Remotely controlled VTOL aircraft

1. A method of controlling a remotely controlled VTOL aircraft, the method comprising:

controlling the VTOL aircraft in a hover mode using helicopter control signals;

controlling the VTOL aircraft in a forward flight mode using fixed wing control signals; and

controlling the VTOL aircraft in a transition mode by:

calculating control signals to be applied to the controls of the VTOL aircraft as a function of a transition percentage and weighting factors applied to said helicopter control signals and fixed wing control signals, and

applying said calculated control signals to the VTOL aircraft controls during the transition period.

2. The method of claim 1 in which in a transition from hover flight mode to forward flight mode the airspeed of the aircraft is increased and then said calculated control signals are applied.

3. The method of claim 1 in which in a transition from hover flight mode to forward flight mode the weighting factors applied to said helicopter control signals are decreased and the weighting factors applied to said fixed wing control signals are increased.

4. The method of claim 1 in which in a transition from the forward flight mode to the hover flight mode the weighting factors applied to said helicopter control signals are increased and the weighting factors applied to the fixed wing control signals are decreased.

5. The method of claim 1 in which in a transition from forward flight mode to hover flight mode, any navigation controls are suppressed for a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the VTOL aircraft includes right and left forward propeller motors and props on a transition axle rotatable via a motor and the transition axle is rotated during the transition.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the transition axle is rotated at a constant speed during the transition period.

8. The method of claim 6 in which the VTOL aircraft further includes an aft propeller motor and right and left elevon motors.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the control signals are calculated for and applied to said right and left forward propeller motors, said aft propeller motor, and said right and left elevon motors.

10. The method of claim 9 in which said helicopter control signals control the pitch of the VTOL aircraft via a difference between the rpm of the forward and aft propellers and control the roll via a difference between the rpm of the left and right propeller.

11. The method of claim 9 in which there are forward right, left, and aft counter rotating upper and lower propeller motors and props and the helicopter control signals control the yaw of the VTOL aircraft via a difference between the rpm of the counter rotating propellers.

12. The method of claim 9 in which the fixed wing control signals control the pitch and roll of the VTOL aircraft by adjusting the right and left elevon motors and controls the yaw of the VTOL aircraft by differentially adjusting the rpm of the right and left forward propeller motors.

13. The method of claim 6 further including:

receiving a nose down pitch command in a helicopter flight mode,

calculating a forward prop deflection angle as a function of the nose down pitch angle, and

rotating said transition axle to said calculated deflection angle.

14. The method of claim 6 in which the VTOL aircraft includes one or more aerodynamic control surfaces.

15. The method of claim 14 in which said aerodynamic control surfaces include elevons.

16. The method of claim 14 further including rotating the transition axle in a forward flight mode to maintain an efficient trim configuration for said aerodynamic control surfaces.

17. The method of claim 14 including rotating the transition axle to provide a nose up torque and automatically streamlining said aerodynamic control surfaces.

18. A remotely controlled VTOL aircraft comprising:

a forward rotatable prop axle with at least one right and one left prop;

a flight controller subsystem outputting helicopter control signals;

a flight controller subsystem outputting fixed wing control signals;

a transition control subsystem configured to receive said helicopter control signals, said fixed wing control signals, and a transition control signal and including computer instructions which automatically:

calculate control signals to be applied to the VTOL aircraft controls as a function of the transition percentage, said helicopter control signals, and said fixed wing control signals,

apply said calculated control signals to said VTOL aircraft controls during a transition period, and

rotate the forward prop axle during the transition period.

19. The remotely controlled VTOL aircraft of claim 18 further including a thrust vectoring subsystem responsive to a nose down pitch command and including computer instructions which automatically:

calculate a forward prop deflection angle as a function of the nose down pitch angle, and

rotate the prop axle in accordance with said calculated deflection angle.

20. The remotely controlled VTOL aircraft of claim 18 further including one or more aerodynamic control surfaces.

21. The remotely controlled VTOL aircraft of claim 20 in which said aerodynamic control surfaces include elevons.

22. The remotely controlled VTOL aircraft of claim 20 further including a forward flight trimming subsystem configured to rotate the transition axle in a forward flight mode to maintain an efficient trim configuration for said aerodynamic control surfaces.

23. The remotely controlled VTOL aircraft of claim 22 in which the forward flight trimming subsystem rotates the transition axle to provide a nose up torque and automatically streamlines said aerodynamic control surfaces.