Patent ID: 7412825

Claim:
A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft comprising: an aircraft fuselage; a plurality of engines; at least one hub assembly mechanically coupled to said fuselage having a plurality of transport ducts, each transport duct for selectively receiving engine exhaust gas from one or more of said plurality of engines, said hub assembly being rotated by at least one of said engines; a flow path splitter duct; and a tandem rotor/wing coupled to said flow path splitter duct for each of said hub assemblies being mechanically coupled thereto, said tandem rotor/wing having a plurality of primary flow ducts correspondingly receiving engine exhaust gas from said plurality of transport ducts and passing engine exhaust gas to a select plurality of rotor/wing nozzles; wherein said flow path splitter duct comprises: a main hub having a plurality of inlet ports each being separated by at least one wall, a first outlet hub having a plurality of first duct outlet ports, each of the first duct outlet ports in fluid communication with only one of the corresponding plurality of inlet ports, and a second outlet hub having a plurality of second duct outlet ports, each of the second duct outlet ports in fluid communication with only one of the corresponding plurality of inlet ports, wherein engine exhaust gas entering one of the plurality of inlet ports is simultaneously diverted to only one of the first duct outlet ports and to only one of the second duct outlet ports, and wherein each of said inlet ports is individually in fluid communication with one of each of said plurality of transport ducts, and wherein each of said outlet ports are in fluid communication with one of each of said plurality of primary flow ducts.