Boeing Awarded Patent For VTOL Passenger Plane

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Boeing is apparently working on a large passenger aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing features. The company received a patent for a tilt-rotor design that has room for at least 100 passengers, according to a Business Insider report Thursday. The VTOL plane has potential for both civilian and military use, according to the report. It seems to be inspired in part by the famous two-engine V-22 Osprey, which Boeing and Bell Helicopters developed for the U.S. military in the 1980s, the first of its kind designed for use by the Marines and Air Force. The patent for the unnamed aircraft includes potential uses for commercial flights, military missions or personal transport, according to the report. Its design includes four engines mounted on two fixed wings along with two large rotors attached on the tips for vertical takeoffs and landings.

The company hasn’t revealed details of its intentions for the VTOL design, but a civilian passenger plane with such capabilities will likely raise speculation about the potential for off-airport commercial transportation. “Boeing files tons of patents so this might not even come to fruition,” a Boeing spokesman told Business Insider. “I’m not saying it won’t.” The patented design also calls for lower wings on the airframe compared to the V-22 to allow for passenger exits as well as simpler maintenance, a Seattle Times report notes.

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