Patent ID: 8015796

Claim:
A gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor section for receiving air from a core inlet, said compressor section for compressing the air and delivering it downstream to a combustor section, air being mixed with fuel in the combustor section and combusted, the products of the combustion for being delivered downstream over a turbine rotor, said turbine rotor rotating a central driveshaft about a central axis; said central driveshaft extending forwardly to a gearbox, said gearbox driving a plurality of fans, with said fans rotating on axes parallel to, but spaced from said central axis; each of said plurality of fans delivering a portion of air into said core inlet, a cowl surrounding a core housing, and with a majority of air moved by each of said plurality of fans being delivered into a bypass cross-sectional area between an inner periphery of said cowl and an outer periphery of said core housing; there being two of said fans; said cowl being defined by a figure-eight shaped housing, with each of said bypass cross-sectional areas being defined by one opening in said figure-eight shaped housing; said core inlet formed near a central portion of said figure eight-shaped housing; said gearbox including a plurality of gears driven by said central driveshaft to selectively drive said plurality of fans; and a circumferential extent of rotation of each of said fans is defined about the axes, and a majority of the circumferential extent being associated with said bypass cross-sectional area, with a small portion of the circumferential extent aligned with said core inlet.