Patent ID: 6885917

Claim:
A jet-powered tri-mode aircraft capable of automatically transitioning from a helicopter mode to a compound mode to a fixed-wing mode without any intervention by a pilot of the aircraft, the aircraft comprising: a fuselage; a turbofan engine mounted within the fuselage for producing an exhaust gas flow; a rotor blade having a plurality of exit nozzles for outputting the gas flow, the rotor blade being mounted on the fuselage; a mast valve for regulating the gas flow to the plurality of exit nozzles of the rotor blade; a cruise nozzle for regulating and outputting the gas flow; and a scheduler for scheduling the mast valve and the cruise nozzle as a function of aircraft speed and for monitoring the gas flow being output from the plurality of exit nozzles, the mast valve, and the cruise nozzle to prevent the turbofan engine from stalling.