Patent ID: 8167233

Claim:
An aircraft, comprising: a fuselage; a single engine powerplant; a rotor mounted on a mast and projecting above the fuselage, adjacent a longitudinal center of gravity of the aircraft, wherein the rotor is driven by the powerplant and generates lift for the aircraft; and left and right ducted fans each fan having a plurality of blades attached to the fuselage at a rear portion thereof, on left and right sides of an aircraft centerline, respectively, and spaced laterally from the centerline; and a stick control operatively coupled with a flight control computer such that movement of the stick control is translated by the flight control computer into mechanical operational control of at least the left and right ducted fans; the powerplant positioned closely adjacent the longitudinal center of gravity of the aircraft, between the mast and the first and second propulsion units; the powerplant including a main shaft that extends in a first direction and is operatively coupled with a main transmission associated with the mast; the powerplant further including an auxiliary shaft that extends in a second direction, away from the first direction, and is operatively coupled with an auxiliary transmission associated with the left and right ducted fans; wherein the first and second propulsion units provide forward thrust to the aircraft, and wherein each propulsion unit is separately controllable through rotation of the control stick, causing the flight control computer to initiate non-symmetrical thrust to the first and second propulsion units, whereby aircraft yaw control is provided by such non-symmetrical thrust.