Abstract: An aircraft equipped with a distributed fan propulsion system and methods of operating such aircraft are provided. In one aspect, an aircraft includes a wing having a top surface and a bottom surface. The aircraft also has a distributed propulsion system that includes a suction fan array having one or more fans mounted to the wing and a pressure fan array having one or more fans mounted to the wing. The fans of the suction fan array are each positioned primarily above the top surface of the wing and the fans of the pressure fan array are each positioned primarily below the bottom surface of the wing. The fans of the suction fan array are controllable independent of the fans of the pressure fan array so that the air pressure above and/or below the wing can be locally controlled, allowing for adjustment of lift on the wing.

Abstract: A landing gear for use on an aircraft, the landing gear including a shock strut and an anti-rotation linkage. The shock strut is positioned at least partially within and guided in movement by a guide member coupled to a frame of the aircraft. The shock strut including an outer cylinder that is shaped and sized to engage the guide member where the guide member guides sliding movement of the outer cylinder, and where the outer cylinder is configured so as to be driven in the sliding movement relative to the guide member, and an inner cylinder disposed at least partly within the outer cylinder. The anti-rotation linkage including a connector plate coupled to the outer cylinder of the shock strut, and an anti-rotation link assembly coupled to both the guide member and the connector plate, the anti-rotation link assembly being configured to maintain the shock strut in a fixed rotational orientation relative to the guide member.

Abstract: A method of controlling a multi-engine aircraft includes receiving input for commanded thrust and modifying the commanded thrust using a model of an incumbent powerplant to generate a modified commanded thrust for matching aircraft performance with a new powerplant to the aircraft performance with the incumbent powerplant. The method includes applying the modified commanded thrust to the new powerplant.

Abstract: A multi-rotor aircraft includes a fuselage, a propulsion engine coupled to the fuselage that generates thrust to propel the aircraft along a first vector during forward flight, and rotors coupled to the fuselage, each rotor comprising blades, each rotor coupled to a motor, and each motor configured to supply power to and draw power from the coupled rotor. The aircraft includes a flight control system configured to control the motors coupled to the rotors in a power managed regime in which a net electrical power, consisting of a sum of the power being supplied to or drawn from each rotor by its motor, is maintained within a range determined by a feedback control system of the flight control system. The flight control system can also be leveraged to adjust rotor control inputs to modify at least one of thrust, roll, pitch, or yaw of the multi-rotor aircraft.

Abstract: A rotary wing aircraft with a fuselage that comprises an upper primary skin and an aircraft upper deck arranged above the fuselage, wherein the aircraft upper deck comprises a firewall arrangement that defines a fire proof separation at least between at least one aircraft engine and an aircraft interior region, wherein the firewall arrangement comprises at least one funnel-shaped lower firewall that is arranged between the at least one aircraft engine and the upper primary skin of the fuselage, wherein the at least one funnel-shaped lower firewall converges from an outer perimeter to at least one inner collecting point, and wherein the outer perimeter is spaced apart from the upper primary skin of the fuselage.

Abstract: A lighter-than-air airship has an exoskeleton constructed of spokes and hubs to create a set of connected hexagrams comprised of isosceles triangles wherein the spokes flex and vary in length to produce the slope of said airship's surface. In one embodiment, the exoskeleton connects to a nose cone that includes a cockpit cabin for controlling the airship's operation from a single location that can be physically separated from the exoskeleton in response to catastrophic events and for autonomous and/or remotely piloted operation. An improved means is also provided for landing and unloading cargo, and through use of unmanned aerial vehicles in another embodiment, the airship is configured for remote pickup, transport, delivery and return of payloads such as packages. In yet another embodiment, the airship provides a communications platform for beam form transmission and satellite signal relay, including in combination with the foregoing disclosed attributes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a stowable airflow diverter for removable attachment to a floor vent of a turbine aircraft. The air diverter comprises vertical ducting extending from a base. A flexible gasket and magnets are attached to the base for engagement with the floor vent. A nozzle attached to the vertical ducting redirects the airflow emanating from the floor vent from horizontal to vertical in order to direct air conditioned air into the cock pit of the aircraft. In an alternate embodiment, the nozzle is rotatable with respect to the vertical axis of the duct. In another alternate embodiment, the nozzle and vertical duct comprise telescoping segments such that the device can be collapsed into the floor vent.

Abstract: Bait stations are disclosed that include a housing having an upper casing and a lower casing coupled to form an interior cavity. A pad, gel, or variations thereof that carry food are disposed within the interior cavity. The lower casing includes a base having a peripheral flange that defines an outer edge, an outer wall that is spaced apart from the outer edge and extends upwardly from the peripheral base flange to a top edge, and an inner wall that extends from the top edge to a first surface to define a receiving space therein. The upper casing includes a plurality of apertures that are configured to allow insects therethrough into the interior cavity.

Abstract: Spring-integrated rotors are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a bracket defining a first rotational axis and coupled to a motor for rotating the bracket about the first rotational axis, a pivot body defining a second rotational axis extending along a direction different than the first rotational axis, the pivot body coupled to the bracket for rotation about the second rotational axis, and at least one spring device positioned at the bracket, the at least one spring device urging the pivot body toward a central position when the bracket is rotating.

