波音公司新專利，垂直起降可載 100 人的新型客機 Boeing’s new patent, a new passenger aircraft with a vertical take-off and landing of 100 people

之前報導過 Uber 計劃未來在市場上推出VTOL 垂直起降直升機，現在波音公司也加入這一行列啦！近日，波音公司獲得一項新專利：可搭載 100 名乘客的傾轉旋翼垂直起降客機。該客機將常規飛機的速度、範圍與直升機的垂直起降及懸停能力完美結合起來。

Previously reported that Uber plans to launch VTOL vertical takeoff and landing helicopters in the market in the future, and now Boeing has joined the ranks! Recently, Boeing has obtained a new patent: a tilting rotor that can carry 100 passengers to take off and land vertically. The aircraft combines the speed and range of a conventional aircraft with the helicopter’s vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities.

波音的這架新型垂直起降客機和傳統飛機一樣，其傾轉旋翼位置很低，因此不需要特殊的碰撞加固，並可以進行水上降落。此外，它可以在機翼油箱攜帶燃料，可從傳統的機場起降。其引擎是固定的，這簡化了許多系統並減輕了機翼的重量，並提高與地面的間隙和有效載荷的能力。

Boeing’s new vertical take-off and landing aircraft, like the traditional aircraft, has a low tilting rotor position, so no special collision reinforcement is required and water landing is possible. In addition, it can carry fuel in the wing tank and can take off and land from a traditional airport. The engine is fixed, which simplifies many systems and reduces the weight of the wing and increases the clearance and payload capacity with the ground.

波音公司在軍事領域的垂直起降機上積累了豐富的經驗，比如 V-22 魚鷹式傾轉旋翼機及其衍生物。但現有的可傾轉旋翼機大多不適合民用，即便是用於民用的 AugustWestland BA609，也只能一次搭載 6 到 9 名乘客，無法滿足大規模客運需求以 V-22 魚鷹式傾轉旋翼機為例，該機型採用的是上單翼式設計，需要有一個沉重的構造設計來給予引擎額外的支撐力，同時要保護機身在墜落時不被損毀。

Boeing has accumulated extensive experience in military vertical hoists, such as the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor and its derivatives. However, most of the existing tilting rotorcraft are not suitable for civilian use. Even the AugustWestland BA609 for civilian use can only carry 6 to 9 passengers at a time, which cannot meet the needs of large-scale passenger transportation. Take the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor as an example. The model uses an upper single-wing design that requires a heavy construction design to give the engine extra support while protecting the fuselage from damage during a fall.

這一設計也讓飛機的維護和燃料供給變得很困難，而且其不能在水上迫降時不能浮於水面還將帶來安全方面的問題。此外，因為機翼太高的緣故，如果用於存放燃料則有洩漏至機身和機艙裡的危險。現有的多數民航機場的跑道都是為下單翼客機設計的，因此上單翼飛機的滑行、裝卸貨物都成了問題。

This design also makes aircraft maintenance and fuel supply difficult, and its inability to float on the water when it is forced to land on the water will also pose safety problems. In addition, because the wings are too high, there is a danger of leaking into the fuselage and the cabin if used to store fuel. The existing runways of most civil aviation airports are designed for the lower single-wing passenger aircraft, so the taxiing and loading and unloading of the upper monoplane has become a problem.

另一個問題則是引擎的放置位置。多數可傾轉旋翼會搭載有兩個引擎，兩邊翼尖各一個，透過一個驅動軸共同分擔抬升荷重。為了安全起見，在設計時，通常會將兩邊引擎規格設計為實際所需的兩倍，以防其中一個引擎損壞也不影響飛行。如果兩個引擎被設計為互不相通，則兩個引擎規格則要變得更大，同時機翼也要擁有更大的承重力。

Another issue is where the engine is placed. Most tilting rotors are equipped with two engines, one for each wing tip, which share the lift load through a drive shaft. For safety reasons, the design of the two-sided engine is usually designed to be twice as large as it is required to prevent damage to one of the engines. If the two engines are designed to be disconnected from each other, the two engine specifications will be larger and the wing will have greater bearing capacity.

目前，新型垂直起降客機只是一個專利，還沒有跡象顯示這架飛機會被用於大量生產。

At present, the new vertical take-off and landing aircraft is only a patent, and there is no indication that the aircraft will be used for mass production.

文章來源：https://technews.tw/2016/11/01/boeing-new-patent-vertical-take-off-and-landing-aircraft-can-carry-100-people/