Thrust Vectoring Drone Design for VTOL

A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that combines the benefits of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The aircraft features a main wing with a tilting propeller system that enables both vertical and horizontal flight modes. The propellers can change angle from 0° to 90° to transition between vertical takeoff and landing, hovering, and horizontal flight. The design eliminates the aerodynamic inefficiencies and structural issues associated with traditional VTOL aircraft, enabling fast horizontal speeds, long-range flight, and all-weather operation.

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VTOL aircraft with a cylindrical fuselage and integrated cross-shaped wings, featuring five propellers: four wingtip thrusters for vertical takeoff and low-speed control, and a central propeller for high-speed horizontal flight. The design combines vertical takeoff and landing capability with high-speed flight and long-range autonomy, enabled by optimized aerodynamic coefficients and dual flight control systems.

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A free propeller assembly structure for aircraft, comprising a circular shaft, main rotor, signal transmitting device, and rotor blade assembly, where the rotor blades are mounted to blade mounting structures on the main rotor and driven by motors, and the signal transmitting device enables electronic or photonic signal transmission between the rotor blades and main rotor. The assembly is designed for vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, enabling flexible rotor blade angles and improved performance in various environments.

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A hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities, featuring a fixed wing configuration with rotating wings for level flight. The VTOL system comprises two pairs of rotors, one pair mounted at a fixed angle above the wing and the other below, with the center of gravity located at the intersection of the rotor axes. The fixed wing configuration includes a rear horizontal stabilizer and a pair of second wings, while the VTOL system is controlled by an integrated autopilot module that calculates and applies control signals to both the rotors and fixed wing.

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A remotely controlled wireless drone that employs a rocket engine to quickly reach a desired altitude or location, with electrically-driven propellers that are stowed during rocket firing and deployed afterwards to control the drone's position and altitude. The drone's design enables rapid vertical takeoff and transition to horizontal flight, with the rocket engine providing the initial propulsion and the propellers taking over for sustained flight.

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An electrically powered rotorcraft with a rotor having a rotor hub and a pair of rotor blades mounted to the rotor hub on opposite sides thereof, the rotor being rotatably mounted on a primary drive shaft, and a rotary electric motor coupled to the drive shaft. The rotorcraft includes a limited-angle electric motor, such as a stepper motor, coupled to a common pitch-angle shaft shared by the two rotor blades, and a control system that applies cyclic response through the limited-angle motor to cause differential blade incidence. The control system receives a PWM signal from the flight control computer every 10 mS, indicating the desired position of the common blade pitch shaft, and adjusts the phase and magnitude of the cyclic response to achieve the desired thrust offset.

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VTOL aircraft with fixed wings that can hover, take off and land vertically like a helicopter and then transition to forward flight like a conventional fixed wing aircraft. The aircraft has independently tiltable proprotors mounted forward and aft of the wings. This allows all proprotors to be used in all flight modes, reducing drag during forward flight compared to fixed blades during vertical flight. The independent tilt control provides additional stability and maneuverability benefits.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with enhanced maneuverability and operational flexibility through a novel control system. The UAV features a single-axis power drive system with a single motor, eliminating the need for separate control systems for vertical takeoff and landing and horizontal flight. The power drive system enables simultaneous control of all four rotors, including the rear rotors, through a single transmission unit. This configuration provides increased maneuverability and simplifies operation compared to conventional UAV designs. The system also enables the UAV to maintain hover angles while operating in both vertical and horizontal flight modes.

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Device and method for controlling flight mode transitions in VTOL aircraft by dynamically locking and unlocking flight surfaces. The device enables precise control of wing position during transitions between vertical and horizontal flight modes by locking the wing in its optimal position before transition, allowing it to rotate to the correct position just prior to locking. This enables stable flight mode transitions without the need for complex flight control systems. The device can be integrated into VTOL aircraft to provide a reliable and efficient means of transitioning between flight modes.

