US 12583580 B2 / Mar 24, 2026

Aircraft tilt apparatus including variable cooling air inlet

A tilt apparatus of an aircraft, comprising: a propeller, a motor assembly, a thermal transfer device thermally coupled to the motor assembly, and a nacelle coupled to the motor assembly. The tilt apparatus further comprises a tilt actuator that tilts the nacelle, the motor assembly, and the propeller with respect to a body of the aircraft between a lift configuration and a cruise configuration. The tilt apparatus also comprises a mechanical coupling that actuates a variable portion of the nacelle as a function of a tilt angle of the nacelle with respect to the body. The variable portion is actuated such that an opening size of an air inlet of the nacelle is larger in the lift configuration than in the cruise configuration. When the propeller is in the lift configuration, the air inlet directs a portion of a propwash through the air inlet to the thermal transfer device.