Patent ID: 11939077
Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 15:
16. A method of operating an aircraft, comprising:
providing an aircraft engine comprising: an engine core comprising a low pressure turbine shaft and a bypass fan system comprising an inner fan disposed longitudinally along a length of the low pressure turbine shaft, an outer fan disposed at least partially concentrically around the inner fan and at least partially longitudinally overlapping the inner fan along the length of the low pressure turbine shaft, and a fan clutch disposed at least partially concentrically around the inner fan and at least partially longitudinally overlapping the inner fan along the length of the low pressure turbine shaft, the outer fan disposed at least partially concentrically around the fan clutch, and the fan clutch being disposed at least partially longitudinally overlapping the outer fan along the length of the low pressure turbine shaft;
operating the aircraft engine to generate bypass airflow in order to induce thrust by selectively coupling at least a portion of the bypass fan to the low pressure turbine shaft;
selectively rotationally decoupling the outer fan from the inner fan.