Abstract: An arrangement in aircraft that provides a single habitat that allows horizontal sleeping postures as well as other comfortable postures for passengers, with space efficiencies with safety arrangements adequate for all stages of flight. The arrangement can be used to extend the transport of the passengers undisturbed in the same habitats to other vehicles including other aircraft and ground transport vehicles. Moreover airport facilities including baggage handling arrangements may be substantially reduced and concurrently provide passengers with high utility in negotiating ground facilities. The arrangement facilitates the incorporation of new and efficient business systems for efficient allocation of passenger aircraft resources.

Abstract: A landing gear assembly is provided for use on a model helicopter. The landing gear assembly includes a landing gear strut having a leg portion and a foot portion connected to the leg portion to define an included right angle therebetween. The assembly also includes a landing gear skid formed to include a landing gear strut attachment area provided with an L-shaped slot arranged to receive and trap the foot portion of the landing gear strut therein.

Abstract: Autonomous slewing of a spacecraft about a desired axis using reaction wheels permits a maximum slew rate without wheel saturation even with one wheel failure. The slew is carried out if the total angular momentum of the spacecraft is less than a momentum storage threshold determined from reaction wheel availability. The momentum threshold may be found as the radius of a sphere inscribed in a polyhedron in momentum space, the polyhedron based on the maximum single wheel capacity and the geometry of the reaction wheel system as well as the reaction wheel availability. The momentum available for the slew is determined from the total angular momentum and the availability of each reaction wheel. The slew rate magnitude and slew direction are based on the available momentum.

Abstract: A launch lock mechanism having a clamp assembly that secures multiple independent brackets. The brackets are attached to components to be deployed from a satellite. A pyrotechnic separation device actuates the clamp assembly. Both the pyrotechnic device and the clamp assembly remain independent of the brackets and components after deployment.

Abstract: An aircraft engine apparatus with a reduced inlet vortex is provided which utilizes a vortex disruption system that periodically discharges pulses of engine bleed fluid through at least one outlet port opening through the inlet of the engine nacelle to disrupt the engine inlet vortex. The vortex disruption system thereby prevents ingestion of foreign matter into the engine inlet without sacrificing engine power, efficiency, or aircraft cruise performance.

Abstract: A suspended utility space designed as a captive balloon comprises a carrier balloon which is filled with lifting gas and into which an accessible inner space is incorporated. The carrier balloon is a vertically oriented ellipsoid. The accessible inner space is arranged in the lower part of the carrier balloon. The vertical orientation of the ellipsoidal carrier balloon and the arrangement of the inner space in the lower part of the carrier balloon result in a suspension behavior which is stable under calm conditions. The suspended utility space according to the invention has a larger advertising area visible from the ground and a more effectively utilizable inner space than a spherical airship of comparable size.

Abstract: An aircraft construction having an aircraft engine and an engine nacelle having a wall housing the engine. A cowl door is provided in the wall of the nacelle providing access to the engine to service it. An exhaust duct extends from the engine through the cowl door. The exhaust duct has a first duct section with an outlet end extending from the engine toward the cowl door with its outlet end adjacent the cowl door. The exhaust duct includes a second, separate duct section, having an inlet end, mounted in the cowl door and movable with the cowl door. The inlet end of the second duct section is located adjacent the outlet end of the first duct section, when the cowl door is closed, to have the first and second duct sections together directing exhaust from the engine out of the nacelle. When the cowl door is opened to service the engine, the second duct section moves away with the door making it easier to service the engine.

Abstract: A thrust directing mechanism to vector thrust and control discharge throat area with a number of vanes mounted across the passage. The mechanism includes a control link pivotally coupled to each of the vanes. The control link is selectively movable to correspondingly pivot the vanes and has at least two degrees of freedom corresponding to a two coordinate position. A desired orientation of the vanes may be determined as a function of the two coordinate position. The discharge exit area is contracted by adjusting convergence of the vanes. During convergence, the vanes are pivoted to various pivot angles selected to optimize thrust efficiency when contracting the throat area.

Abstract: The present invention is a de-icing system that uses electro-magnetic actuators mounted within the airfoil of an aircraft to effect de-icing. Advantageously, the actuators have low-energy requirements. Each actuator includes conductive strips fabricated on a flexible dielectric sheet. The conductive strips are wound into coils with the actuators shaped into a flattened elongated tube. The axis of the winding coils is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the elongated tube. Low adhesive coatings may be used to enhance the efficiency of the electro-magnetic coils in expulsing the ice accretion.

Abstract: A satellite, especially a geostationary satellite, which includes: at least one face (5) which is used as a thermal radiator for the equipment carried on board the satellite (1) and is arranged in the path of the solar radiation (9); at least one solar panel (7) which is a generator of electricity, which is pointed continuously toward the sun and projects from the face (5); and a screen (14) secured to the solar panel (7), which is arranged at the periphery of the satellite and which stops the solar radiation (9) directed toward the face (5). The satellite is noteworthy in that the solar panel (7) is arranged centrally with respect to the face (5) and the screen (14) is secured to the solar panel (7) by an arm (15).

Abstract: A thermal center flight indicator is provided that serves glider pilots who want to gain altitude by circling in thermals. The indicator is activated when entering a thermal, indicating to a pilot a continually computed approximate position of the center of the thermal relative to the present position and heading. The pilot can iteratively improve his track, thus making better use of the thermal. The indicator comprises a computing unit and an indicator, and computes input signals from a position-fix-unit and a measuring unit for the vertical speed. The computing unit computes a product of vertical speed and position coordinates, and sums up all positive products of position coordinates and vertical speed. The computing unit forms coordinates of a thermal center by dividing the sum of all products of position coordinates and positive vertical speed by a sum of all vertical speeds.

