Abstract: Provided is an aircraft lavatory unit that advantageously allows for a reduced number of parts, simplified assembly, and reduced costs while ensuring convenience. First and second lavatories are provided adjacent to one another within a structural frame. Respective sinks of the lavatories are disposed by being attached to the partition wall. A trash insertion port is provided on a wall surface of each base. A single storage chamber provided within the bases of the sinks of the lavatories extends into the bases of the sinks of the lavatories through an opening provided in the partition wall. A trash can device has a single trash can housed in the storage chamber and a single fire extinguisher. A water heater is singularly provided, which is disposed within the base of one of the sinks.

Abstract: A vortex generator may include a depression in an aerodynamic surface, and a vortex generator leading edge located in the depression. The vortex generator leading edge may include a leading edge upper surface. The leading edge upper surface may be positioned at or below a tangent line defined at a location along the aerodynamic surface upstream of the depression relative to an oncoming local flow.

Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed that includes a retractable payload delivery system. The payload delivery system can lower a payload to the ground using an assembly that secures the payload during descent and releases the payload upon reaching the ground. The assembly can also include a bystander communication module for generating cues for bystander perception. While the assembly securing the payload is being lowered from the UAV, the bystander communication module can generate an avoidance cue indicating that bystanders should avoid interference with the assembly. The assembly also includes sensors that generate data used, at least in part, to determine when the descending assembly is at or near the ground, at which point the assembly releases the payload. The bystander communication module can then cease the avoidance cue and the UAV can retract the assembly.

Abstract: A method for landing an airship on a landing device placed on the ground by: aligning, in particular horizontally aligning, the airship relative to the landing device with the aid of driving mechanisms arranged on the airship; lowering the airship onto a landing platform element of the landing device; arresting the airship on the landing platform element, wherein at least one electric magnet arranged in the landing device magnetically pulls the airship towards the landing device; and fastening the airship to the ground.

Abstract: An integrated user interface system being disposed at a chair and methods for manufacturing and using same. The user interface system comprises one or more interface elements that are disposed at an armrest or other suitable chair location and that are obscured from view or otherwise de-emphasized when a user is distal from the user interface system. At least one selected interface element becomes emphasized when a user hand becomes proximate to the user interface system. The selected interface element can become emphasized, for example, by becoming visible and/or by forming a raised projection. Upon becoming emphasized, the selected interface element is activated for use and can be manipulated to interact with available system resources. The chair advantageously can appear to be an ordinary chair when the user interface system is not in use and can present the user interface system when the user wishes to access the system resources.

Abstract: An aircraft including a device for influencing the directional stability of the aircraft is provided. The device includes a control-input device; a flight control device; a sensor device for acquiring the rotation rates, including the yaw rates, of the aircraft; and at least one actuator, which is coupled with ailerons, spoilers, an elevator and a rudder. The flight control device includes a control function generating adjusting commands for the actuators for controlling the aircraft according to control commands. The aircraft includes two tail-mounted flaps, each including an actuator connected with the flight control device, situated symmetrically to each other and on opposite sides of the fuselage, and movable between retracted and extended positions. The control function is designed such that the adjusting commands that are generated on the basis of the control commands depending on the acquired rotation rates include adjusting commands to the actuators of the tail-mounted flaps.

Abstract: A helicopter and aircraft power device has a plurality of fluid inlets on a windward side of a blade housing and a plurality of fluid outlets on a leeward side in a manner that the fluid inlets communicate with the fluid outlets. The path where the fluid flows in the lengthwise direction on the windward side of the blade housing is far greater than the path where the fluid flows in the widthwise direction on the leeward side of the blade housing, generating a very large pressure difference between the leeward side and the windward side. The action of the centrifugal force and a suction force from a suction motor significantly increase the flowing speed on the windward side of the blade and in the fluid passage, generating bigger pressure difference on either sides of the propeller and thus forming more powerful lift force and driving force.

Abstract: A method of providing apparatus comprising: providing a first store and a first payload on or in the first store, the first store being for mounting to the outside of an aircraft; acquiring aerodynamic properties, moments of inertia, and the mass distribution of the first store and first payload; providing a second store and a second payload, the second payload being on or in the second store, the second store being for mounting to the outside of the aircraft, the second payload being different to the first, the second payload comprising a sensor and/or a projecting means; and configuring the second store and the second payload such that the aerodynamic properties, moments of inertia, and mass distribution of the second store and the second payload are substantially the same as those of the first store and first payload.

Abstract: A holonomic floating mobile object is operated under gravity and includes a main body and six or more thrusters for generating thrust by changing the momentum of a fluid. The six or more thrusters are controlled independently of one another such that the thrust is set at a desired value. The six or more thrusters are arranged in a fuselage coordinate system defined on the main body, such that the range in which a total thrust vector obtained by combining vectors of the thrust generated by all of the thrusters can be generated spans a six-dimensional space with three directions of translation and three directions of rotation. Incoming and outgoing flows to and from one of the thrusters are spaced apart from incoming and outgoing flows to and from the other thrusters and even apart from every other fuselage structure aside from that one thruster.

Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.

