US Patent 8011613 Aircraft with reduced environmental impact

An aircraft includes a fuselage and at least one engine provided with at least one propeller and mounted at a rear part of the fuselage, on the back thereof, with the at least one engine having an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage, where the at least one engine is mounted on the rear part of the fuselage so that the propeller lies forward of the tails, and provided at the rear part of the fuselage, symmetrically with respect to the fuselage, are removable noise masking surfaces configured to occupy either a deployed position in which the removable noise masking surfaces project laterally with respect to the rear part of the fuselage and are positioned plumb with the propeller, or a retracted position in which the removable noise masking surfaces are incorporated into the rear part of the fuselage.