Abstract: An apparatus for causing an aircraft wheel to rotate in an airflow includes wind-catching members disposed around a central axis. The wind-catching members are moved between a non-operative, retracted position and an operative-extended position in which the wind-catching members project outside the outer radial periphery of the aircraft wheel. Alternatively, at least one nozzle or vent is provided, centered on the axle of the wheel and arranged to expel air at least partially circumferentially, along with an air supply for providing air to the at least one nozzle or vent. The air supply includes a compressed air source and an air supply passage connecting the compressed air source to the at least one nozzle or vent. Each nozzle or vent is rotatable with the wheel so that the expulsion of air causes rotation of the wheel.

Abstract: The interlocking assembly system includes a seat track, a floor beam and a clip for connecting the seat track to the underlying floor beam. The clip includes first and second clip members that cooperate to engage the opposed edges of the floor beam. Each clip member has a beam attachment portion, typically including an inward sill, for engaging the respective beam edge once the clip members have been slidably engaged. Additionally, the first clip member includes an elongate tongue extending away from the respective beam attachment portion. In addition, the second clip member includes a pair of elongate rails that extend away from the respective beam attachment portion and are spaced apart to define a lengthwise extending channel that is sized to slidably receive the elongate tongue. Once the lengthwise extending channel has received the elongate tongue, the clip members can be secured by a fastener. Thereafter, the seat track can be slid or snapped onto the clip.

Abstract: An aluminum cryogenic tank for launch vehicles has aluminum skirts that extend from each end of a peripheral wall of a tank body. The skirts provide a temperature differential between the tank body and the ends of the skirts so that composite panels can be used in locations longitudinally proximate to the tank body without over stressing either the skirts or the composite panels in regions near their junctures and without sacrificing structural integrity of the composite panels due to an excessively low temperature. The peripheral wall of the tank and the skirts provide a portion of a structural/aerodynamic wall or shell of the launch vehicle.

Abstract: Improvement to aircraft and high speed vehicles, consisting of setting the vehicle nose in an upward inclination with a flat wall on the bottom which, running from the underside of the fuselage, is inclined forward until its upper zone. The inclined wall exploits the frontal incident air to create lift and, because of the angle which it forms, frontal drag is the same as that of a conventional vehicle fuselage, having the tail inclined downward with a flat wall in the upper part running from the top of the fuselage and sloping backwards as far as its bottom area, to exploit the suction of the rear air to create major lift and, because of its angle, the tail drag is the same as that of a conventional vehicle.

Abstract: The system (13) for admitting external air (12) into a working section (11) of a gas turbine engine through a jacket (10) of the working section is characterised by the combination of doors (15) sliding towards the front (ramps) and rotating doors (14). The ramps (15) are fitted with grooved lateral arms (30) in which run wheels mounted on the doors (14). When they reach an ascending part (33) of the grooves (31) after sufficient movement of the ramps (15) towards the front, they are caused to rise, which opens the doors (14). This system can be used on double flow gas turbine engines for supersonic aircraft.

Abstract: Solar wing positioning methods are provided which favorably reduce seasonal variation of generated power in a satellite while simultaneously managing the composite system influence that off-pointed solar wing operation imposes on the satellite. The composite system influence includes environmental torques and may also include other system influences such as wing-to-body thermal radiation, thruster plume impingement and antenna/sensor field of view encroachment. In the simplest method embodiment, the solar wings are tilted asymmetrically from a nominal position to reduce seasonal power variations and are further tilted symmetrically to generate a solar pressure torque component which, on a diurnal average basis, compensates a gravity gradient torque component that is substantially generated by the net, off-pointed configuration of the wings.

Abstract: An agile, spinning spacecraft has a first body portion and a second body portion which is rotatably coupled about a first rotational axis to the first body portion. A pair of planar solar cell arrays are rotatably coupled to the second body portion along a second rotational axis that is preferably orthogonal to the first rotational axis. The first body portion can be spun if desired and the first rotational axis can be directed by an attitude control system to have selected orientations. The solar cell arrays are rotated about the first and second rotational axes in accordance with steering laws which maintain the arrays in an orthogonal relationship with a Sun line.

Abstract: The invention provides an aircraft incorporating a gas turbine engine powerplant wherein at least part of the powerplant forms a part of, or is integrated into, the airframe (i.e. the load-bearing structure of the aircraft) such that the powerplant is subjected to airframe loads (i.e. the main static or aerodynamic loads to which the aircraft is subjected, for example loadings due to the wings, the fin, etc.). A gas turbine powerplant comprising a carcass and a low pressure stage which are designed to be subjected to airframe loads is also discussed.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an aerodynamic control device for integrated use with an aircraft having an inboard lifting member. The inboard lifting member having a leading edge, a pair of opposing distal edges and a trailing edge. The control device is provided with a movable outboard member which extends substantially about the leading, distal and trailing edges of the inboard lifting member and is spaced apart therefrom. The outboard member is provided with a leading edge portion, a pair of opposing distal edge portions, and a trailing edge portion which are collectively movable in unison in relation to the inboard lifting member to form an uninterrupted airfoil surface extending about the inboard lifting member and the outboard member for achieving desired aerodynamic control of the aircraft.