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Aircraft control systemA solar rechargeable, long-duration, span-loaded flying wing, having no fuselage or rudder. Having a two-hundred foot wingspan that mounts photovoltaic cells on most all of the wing's top surface, the aircraft uses only differential thrust of its eight propellers to turn, pitch and yaw. The wing is configured to deform under flight loads to position the propellers such that the control can be achieved. Each of five segments of the wing has one or more motors and photovoltaic arrays, and produces its own lift independent of the other segments, to avoid loading them. Five two-sided photovoltaic arrays, in all, are mounted on the wing, and receive photovoltaic energy both incident on top of the wing, and which is incident also from below, through a bottom, transparent surface.
Document ID
20080009492
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Other - Patent
Authors
Lisoski, Derek L.
Kendall, Greg T.
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
April 3, 2007
Subject Category
Aircraft Stability And Control
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Patent
US-Patent-7,198,225
Patent Application
US-Patent-Appl-SN-10/310,415
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