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Aircraft with tiltable un-ducted rotors and tiltable ducted fans that transition between forward thrust and vertical lift orientations. The aircraft features two wings with tiltable ducted fans at the wingtips, and two booms with tiltable rotors and aft rotors. In vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) mode, the rotors and ducted fans rotate in a horizontal plane, while in forward flight mode, they transition to a vertical plane.

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability that generates low noise levels. The UAV uses an ion thruster with asymmetrical electrodes subjected to a potential differential to produce vertical thrust, and a vector thrusting device to control roll, pitch, and yaw. The ion thruster electrodes are integrated into the primary structure of the craft, eliminating the need for separate engines or wings. A thrust vectoring system with pivoting fans enables controlled flight in any direction while maintaining low noise levels.

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Convertible aircraft for sports competition or personal air mobility, capable of switching between hovering/vertical flight and forward flight configurations. The aircraft features a pair of nacelles housing motors and rotors that rotate around a third axis, connected to the motors. The design enables high stability and reduced aerodynamic drag while overcoming traditional helicopter limitations in terms of altitude and speed.

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Flight vehicle with improved stability and maneuverability, featuring a thrust generating unit with multiple subunits, each comprising independently controllable thrust generators arranged in a line. The subunits are connected to the vehicle body through joints that permit free pivoting around a central axis, allowing for coordinated torque generation and control. The vehicle's control system adjusts thrust levels in each subunit to balance opposing torques and maintain desired angular positions, enabling precise attitude control and enhanced stability during flight.

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Surface-integrated electroaerodynamic (EAD) thrusters for aircraft propulsion that reduce drag and improve efficiency by integrating ion sources and collectors directly into the wing surface, eliminating the need for external thrusters and associated drag. The thrusters utilize a voltage differential to generate ions that collide with air molecules, producing thrust while minimizing drag. The integrated design enables reduced drag, mass savings, and simplified structural components compared to conventional EAD thrusters.

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Tail-sitter aircraft design that allows vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter but faster, simpler, and with comparable performance to traditional airplanes. The tail-sitter has a vertical fuselage with wings that rotate from vertical to horizontal for forward flight. The key innovation is that the wings are shaped like half-wings that are flush with the fuselage in the vertical position, avoiding the large vertical surface area that limits other tail-sitter designs. By rotating the half-wings horizontally for forward flight, the tail-sitter achieves conventional aircraft performance. It lacks a tail fin or other movable surfaces beyond the rotating wings, simplifying the design.

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Convertible unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with tilt-rotor and tilt-wing characteristics that can switch between vertical takeoff/landing and forward flight. The UAV has a fuselage with wings mounted on rotating shafts perpendicular to the fuselage axis. The wings have detachable front and rear sections that slide together. In vertical mode, the wings rotate freely around the shafts while the rotors provide lift. In forward flight, the wings stay fixed and the rotors push the UAV. The detachable wing sections have cutouts for the rotors. This allows the wings to rotate without colliding during transitions. The UAV can convert between flight modes without disassembly.

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Flying vehicle with distributed propulsion system comprising a pair of rotor assemblies, each comprising a tilt-rotor and a stacked plurality of vertical thrust rotors, mounted on the wings to provide redundancy and efficiency during vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and high-speed cruise operations.

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An electric aircraft for generating a yaw force, comprising a fuselage, laterally extending elements secured to the fuselage, lift components attached to the elements, and a longitudinal thrust component configured to generate a yaw force. The aircraft includes a flight controller that determines a yaw correction based on sensor data from the lift components, enabling the aircraft to maintain stability and control in the event of a lift component failure.

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Twin-fuselage arrangement for electric tiltrotor aircraft, comprising two fuselages connected by a central section, with each fuselage housing a rotor and electric motor, enabling vertical takeoff and landing capability while maintaining a compact footprint suitable for urban air mobility applications.

