Patent ID: 8657226

Claim:
An apparatus forming an aircraft which is designed for flight by movement through the air, said aircraft having front and rear portions and a center of mass, said aircraft having left and right sides when divided by a central plane of reference, said aircraft having thereby inboard portions closer to said central plane of reference and outboard portions farther from said central plane of reference, comprising: at least one aerodynamic lifting surface configured to affect the flow of air near said at least one aerodynamic lifting surface when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward, said at least one aerodynamic lifting surface thereby configured to create positive lift when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward, said at least one aerodynamic lifting surface thereby forming at least one wing, said at least one wing having a center of lift which is rearward of said center of mass of said aircraft in flight; at least one airfoil structure comprising a means for creating aerodynamic force when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward, said at least one airfoil structure positioned predominantly rearward of said at least one wing and entirely above said at least one wing, said at least one airfoil structure having a direction of aerodynamic force generally opposite that of said at least one wing when compared to said at least one wing, thus providing the aircraft with positive pitch stability when the aircraft is in trimmed level flight, wherein said means for creating downward aerodynamic force by said at least one airfoil structure is said at least one airfoil structure having an inverted angle of attack when compared to said at least one wing in trimmed level flight, said at least one airfoil structure spaced from said flow of air near said at least one wing, said at least one airfoil structure occurring on both said left and right sides of said central plane of reference, said at least one airfoil structure having at least one center of aerodynamic force which is rearward of said center of lift, said at least one airfoil structure is of sturdy construction appropriate with regard to said aerodynamic force, said at least one airfoil structure is adjustable to vary said aerodynamic force of said at least one airfoil structure to thereby provide at least partial control of said aircraft when said aircraft is appropriately moving forward; wherein said at least one airfoil structure is constructed so as to have outboard portions thereof positioned outward of said central plane of reference to a distance at least four-fifths of the distance from said central plane of reference to a tip end of said at least one wing and wherein the aircraft center of gravity is forward of said center of wing lift.