Patent ID: 8128036

Claim:
A method of controlling the attitude of an airborne vehicle, comprising: using an actively controlled jet flow actuator that generates oscillating jet and suction pulses of air to control flowing fluid through an orifice of an aerodynamic member of the airborne vehicle, where the orifice is arranged such that the flowing fluid forms a fluid jet directed generally normal to a direction of motion of the airborne vehicle and in communication with a boundary layer adjacent the aerodynamic member; using the flowing fluid to modify the boundary layer adjacent the aerodynamic member, to create a modified boundary layer; and controlling the attitude of the airborne vehicle with a resolution defined by the fluid flowing through the orifice, forming a second orifice on said aerodynamic member at a spaced apart location of said orifice; and causing a fluid to flow through said second orifice to modify the boundary layer on said aerodynamic member at an area adjacent said second orifice, wherein the orifice and the second orifice are in flow communication with one another and also with opposing sides of the actuator.