Abstract: A drone comprises at least one propeller for generating lift and an article containment area for containing an article to be carried by the drone. The floor of the article containment area comprises a dynamic support surface for supporting the article and allowing the article to move into, out of and through the article containment area. The dynamic support surface may be a conveyor belt forming the floor of the article containment area.

Abstract: An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft has an airframe including first and second wings with a fuselage extending therebetween. A propulsion assembly is coupled to the fuselage and includes a counter-rotating coaxial rotor system that is tiltable relative to the fuselage to generate a thrust vector. A flight control system is configured to direct the thrust vector. In the VTOL orientation, the first wing is forward of the fuselage, the second wing is aft of the fuselage and the coaxial rotor system is configured to provide thrust in line with a yaw axis of the aircraft. In the biplane orientation, the first wing is below the fuselage, the second wing is above the fuselage and the coaxial rotor system is configured to provide thrust in line with a roll axis of the aircraft.

Abstract: A vertical lift rotor propulsor assembly comprises a boom having a casing with a casing profile and a first propeller blade having a blade profile that corresponds substantially to at least a portion of the casing profile of the casing of the boom. A drive mechanism is at least partially housed within the boom and at the first propeller blade is rotatably mounted to the drive mechanism to be driven thereby. The drive mechanism is to operationally move the first propeller blade between a stowed position in which the first propeller blade is substantially flush with the casing of the boom, and a deployed position in which the first propeller blade is extended a determined distance from the casing of the boom.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for positioning a control surface. An apparatus comprises an arm, first link, and second link. The arm has first and second ends, the first end of the arm rotatably coupled to a wing structure to define a first pivot point. The first link has first and second ends, the first end being rotatably coupled to the second end of the arm. The second link has first and second ends, the first end rotatably coupled to the first end of the arm. When the second end of the first link is rotatably coupled to a first control surface and the second end of the second link is rotatably coupled to a second control surface, movement of the first control surface away from the wing structure rotates the arm about the first pivot point such that the second control surface moves in coordination with the first control surface.

Abstract: A flight control surface with an actuator with an aerodynamic fairing for a swept aircraft wing. The swept aircraft wing includes a movable flight control surface with a hinge line non-perpendicular to the line of flight of the aircraft, and an actuator arm configured to actuate the flight control surface. The actuator arm includes a longitudinal axis substantially aligned with the line of flight, the actuator arm extending at least partially from an outer surface of the aircraft wing, and a fairing arranged on the outer surface of the aircraft wing to at least partially cover the actuator arm. Aligning the actuator arm with the line of flight of the aircraft may allow for an improved fairing to be provided.

Abstract: An aircraft comprises an aircraft structure, a flight control surface attached to the aircraft structure, and a local hydraulic power pack disposed proximal to the flight control surface. The local hydraulic power pack is configured to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid for actuating the flight control surface. The local hydraulic power pack comprises a reservoir for the hydraulic fluid and two hydraulic pumps for pressurizing the hydraulic fluid.

Abstract: A supersonic jet aircraft and a method of operating the same. The supersonic jet aircraft having at least three turbofan engines and an engine management computer. A first engine of the at least three turbofan engines is configured to be de-activatable during flight to move from an operational state in which it provides thrust to an operational state in which it stops providing thrust. Other engines of the at least three turbofan engines are configured to provide sufficient thrust to the supersonic jet aircraft when the first engine is de-activated such that the aircraft can perform a supersonic climb operation and/or a supersonic cruise operation.

Abstract: An example of a drone includes a drone chassis, a plurality of motors attached to the drone chassis and a plurality of propellers coupled to the plurality of motors. The drone further includes a net assembly mounted to the drone chassis. The net assembly extends above the plurality of propellers. The net assembly including a bottom portion and a plurality of upright frame members that are mounted to the bottom portion by a plurality of articulating joints.

Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) expandable landing marker system may include a an expandable volume. The landing marker may be expanded prior to arrival of a UAV delivering an item to be received by the landing marker. The landing marker may be expanded by regulating an amount of fluid in the volume. An anchor may be coupled to the landing marker to restrain movement of the expanded landing marker. An optional retraction mechanism may retract the landing marker. The landing marker can be retracted with the deposited item, moving the item to a location for later retrieval.

Abstract: An aerial vehicle including a first wing structure and a second wing structure which intersects the first wing structure perpendicularly at a position offset from a midpoint of a transverse axis of the first wing structure in a direction towards a first wingtip of the first wing structure. The aerial vehicle may further include a first set of at least two propellers with respective propeller rotational axes disposed side-by-side along a portion of the first wing structure extending between the midpoint of the transverse axis of the first wing structure and a second wingtip of the first wing structure. The aerial vehicle may further include a second set of at least two propellers with respective propeller rotational axes disposed side-by-side along a first portion of the second wing structure extending from a first surface of the first wing structure.

Abstract: An aircraft monument for use in a cabin of an aircraft includes a monument assembly and a seat assembly. The monument assembly includes a frame having a plurality of walls defining a compartment. The plurality of walls include a first end wall having a forward section at a forward plane of the frame. The compartment is defined rearward of the forward section. The seat assembly is forward of the frame. The seat assembly has a shell configured to at least partially surround a passenger seat. The shell has a rear rearward of the forward plane of the frame.

