Abstract: An oblique flying wing aircraft with internal ducting and airflow. The aircraft may have propulsion units within the wing body. The propulsion units may be off-axis internal to the wing to utilize locations with larger internal space available. In some aspects, the multi-segment oblique flying wing aircraft may have three distinct segments including two outer wing segments and a central wing segment. The central segment may be thicker in the vertical direction and adapted to hold pilots and passengers. The outer wing segments may be substantially thinner and may taper as they progress outboard from the wing center. The multi-segment oblique flying wing aircraft be adapted for rotating into a high-speed flight configuration, or may be adapted for take-off and cruise at a constant angle.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing a psychoacoustic penalty of acoustic noise emitted by an aircraft, including a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the aircraft, wherein each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies includes a motor, and a plurality of blades defined by a propeller, wherein the plurality of blades can define an asymmetric blade spacing; a control subsystem coupled to the aircraft and communicatively coupled to the motor of each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies, wherein the control subsystem is operable to rotate each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies at a different frequency to modulate the acoustic power distribution of the emitted acoustic signature.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft with a multi-element lifting system with integrated propulsion. The multi-element lifting system may have an upper wing element, a lower wing element, and a control wing element which is located below the upper wing element and above, and rearward of, the lower wing element. The system uses internal propulsion units, such as internal ducted fans, which flow air below the upper wing element and above the lower wing element such that the air flows through the multi-element lifting system. The control wing element may be articulated to route air vertically downward to allow for short or vertical take-off and landing. An aircraft with a multi-element wing assembly and a multi-element tail assembly raised above the wing assembly. An aircraft which resides on the ground with the wing assembly and the tail assembly pitched up.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a hydrogen expansion system comprising an aeolipile, and a heat exchanger for receiving and expanding hydrogen received from a supply of hydrogen, for provision to the aeolipile. A generator coupled to the aeolipile may generate electrical power from operation of the aeolipile. The hydrogen leaving the aeolipile may be returned to the heat exchanger to transfer heat to the hydrogen received from the supply of hydrogen.

Abstract: The system can include an on-board thermal management subsystem. The system 100 can optionally include an off-board (extravehicular) infrastructure subsystem. The on-board thermal management subsystem can include: a battery pack, one or more fluid loops, and an air manifold. The system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable components.

Abstract: The aircraft control system 100 includes an inceptor with a set of primary inceptor axes and a set of secondary inceptor inputs. The inceptor can optionally include a hand rest, a thumb groove, a set of finger grooves, passive soft stops, and/or any other additional elements. The aircraft control system can optionally include a flight controller, aircraft sensors, effectors, and a haptic feedback mechanism. However, the aircraft control system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable components.

Abstract: A deployment mechanism for use on an aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using deployable thrust producing elements for takeoff and landing. The deployment mechanism may use linear actuation of a linkage assembly to deploy thrust producing rotor assemblies from a vertical thrust hove configuration to a horizontal thrust forward flight configuration. The aerial vehicle may include left side rotor assemblies and right side rotor assemblies which may be deployed by deployment mechanisms.

Abstract: Example embodiments are directed to systems and methods for providing cloud service to an onboard aerial vehicle system, A cloud service system accesses a flight related data. Using the flight related data, the cloud service system generates flight operations in a format of an avionics system on an aerial vehicle. A communication link is established over a communication network between the cloud service system and the aerial vehicle and the generated flight operations is transmitted to the aerial vehicle as digital data sent as data packets. The cloud service system then monitors, in real time, the aerial vehicle during a flight, wherein the monitoring comprises receiving and storing in-flight data from the aerial vehicle and the in-flight data is data reconstructed from a plurality of data packets received from the aerial vehicle. The cloud service system determines, based on the received in-flight data, whether to update the flight operations.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft which uses fixed rotors for both VTOL and forward flight operations. The wing rotors are tilted forward and provide some forward propulsion during horizontal flight. The rotors are positioned to achieve a high span efficiency. The rotors are positioned to even out the lift across the span of the synthetic wing. The synthetic wing may also have airfoils which may provide structural support for the rotors as well as providing lift during forward flight.

Abstract: A computing system for landing and storing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft can be configured to receive aircraft data, passenger data, or environment data associated with a VTOL aircraft and determine a landing pad location within a landing facility based on the aircraft data, passenger data, and/or environment data. The landing facility can include a lower level and an upper level. The lower level can include a lower landing area and a lower storage area. The upper level can include an upper landing area. At least a portion of the upper level can be arranged over the lower storage area. The landing pad location can include a location within the lower landing area or the upper landing area of the landing facility. The computing system can communicate the landing pad location to an operator or a navigation system of the VTOL aircraft.

Abstract: A method includes selecting a landing waypoint on a runway and selecting a starting waypoint based on a location/heading of an aircraft relative to the runway. The method includes selecting additional waypoints between the starting waypoint and the landing waypoint. The starting and additional waypoints include latitude, longitude, and altitude variables. A sequence of waypoints from the starting waypoint to the landing waypoint via the additional waypoints indicates a desired location for the aircraft to traverse. The method includes generating location constraints for the starting and additional waypoints and generating an objective function for optimizing at least one of the variables. Additionally, the method includes generating a solution for the objective function subject to the location constraints. The solution includes latitude, longitude, and altitude values for the variables.

