Patent ID: 8763949

Claim:
An aircraft comprising: an airframe extending from a rear end to a front end along an anteroposterior longitudinal plane; a rotary wing; a tail rotor suitable for pivoting between a stationary first position in which said tail rotor serves to control the yaw of said aircraft and a steerable second position in which said tail rotor pivots about a swivel axis to control the yaw movement and to control the propulsion of said aircraft at least in part, said aircraft operating in a first mode of operation when said tail rotor is in said first position; a power plant driving said rotary wing via a main power gearbox secured to a mast of said rotary wing, said power plant driving said tail rotor via a tail power gearbox, wherein said tail gearbox is provided with a stationary portion secured to said airframe and a movable portion connected to said tail rotor to enable said tail rotor to pivot; pivot means for pivoting said movable portion to cause the tail rotor to swivel in a reversible manner from said first position to said second position so that said aircraft passes from the first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in which propulsion of the aircraft is provided at least by the tail rotor; and tilt means for reversibly tilting said mast in the anteroposterior longitudinal plane towards the rear end of said aircraft so that said aircraft passes from the second mode of operation to a third mode of operation during which the propulsion of the aircraft is provided solely by the tail rotor.