Abstract: An aerial vehicle that uses motor pulsed-induced cyclic control is provided. In example embodiments, the aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage incorporating a battery system and a payload bay for operatively receiving and holding a payload and at least one mono-blade rotor coupled to an electric motor and an electric motor control system. The electric motor control system controls the electric motor using pulse-induced cyclic control. The aerial vehicle further includes at least one wing, at least one cruise propeller, and an avionics system. The avionic system is configured to transition the aerial vehicle between a vertical take-off and landing mode in which the at least one mono-blade rotor is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle vertically and a cruising mode in which the at least one cruise propeller is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle horizontally.

Abstract: An aircraft empennage includes a lower vertical fin member attached to a rear portion of a fuselage, and an upper stabilizer assembly connected to the lower vertical member by an articulating mount configured to allow movement of the upper stabilizer assembly relative to the lower vertical member to adjust pitch trim of the fuselage. The upper stabilizer assembly includes first and second horizontal stabilizer portions and at least one upper vertical member.

Abstract: Apparatus for adapting aircraft floors and related methods are disclosed. An example floor of an aircraft includes a floor beam, a seat track, and a cap coupled to the seat track. The cap is disposed over the seat track and the floor beam. The example floor includes a floor panel aligned with the cap.

Abstract: A modular weapon carriage and deployment (MWCD) system includes a strongback structure mountable to an aircraft. Left and right guide struts have respective upper ends attached to the strongback structure in spaced lateral positions. Each guide strut extends downward in a parallel arrangement. Each guide strut comprising a vertically-extending first engaging surface. Left and right suspension modules are engageable to opposite lateral sides of a first airborne store. Each suspension module includes a vertical channel that receives the engaging surface of the corresponding one of the left and right guide struts for relative vertical translation. A locking mechanism controllably locks to first engaging surface of the corresponding one of the left and right guide struts.

Abstract: A ring-shaped airfoil aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically, and hovering, comprising: a fuselage, a cockpit; a passenger cabin, a power bay, a tapered tail rudder, a ring-shaped airfoil; a flight controller. The ring-shaped airfoil aircraft has the flying abilities for vertical takeoff and landing and hovering at a fixed altitude of multiaxial rotary wing powered aircraft, but compared with multiaxial rotary wing powered aircraft, its flight attitude is hardly in by air side flow, the flight attitude is more reliable. In addition, it can implement the airspeed of fixed wing ducted aircraft, and the flight energy consumption is much less than the existing fixed wing ducted aircraft, and its takeoff and landing are free of runways. The ring-shaped airfoil aircraft can obtain the lift for aircraft, reduce the drag to aircraft and enhance its flight safety performance.

Abstract: An aircraft comprising a fixed structure, a fuselage mounted on the fixed structure and a tail unit system comprising a structural element housed inside the fuselage and mounted to be rotationally mobile relative to the fixed structure about a transverse axis of rotation parallel to a transverse axis of the aircraft. A first actuation system displaces the structural element in rotation about the transverse axis of rotation, on either side of the structural element. A horizontal tail unit has one end rotationally mobiley mounted on the structural element about a longitudinal axis of rotation parallel to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft and another end which extends out of the fuselage by passing through a window in the fuselage. For each horizontal tail unit, a second actuation system displaces the horizontal tail unit in rotation about the longitudinal axis of rotation.

Abstract: The present invention achieves technical advantages as a vehicle cabin, comprising a floor system formed of removable and reconfigurable floor segments extending from a vehicle frame, and a ceiling system formed of removable and reconfigurable ceiling segments disposed in the ceiling of the vehicle cabin. Floor segments that can be positioned to form a floor channel, therebetween. A fixture interface adapted to releasably secure a fixture to the floor system. The fixture can be slidably repositioned within the vehicle along the floor channel. One of the ceiling segments includes one or more of a lighting module, a ventilation outlet, a ventilation inlet, a display screen, or a touch control panel. The ceiling segments can be hexagonal.

Abstract: A configurable spacecraft attachment and deployment system and a method of constructing a configurable spacecraft attachment and deployment system are provided herein. In one embodiment, the configurable spacecraft attachment and deployment system includes: (1) a connecting structure configured to secure at least one spacecraft to a launch interface, (2) an actuating assembly configured to constrain the spacecraft to the connecting structure before deployment thereof and release the spacecraft from the connecting structure when deployed, and (3) a deploying mechanism coupled to the connecting structure and configured to eject the spacecraft from the attaching structure, wherein the connecting structure, the actuating assembly, and the deploying mechanism are modular components and the connecting structure and deploying mechanism are selected to form the system based on parameters of the spacecraft.

Abstract: An articulating flap support housing includes a flap connected to a wing with the flap having a range of deployed positions. An aft fairing is connected to the flap and configured to rotate with the flap through the range of deployed positions. A forward fairing is rotatably connected to the aft fairing. The forward fairing acts as a counterbalance to the aft fairing and flap.