Patent ID: 8336808

Claim:
A method of flying an aircraft comprising a fuselage, a main helicopter rotor supported for rotation on top of the fuselage, a propeller supported on the fuselage and operable to selectively produce thrust to move the aircraft forward, and at least one powerplant operably connected to the main helicopter rotor and the propeller for selective driven rotation thereof, method comprising: transitioning from hover or other in-flight manoeuvre to forward flight; powering the propeller via the at least one powerplant to provide forward thrust of the aircraft in forward flight; while powering the propeller, providing lift during the forward flight through a combination of continued powering of the main helicopter rotor by the at least one powerplant and simultaneous relative movement of air past a wing configuration that projects laterally from the fuselage in a manner producing more wing-generated lift on a first side of the fuselage where blades of the rotor retreat rearwardly away from a front end of the fuselage than on an opposing second side of the fuselage; and continuing to power the main helicopter rotor via the at least one powerplant throughout the forward flight regardless of a maximum aircraft speed achieved therein, which exceeds a forward aircraft speed at which the rotor would experience retreating blade stall if relied on as the aircraft's only driven source of forward thrust.