Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including one or more rib mounting flanges, where each rib mounting flange comprises: a spar opening configured to receive a main spar of a wing panel; one or more holes for receiving cross-bracing cables; and one or more holes for receiving cross-bracing cables; and one or more holes for connecting the rib mounting flange to an adjacent rib mounting flange.

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: An aircraft component including a structural foam having a predetermined shape, an outer flange located near a first end of the structural foam, an inner flange located near a second end of the structural foam, a web skin encapsulating the inner flange and at least a portion of the structural foam wherein the structural foam is affixed to the web skin, wherein the aircraft component comprises a portion of a blended wing body aircraft (BWB), the BWB having no demarcation between a wing and a main body of the BWB.

Abstract: A wing lock and deployment apparatus for an air launched vehicle includes a driver acted on by a single linear actuation event. The disclosed wing lock and deployment apparatus is capable of unlocking deployable wings of an air launched vehicle, deploying deployable wings of the air launched vehicle from a stored position, and locking deployable wings of the air launched vehicle in a deployed position in sequential order with the one single linear actuation event.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a launch vehicle fairing recovery system and method using inflatable bags and fairing repositioning mechanisms. Embodiments of the present invention also relate to providing a system or mechanism to flip the fairing into the proper floating position. In some embodiments, the fairing has an inner surface and an outer surface, where the outer surface is exposed to the atmosphere when the fairing is interconnected to a spacecraft, and one or more inflatable bags interconnected to the outer surface of the fairing, where when the fairing is interconnected to the spacecraft the one or more inflatable bags is empty, and after the fairing separates from the spacecraft the one or more airbags are filled with pressurized gas and/or hydraulic liquids.

Abstract: A crash load distribution structure of a fuselage may include a front fuselage frame surrounding a front surface of the fuselage, a crash unit disposed at the front end of the front fuselage frame, an extension frame coupled to the crash unit and extending to a floor frame, and a battery unit disposed under the floor frame and coupled to a portion of the floor frame constituting the floor frame. The battery unit may be selectively separable from the portion of the floor frame, e.g., if a crash load is transmitted from the extension frame.

Abstract: High-performance winglets are provided for attachment to an airplane wing. A split blended winglet includes a blended or upper winglet smoothly extending from the wing tip above a chord plane of the wing and a lower winglet including a ventral fin projecting below the chord plane from a lower surface of the upper winglet. The upper winglet includes a blade section that projects vertically along a reverse curve before transitioning to a linear upper blade portion. Upper and lower surfaces of the upper winglet are bound by leading and trailing edges that are swept toward an airstream direction, parallel with the chord plane, and curve toward the airstream direction before terminating at a point distal of the wing tip. Upper and lower surfaces of the lower winglet are bound by leading and trailing edges that curve toward the airstream direction and terminate at a point distal of the wing tip.

Abstract: In an aspect a system for fly-by-wire flight control configured for use in electric aircraft including at least a sensor, wherein the sensor is communicatively connected a pilot control and configured to detect a pilot input from the pilot control and generate, as a function of the pilot input, command datum. A system includes a flight controller, the flight controller including a computing device and configured to perform a voting algorithm, wherein performing the voting algorithm includes determining that the sensor is an allowed sensor, wherein determining that the sensor is an allowed sensor includes determining that the command datum is an active datum, determining the command datum is an admissible datum, generating, as a function of the command datum and the allowed sensor, a control surface datum wherein the control surface datum is correlated to the pilot input.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments described herein include innovative engagement devices. Exemplary engagement devices may include on or more tape spring systems. The tape spring system may include a continuous or segmented bi-stable tape spring. The tape spring can be stowed in a rolled up configuration, extended to a deployed configuration, and then triggered to return to a retracted configuration.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring energy and mass (supplies) in low-gravity environments. The system comprises a launcher and a receiver. The launcher hurls a capsule at a high velocity such that, when caught by the receiver, a portion of the kinetic energy of the launched capsule is converted to potential energy and stored. The stored energy is used at the receiver end for applications such as living habitats, mining operations, life-support systems, etc. In some instances, a portion of the initial energy is used to lob the capsule back, if desired. Launchers and receivers can be set up in different spatial configurations in a low-gravity environment such as in a circle with a centrally located launcher, a launcher downstream of a chain of receivers, or other configurations.

Abstract: A propulsion system for a propeller of an aircraft is described, wherein the propulsion system allows for transmission of electrical power such as for a deicing system for the propeller. The propulsion system comprises a rotatable shaft for transmission of mechanical power; aircraft end electrical connections at an aircraft end of the shaft for connection to first and second terminals of a source of electrical power; propeller end electrical connections at a propeller end of the shaft and being for connection to first and second terminals for supplying electrical power to electrical components on the propeller; and a mechanical coupling at the propeller end of the shaft for mounting the propeller to the shaft. The shaft comprises: an inner conductor extending along the length of the shaft; an outer conductor extending along the length of the shaft; and an electrical insulator extending along the shaft in between the inner and outer conductor.