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A compact, efficient, and safe vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV design that enables enhanced package delivery capabilities in densely populated areas. The UAV incorporates inboard-mounted lift rotors that provide increased vertical thrust during vertical ascents and descents, while maintaining a compact and agile form factor. This design enables VTOL operations in tight urban environments, with the added benefit of increased payload capacity compared to conventional fixed-wing designs. The inboard-mounted rotors reduce rotor blade extension beyond wing tips, while maintaining safety through reduced rotor contact with external objects. The resulting compact, efficient VTOL system enables efficient package delivery in urban areas without compromising payload capacity.

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A propulsion system for an aircraft with tilt rotors enables efficient vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and forward flight. The system includes multiple forward and aft propulsors that can rotate between vertical and forward thrust positions. During VTOL, the propulsors receive a specific forward-to-aft power ratio to generate vertical thrust. When transitioning to forward flight, the power ratio is adjusted to optimize thrust generation. This dual-mode operation allows the aircraft to achieve both VTOL capability and efficient forward flight performance.

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Aerial vehicles like drones that can alter their propulsion to maintain stability and control in the event of motor failures. The propulsion units are designed to move and reconfigure themselves when thrust is lost on one side. This reverses the torque produced so the vehicle can continue to fly without spinning out of control.

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A redundant propulsion system for small VTOL aircraft that increases reliability and reduces noise. The system features two groups of rotors with fixed pitch, each driven by a separate engine, connected by a rotational hinge. The rotors operate at higher RPM and smaller diameters to minimize noise. In the event of engine failure, the second group of rotors can provide emergency landing propulsion.

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A VTOL aircraft that enables continuous pitch and roll control during hover and forward flight modes, with the ability to transition between these modes by adjusting thruster orientation. The aircraft maintains orientation during transition between hover and forward flight modes, while also enabling vertical takeoff and landing operations from any hover orientation. This capability enables precise control of attitude during flight transitions, particularly in applications requiring precise instrument alignment or terrain navigation. The aircraft achieves this through continuous variable pitch and roll control, eliminating the need for traditional control surfaces.

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A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft with improved performance and manufacturability for urban and suburban applications. The aircraft features a combination of tractor and pusher tiltrotors, which provide better door access and reduced manufacturing complexity compared to conventional configurations. The design also incorporates a straight wing, which is less expensive to manufacture and assemble compared to other wing types. The tiltrotor configuration enables efficient transition between hover and cruise modes, while the straight wing provides stability and control during flight.

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An electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with redundant propulsion system integrity, comprising a fuselage, a longitudinal component, laterally extending elements, downward-directed propulsors, sensors, and a flight controller. The flight controller receives sensor data and controls the propulsors along a boom axis to maintain aircraft stability and prevent loss of control in the event of a propulsor failure.

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System and method for autonomous transition of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from vertical to horizontal flight using a tilting fuselage. The system includes a fuselage, laterally extending elements, propulsors, and a flight controller that identifies a transition point, initiates fuselage rotation, and terminates rotation at a desired flight angle. The method involves identifying a transition point, initiating fuselage rotation, and terminating rotation at a desired flight angle.

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A winged tiltrotor aircraft with improved center of gravity envelope in helicopter mode and better airplane mode placement, featuring a fuselage-mounted vertical member with a rotor assembly at its aft end and a wing assembly coupled to the fuselage between the forward and aft ends. The rotor assembly is rotatable between vertical lift and horizontal flight positions, with the aft rotor blades having a length shorter than the vertical member's height to prevent contact. The aircraft can be configured to adjust rotational speeds of the rotor assemblies to counteract torque effects.

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with enhanced stability and safety features. The UAV comprises a control module, motor arms, lift motors, and lift propellers. The lift motors are electrically connected to the control module and are positioned on the motor arms with lift propellers attached. The control module can selectively increase power to individual lift motors or groups of motors to maintain stability and prevent crashes in the event of a motor failure. The UAV also features steering engines on the wings for directional control.

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A distributed flight control system for electric vehicles, such as eVTOL aircraft, that enables safe and efficient flight operations through redundant control architecture. The system comprises a flight control assembly and multiple modular flight controllers, each connected to a set of actuators, that receive sensor data and generate control commands based on flight plan, performance, and input parameters. This architecture provides fault tolerance and enables real-time control allocation to maintain aircraft stability and follow optimal flight paths.