Abstract: The aircraft capable of takeoff/landing via the fuselage thereof and the takeoff/landing system of the aircraft according to the present invention are configured such that multiple takeoff/landing rollers are arranged in a sliding direction such that the aircraft fuselage having a landing surface formed at the bottom thereof can safely land and slide in a sliding direction, thus enabling the aircraft fuselage to contact a running surface and takeoff/land without separate landing gear. Thus, not only can the weight of the aircraft be reduced, but the fuel consumption of the aircraft can be reduced as well, the useful space in the aircraft can be broadened, the length of the runway can be shortened due to the frictional force generated by the takeoff/landing device, and the safety during the takeoff/landing of the aircraft can be improved.

Abstract: Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing these metal sheets and plates are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, there is provided a transportation vessel that includes at least one metal product having at least one surface that is substantially grooved, wherein the substantially grooved surface forms a riblet topography, the riblet topography including a multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets running along at least a part of the surface, and wherein the riblet topography is coated with at least one coating sufficiently designed and applied to preserve the riblet topography. In an embodiment, the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets results in a friction-reducing textured surface. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of an aircraft. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of a rotor blade.

Abstract: A system for reducing a stopping distance of an aircraft may include an edge control system configured to control a leading edge device mounted to a wing of an aircraft. The edge control system may be configured to automatically command extension of the leading edge device from a first position to a second position in response to deployment of a spoiler if a ground speed of the aircraft is greater than a threshold ground speed.

Abstract: A hybrid network of kinematic sensors of an AOCS, made up of a star sensor including an optical camera head, and a processing unit provided as the central master processing unit, and additional kinematic sensors, each made up of a sensor element and a processing unit connected to the central processing unit via a first bus. An additional processing unit is equivalent to the processing unit and is a redundant central processing unit. The central processing units and—are connected via an additional bus of a spacecraft provided with the hybrid network with the aid of a central computer. The particular active central processing units-provide all kinematic sensors with a uniform time pulse via a synchronization line, and supply the central computer with hybridized kinematic measuring data formed according to a method for hybridization based on the synchronous kinematic measuring data of the star sensor and the measuring data of the other sensors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a wingtip control system. The wingtip control system comprises a switch system for a flight deck of an aircraft and a controller. The switch system is configured to be placed into an armed state and generate an armed signal. The controller is in communication with the switch system. The controller is configured to receive the armed signal from the switch system, visually indicate a desired position for a wingtip of the aircraft in the switch system in response to an event occurring during operation of the aircraft, and generate a movement command to move the wingtip.

Abstract: An aircraft nose comprising a primary fuselage structure, and housed inside said structure, a cockpit, and an avionics bay containing a plurality of avionics racks designed to receive electrical and/or electronic equipment. The cockpit and the avionics bay are each made in the form of a distinct module that is suitable for being installed in a single operation inside the primary fuselage structure. The use of modules for integrating in the aircraft nose makes it possible to reduce considerably the time required for fitting out the nose on the final assembly line of the aircraft.

Abstract: In an aspect, in general, a spooling apparatus includes a filament feeding mechanism for deploying and retracting filament from the spooling apparatus to an aerial vehicle, an exit geometry sensor for sensing an exit geometry of the filament from the spooling apparatus, and a controller for controlling the feeding mechanism to feed and retract the filament based on the exit geometry.

Abstract: An aircraft (10) with improved aerodynamic performances is adapted to keep the directional stability and a very good aerodynamic behavior at medium-high incidence. The aircraft (10) includes a fuselage (12) to which shaped wings (18, 20) are associated, and a nose (52). The aircraft (10) also includes a vortex control device (72) of the extension of the leading edge of the wing at the root (LERX), shaped in order to symmetrize the bursting of the vortices generated by such LERX with a medium-high incidence. Said aircraft comprises removable equipment with at least one dissipation device of incident radar waves, on at least one hot portion of the aircraft.

Abstract: A method of producing accelerations without ejecting any material exhaust which relies on inducing mass fluctuations in conventional electrical circuit components and combining them with a mechanically coupled periodic thrust to produce propulsive forces without the ejection of any propellant. Ferroelectric force transducers, in particular, piezoelectric transducers, are driven by at least two phase-locked voltage waveforms so that the rest mass fluctuation and mechanical excursion needed to produce a stationary thrust are both produced in the transducer itself. Parametric amplification is used to achieve high amplitude, correctly phase-locked voltages of correct frequencies to activate the transducer by the simple addition of a DC voltage to the AC voltage of a single frequency driving signal. The driving voltage waveforms may be pulsed to maximize the thrust and reduce the duty cycle of the active components of the system.

Abstract: In one example, a free-flying tethered airship system includes an upper airship adapted to tailor its lift and drag, a lower airship adapted to tailor its lift and drag, and a tether connecting the upper airship to the lower airship such that the upper airship is at least one kilometer above the lower airship. The upper airship is configured to be equiliberally buoyant, while carrying the tether, in a first altitude range. The lower airship is configured to be equiliberally buoyant in a second altitude range, the first altitude range being higher than the second altitude range. A method for stationkeeping of a free-flying tethered airship system is also provided.