of failure of one, latter direction while still mostly “hanging” by >the pro the second alone can operate the rifdder.