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A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that efficiently transitions to forward flight, comprising a set of rotors/fans positioned in a housing that directs flow over a wing and/or aerodynamic control surface to provide lift and/or thrust. The rotors are driven by electric motors, enabling a smaller, lighter weight VTOL aircraft. The aircraft achieves control through computing and applying thrust commands to the lift fans, eliminating the need for traditional aerodynamic control surfaces.

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A system and method for propulsor management in electric aircraft, particularly vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, that enables efficient transition between hover and fixed-wing flight states by automatically stowing propulsors during edgewise flight to reduce drag. The system includes a flight controller that detects state transitions and sends parking commands to the propulsors, which are then moved into a stowed position using inverters.

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Apparatus for generating thrust for air transport, comprising: wings with rotors generating main thrust; a main thrust device including an engine and motors driving the rotors; and an auxiliary thrust device installed in the fuselage generating auxiliary thrust, with its center of gravity coinciding with the aircraft's center of gravity. The auxiliary thrust device includes four micro jet engines distributed symmetrically around the aircraft's center of gravity, and a controller operates the micro jet engines to compensate for main thrust device shortages during vertical takeoff and landing.

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A hybrid propulsion system for VTOL air vehicles that allows efficient transition between vertical and horizontal flight using an optimized propulsion solution. The system has a pivoting rotor that can be selectively coupled to either an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. For vertical takeoff and landing, the rotor is coupled to the electric motor for high thrust with reduced noise. In horizontal flight, the rotor is decoupled from the electric motor to reduce drag. This allows the internal combustion engine to power the aircraft without losses from the electric motor. The pivoting rotor provides redundancy and improved efficiency compared to conventional hybrid systems.

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A tailstock type vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and its control method. The UAV achieves vertical take-off and landing through coordinated control among an attitude adjustment nozzle, engine, aerodynamic rudder surface, and landing gear, while maintaining high-speed cruise capabilities. The control method is divided into three stages for vertical take-off and five stages for vertical landing, enabling safe operation in complex environments.

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A VTOL UAV with a protective outer cage that prevents damage from external objects while maintaining stable flight and rapid corrective action during collisions. The UAV features a propulsion system with reversible thrust capability and a control system that generates stabilizing torques even when hinged on obstacles. The system includes sensors for orientation, displacement, and obstacle detection, enabling the control system to rapidly respond to disturbances and prevent catastrophic crashes.

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An aircraft with unducted fan propulsion systems that counteracts lateral airflow migration by rotating fans on opposite sides of the aircraft in opposite directions. The fans are mounted to respective wings or lateral body sections, with each side's fans rotating in a direction that creates a net airflow that cancels out the lateral migration. The system can be implemented with electric motors, which are not "handedness" dependent like traditional gas turbine engines.

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Hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (HUAV) that can transition between vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and fixed wing flight modes. The HUAV has both VTOL units with vertical propellers and a fixed wing with a forward thrust motor. A control unit manages the transitions by coordinating motor speeds. This allows versatile long endurance operation from land and water. The HUAV can carry payloads like cameras, sensors, and sprayers, and has amphibious capabilities. It uses solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells for power. The HUAV can also autonomously navigate and swarm.

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Control system for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles (UAGVs) that enables precise position control and maneuverability using thrust-vector control, particularly for tasks like aerial grasping and manipulation in outdoor environments where GPS accuracy is insufficient. The system compensates for ground effect and achieves precise motion control through a combination of vehicle feedback control and ground mode modeling.

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A compound rotor aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability, featuring a fuselage with a cabin, lifting rotor, wings, and thrust propellers. The aircraft includes an operating system for attitude and heading control, and an energy system for flight power. The lifting rotor is driven by a mechanism that connects and disconnects at a predetermined speed, allowing efficient energy transfer during low-speed operation.