Abstract: A transport network management system identifies a service objective for a plurality of VTOL aircraft and retrieves VTOL data including locations of the plurality of VTOL aircraft. An estimate of demand for transport services to be provided at least in part by one of the VTOL aircraft is generated and routing data for the plurality of VTOL aircraft is determined based on the estimated demand and the service objective. Routing instructions based on the routing data are sent to at least a subset of the VTOL aircraft.

Abstract: Systems and methods for communicating aircraft sensory cues are provided. A method can include obtaining aerial vehicle data and facility data for an aerial portion of a multi-modal transportation service. The method can include determining a plurality of sensory cues indicative of information for the aerial portion of the transportation service such as a safe path across a landing pad of the facility, a seating assignment for a passenger, etc. The method can include communicating sensory data indicative of the plurality of sensory cues to at least one of a facility computing system associated with the facility or an aerial computing system associated with the at least one aerial vehicle. The facility computing system and/or aerial computing system can output the sensory cue(s) to at least one passenger or operator of the aerial portion of the multi-modal transportation service in, for example, the facility's landing area.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft and method which uses fixed rotors for both VTOL and forward flight operations. The rotors are positioned to achieve a high span efficiency. The rotors are positioned to even out the lift across the span of the wing. The wing may also have narrow front and rear airfoils which may provide structural support as well as providing lift during forward flight, or may have a single center wing. The wing rotors are tilted forward and provide some forward propulsion during horizontal flight.

Abstract: An aircraft includes a battery pack mounted inside the aircraft, a vent coupled between the battery pack and a surface of the aircraft to at least partly define a vent path between the battery pack and the surface of the aircraft, and a burst membrane located in the vent path. The vent may be coupled to a rear upper portion of a wing or to an outboard side of a nacelle. The aircraft may also include a flexible coupling between the vent and the surface of the aircraft. The aircraft may also include a fairing over a vent outlet to provide a smooth surface for the vent outlet. The battery pack may include battery modules and an enclosure, the battery modules and the enclosure defining paths along which discharge from a thermal event can flow towards the vent.

Abstract: A power system with a reliability enhancing battery architecture for electric motors adapted for use in an aerial vehicle. Individual batteries may be used to power a subset two or more motors in systems with six or more motors, for example. Each motor may be powered by two or more subsets of batteries, allowing accommodation for motor failure. With a failed motor in a vertical take-off or landing mode, power may be diverted to other motors to continue proper attitude control, and to provide sufficient thrust. With a failed motor a second motor offset from the failed motor may be powered down to facilitate attitude control.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft provides transportation to users of a network system. The network system may include multiple aircraft or other types of vehicles to provide multi-model transportation. An aircraft may include a fuselage, a truss coupled to the fuselage, and multiple distributed electric propellers coupled to the truss. The distributed electric propellers may be positioned on at least two different planes. The fuselage may include a cabin having one or more seats for the passengers arranged in a configuration that has a compact footprint, provides legroom, provides visibility to surroundings of the aircraft, or facilitates convenient ingress or egress of passengers. The aircraft may open a port cabin door and starboard cabin door for simultaneous ingress or egress of passengers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating aerial vehicle services are provided. A service entity system can obtain multi-modal transportation services data indicative of a plurality of anticipated aerial transportation service. The service entity system can obtain vehicle attributes associated vehicle(s) of an aerial vehicle provider and determine an expected performance of the vehicle(s) based on the vehicle attributes and the anticipated aerial transportation services. The service entity system can generate an aerial vehicle service request that requests access to the vehicle(s) for providing aerial transportation services for the service entity based on the expected performance of the vehicle(s). A vehicle provider system can obtain a number of different aerial vehicle service requests from a number of different service entities.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transferring aircraft within a landing area of an aerial transport are provided. A system includes a plurality of robotic devices configured to move aircraft within the landing area. The system obtains facility data to dynamically determine accessible and prohibited areas of the landing area. The system determines a robotic device to transfer an aircraft based on map data representing the prohibited/accessible areas of the landing area and robotic data representing attributes of each robotic device. The system determines a number of routes for the selected robotic device to transfer the aircraft within the landing area while avoiding prohibited areas of the landing area. The system generates command instructions for the selected robotic device and provides the command instructions to the selected robotic device to travel in accordance with the number of routes.

Abstract: A method for determining a position of a vehicle is provided. First and second signals having first and second frequencies are transmitted towards a target. First and second reflected signals corresponding to the first and second signals reflected from the target are received at first and second antennae, respectively. A first frequency difference between the first signal and the first reflected signal is determined. The first frequency difference corresponds to a first range between the vehicle and target. A second frequency difference between the second pulsed signal and the second reflected signal is determined. The second frequency difference corresponds to a second range between the vehicle and target. A vehicle velocity is based on the first range and the second range. A position of the vehicle is determined based on the velocity.