Patent ID: 7882694

Claim:
A turbine engine comprising: a fan including a plurality of fan blades, the fan rotatable about an axis; a combustor for generating a high-energy gas stream; a turbine for rotatably driving the fan, the turbine rotatably drivable by the high-energy gas stream; a plurality of vane portions, each having a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the leading edges are upstream of the trailing edges; a plurality of pivotable flaps adjacent the trailing edges of the vane portions, each flap including a trailing edge away from the vane portion, each flap having a radial outer end and a radial inner end, each radial inner end including a connector for connecting to an actuator to pivot the flap relative to the vane portion, the plurality of flaps disposed about the axis, each flap extending from the radial inner end in a direction away from the axis toward the radial outer end, the plurality of vane portions and flaps disposed upstream of the plurality of fan blades; and a linkage connected to the connector at the radial inner end of the flap, wherein the linkage includes a unison ring connected to the connectors of the flaps, such that rotation of the unison rings causes pivoting of the plurality of flaps.