Abstract: A concentric, double hull, damage tolerant airframe vehicle double clad with a lightweight, impact resistant ceramic matrix composite for heat shielding and flame resistance, and fitted with insulation, to provide thermal protection from 35° C. to 1,650° C. of the internal fuselage areas for an extended period of time within an extreme heat environment, that will serve as a semi or fully autonomous vehicle, manned or unmanned, preferably an unmanned aerial vehicle designed as the delivery means to suppress or extinguish flames by repeatedly discharging pressure waves against flames without having to exit the fire environment.

Abstract: Systems and methods using VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircrafts including drones and helicopters for soft capture, preserving, and landing of a returning spacecraft from space are disclosed. The spacecraft is decelerated by parachutes. One or multiple VTOL drones transport a water impermeable pocket meeting and capturing the descending spacecraft in the air. The spacecraft is thus preserved inside the pocket and keeps descending and then softly lands in a body of water. In another embodiment, a recovery helicopter, one type of VTOL aircraft with heavy payload lifting capacity, is used to directly catch the returning spacecraft. One or multiple VTOL drones are coupled to the bottom end of a recovery cable hung from the helicopter. These drones bring a clutch quickly and precisely catching the descending spacecraft directly without interrupting the parachutes. The spacecraft is thus caught and preserved by the helicopter with lifting function of the parachutes maintained.

Abstract: There is provided a flight vehicle including: a wing unit; a battery that is arranged in the wing unit; an air intake unit that is formed at a position corresponding to the battery on a front side of the wing unit; a heat sink unit that is arranged for the battery and cools the battery by air which flows in from the air intake unit and that includes a ventilation unit having a shape widening from the front side toward a rear side; and an exhaust unit that is formed at a position corresponding to the battery on the rear side of the wing unit and that exhausts air which flows out from the heat sink unit.

Abstract: An aircraft includes a body defining an interior compartment configured to hold at least one of a passenger and a payload, a battery system, a plurality of arms coupled to and extending from the body, and a plurality of propulsion devices configured to provide thrust to fly the aircraft. Each of the plurality of propulsion devices is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of arms. The plurality of propulsion devices are powered by the battery system. Each of the plurality of propulsion devices is selectively pivotable about at least one axis. The plurality of propulsion devices include at least one of (i) counter rotating ducted fans and (ii) ionizing electrode engines.

Abstract: An electromechanical boost actuator for aircraft flight control is attached to a mechanical input by a mechanical linkage. The mechanical linkage is also attached to the output shaft of the electromechanical boost actuator. When a pilot or control system manually moves the mechanical input, a position sensor attached to the linkage activates electric motor(s), extending or retracting the output shaft in the direction commanded by the pilot or control system. The motion of the output shaft, acting through the linkage, moves the position sensor to a neutral position, stopping the electric motor(s) and the output shaft when the output shaft reaches the commanded position. Additional linear actuators may inject another control signal in conjunction with the mechanical input.

Abstract: A flying vehicle comprising a wing ship body having a pair of wing spars secured thereto; and a plurality of hinged wing-rib assemblies disposed along each wing spar that allows the wings to be folded against the body of the flying vehicle. Fabric-coupling members connect wing fabric to the wing-rib assemblies. A method for folding or collapsing the wings of a wing-in-ground-effect wing ship comprising providing a wing-in-ground-effect wing ship having a pair of wings, and folding the wings toward and against the body of the wing-in-ground-effect wing ship.

Abstract: In an aspect, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is disclosed. The VTOL aircraft includes at least a lift component affixed to the aft end of a boom, wherein the lift component is configured to generate lift. The VTOL includes a fuselage comprising a fore end and an aft end. Additionally, VTOL aircraft includes a tail affixed to the aft end of a fuselage. A tail includes a plurality of vertically projecting elements, wherein the plurality vertically projecting elements are affixed at the aft end of the boom and positioned outside of the wake from the at least a lift component.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a medical instrument comprising (100, 200, 400) a magnetic resonance imaging receive antenna (101, 101?). The magnetic resonance imaging receive antenna comprises multiple antenna elements (102) each configured for receiving a magnetic resonance imaging radio-frequency signal. The magnetic resonance imaging receive antenna further comprises a radio-frequency receiver (104) connected to each of the multiple antenna elements, wherein the radio-frequency receiver is configured to receive the magnetic resonance imaging radio frequency signal and to convert the radio frequency signal to digital magnetic resonance data (902). The magnetic resonance imaging receive antenna further comprises a digital combiner (108). The digital combiner is configured to combine a weighted combination of the digital magnetic resonance data from each of the radio frequency signals into a chosen number of digital virtual magnetic resonance channels using a set of weighting factors (904).

Abstract: A system for automated flight correction in an electric aircraft includes an input control configured to generate a control datum, at least a sensor connected to the electric aircraft, wherein the at least a sensor is configured to detect a status datum, and a flight controller communicatively connected to the input control and the at least a sensor, wherein the flight controller is configured to determine a command datum as a function of the control datum and the status datum, wherein determining the command datum comprises comparing the control datum to a limitation set based on the status datum, and calculating a modified control datum based on a flight plan of the electric aircraft through a remote device.