Abstract: A nose-wheel steering system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes an actuator; a strut; and a gearing mechanism operably coupling the actuator to the strut, the gearing mechanism including a steering collar attached to the strut, and idler gear engaged with the actuator and a pinion having a first gear engaged with the idler gear and a second gear engaged with the steering collar.

Abstract: A multifunctional birdhouse can be configured into a birdhouse or a birdfeeder and provides easy cleaning access. The multifunctional birdhouse comprises a birdhouse enclosure and a reversible drawer. The birdhouse enclosure is the main structural housing for the multifunctional birdhouse. The reversible drawer allows the multifunctional birdhouse to be configured as a birdhouse or a birdfeeder based on the orientation of the reversible drawer when engaged to the birdhouse enclosure. The reversible drawer can be slid into and out of the birdhouse enclosure when desired. Further, the reversible drawer allows for easy cleaning of the multifunctional birdhouse due to the capability to detach the reversible drawer from the birdhouse enclosure when desired.

Abstract: A flow body torsion box includes a plurality of ribs, a first spar attached to a first end of the ribs, a second spar attached to a second end of the ribs, a first skin, and a second skin. The first skin and the second skin are arranged at a distance to each other to enclose the ribs and the spars. The first skin and the second skin are attached to the ribs and the spars through tie elements to form a torsion box. The tie elements comprise a first attachment end and a second attachment end between which the tie elements are at least partially curved so as to be resiliently deformable along a first direction along a connection line between the first attachment end and the second attachment end.

Abstract: The pylon, intended to support a flying vehicle engine, includes a primary structure formed by at least one longeron and one panel, the panel including at least one end part provided with a notch, the longeron being provided with an end adapted to be positioned in the notch, the panel and the longeron being assembled by welding a part of the end to a part of the notch. A welded primary structure enables minimization of the blanks of parts associated with the longerons and with the panels by avoiding having recourse to the production of edges.

Abstract: Landing apparatuses for unmanned aerial vehicles are provided herein. An example UAV includes a frame; a propeller rotatably coupled to the frame; and a landing guard armature extending from the frame. A terminal end of the landing guard armature extends beyond a propeller radius of the propeller. The landing guard armature has a surface area that is sized to promote airflow around the landing guard armature.

Abstract: A control system for a hybrid electric powerplant of an aircraft can include a throttle controller configured to receive one or more power settings and to output a heat engine setting and an electric motor setting, a heat engine controller operatively connected to the throttle controller. The heat engine controller can be configured to receive the heat engine setting and to control a heat engine system as a function of the heat engine setting to control torque output by a heat engine. The system can include a heat engine protection module that is part of or connected to the heat engine controller and configured to provide one or more protection commands to directly control one or more heat engine protection systems. The system can include an electric motor controller operatively connected to the throttle controller.

Abstract: A tail sitter aircraft is described that comprises: a fuselage arranged vertically in a take-off/landing position and transversely to a vertical direction in a cruising position of the aircraft; a single wing; at least two first engines configured to exert respective first thrusts directed along respective first axes on the tail sitter; and at least two second engines rotating about respective second axes arranged above said first axes of the first engines, with reference to the cruising position; the at least two second engines being configured to exert respective second thrusts directed along respective second axes on the tail sitter; the first and second engines being carried by the single wing; the single wing comprises a first portion and a second portion mutually staggered from one another; the second portion being arranged above said first portion, with reference to said cruising position; said first portion comprises two half-wings, extending from opposite lateral sides of the fuselage; the wing furth

Abstract: A system and method for lift augmentation of an aircraft having a wing with a leading edge and a trailing edge extending along a wingspan, a plurality of thrust-producing devices connected to the bottom of said wing, at least one flap connected to an inboard portion of said wing proximate the trailing edge, and an aircraft roll control device connected to said wing, wherein the improvement comprises a plurality of slipstreams associated with a plurality of thrust producing devices and a flap adaptable to deflect from a chord of the inboard portion of the wing.

Abstract: An aircraft landing gear is disclosed having a landing gear leg attachable at a first end to an aircraft, and an axle beam, both the landing gear leg and the axle beam being rotatably mounted. The axle beam is rotatable between a first position, in which a first end of the axle beam is a first (shorter) distance from the first end of the landing gear leg, and a second position, in which said first end of the axle beam is a second (longer) distance from the first end of the landing gear leg. A biasing member is configured to be able to bias the axle beam towards the second position. An aircraft, a blended wing body aircraft, and a method of operating an aircraft are also disclosed.

Abstract: An aircraft includes a fuselage, a wing disposed above the fuselage, a pylon connecting the wing to the fuselage, and a plurality of internal combustion engines housed in the fuselage. The pylon vertically traverses the fuselage and is fixed to an upper portion and a lower portion of the fuselage. Among the plurality of internal combustion engines, a first internal combustion engine and a second internal combustion engine are disposed bilaterally symmetrically about the pylon and are fixed to the pylon.

Abstract: A system and method for an aircraft evacuation system with hydrogen inflation is disclosed. The system includes an aircraft having an integrated hydrogen-electric engine. A fuel cell stack for powering an aircraft motor of the integrated hydrogen-electric engine. A hydrogen fuel source in fluid communication with the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen fuel source containing hydrogen. An inflatable slide and a pump operably coupled with the hydrogen fuel source and the inflatable slide to selectively pump the hydrogen to the inflatable slide for inflating the inflatable slide.