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Tiltrotor aircraft that use articulated thrust vectoring for vertical takeoff and landing without tilt mechanisms. The aircraft has ring-shaped pods, each containing multiple thrusters. By independently varying the thrust of each thruster in a pod, the pod can rotate its thrust vector to transition between vertical and horizontal flight.

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A multirotor aircraft with enhanced yaw control capability. The aircraft has adjustable frame members that allow twisting of the frame to adjust the orientation of the motors and propellers. This enhances yaw control compared to fixed-frame multirotors. The adjustable members can be passive, twisting in response to propeller forces, or active, twisting in response to yaw commands. Stiffness of the adjustable members can be altered to optimize flight characteristics for different flight scenarios.

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A VTOL aircraft for urban transportation that addresses noise concerns by using larger diameter rotors with increased blade solidity, while maintaining stability through continuous rotor rotation and dynamic control of thrust forces during takeoff and landing operations.

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Flight system with tiltable rotors and adjustable wing, comprising an airframe with a longitudinally streamlined geometry, a rotor sub-system with pivoting secondary axles, and a wing sub-system with an adjustable angle mechanism. The rotor sub-system enables tilting of rotors in multiple axes while maintaining airframe orientation, while the wing sub-system allows for active or passive wing angle control based on rotor tilt position. The system can operate in both hover and forward flight modes, with the wing transitioning between active and passive modes as needed.

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Tail sitter aircraft that combines vertical takeoff and landing capabilities with conventional aircraft performance. The aircraft features a fuselage-mounted wing with a rotating rotor assembly that maintains a parallel axis to the fuselage, while a fixed wing provides lift. The rotor assembly is powered by a turboshaft engine, and the aircraft achieves forward flight through the combined thrust of the rotor and fixed wing. This configuration enables efficient vertical takeoff and landing operations while maintaining conventional aircraft performance in forward flight.

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A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that transitions between hover and cruise modes by selectively tilting only the forward rotors while maintaining a fixed tilt angle of the rearward rotors. The forward rotors are tilted between a horizontal position and a vertical position to adjust forward thrust, while the rearward rotors remain fixed in position. This design enables efficient transition between hover and cruise modes without the need for tilting the entire wing or multiple rotors simultaneously.

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Aerodyne with vertical take-off and landing capability, featuring four rotors and two fixed wings. The rotors can be oriented for vertical lift or horizontal thrust, while the fixed wings provide additional lift during horizontal flight. The rotors are independently controlled, and the wing design includes ailerons and a unique connection shaft placement to ensure stability and control. The aerodyne can be configured with redundant rotors and motors for enhanced safety.

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Aerial vehicles capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and horizontal flight, with independent six-degree-of-freedom motion control. The vehicles feature six propulsion mechanisms oriented at different angles, enabling efficient thrust in both vertical and horizontal directions during VTOL operations. This design allows for seamless transition between VTOL and horizontal flight orientations, eliminating traditional tradeoffs between agility and energy efficiency.

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A swashplateless helicopter for small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAVs) that achieves collective and cyclic pitch without the mechanical complexity of traditional swashplates. The system uses a control motor to drive the rotor shaft and a separate pitch motor to adjust the blade pitch, with both motors rotating at the same nominal rate as the rotor. The pitch motor is controlled by a stator and can independently adjust the pitch angle of each blade at a frequency higher, the same, or lower than the rotor's rotational rate. This design enables precise control of blade pitch and eliminates the need for a swashplate, resulting in a quieter, more efficient, and safer SUAV.

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A system for rotating the rotor of a tiltrotor aircraft, comprising a rotor system, a pylon coupled to the rotor system, a spindle coupled to the pylon, an actuator arm coupled to the spindle, and an actuator coupled to the actuator arm. The spindle is partially located in the wing, with the actuator arm and actuator positioned outside and proximate to the wing, and the actuator positioned forward of the forward spar. The actuator causes the spindle to rotate the pylon and rotor system between helicopter and airplane modes.

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