Abstract: An exemplary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mountable to a conductor of an aerial power transmission line system includes a body having a rotor system, a motivation system attached to the body to motivate the UAV along the conductor, a battery carried by the body and electrically connected to at least one of the rotor system and the motivation system, a monitoring tool mounted with the body and an inductive coil carried by the body and in electric connection with the battery, wherein the inductive coil is configured to harvest electricity from the aerial power transmission line system and charge the battery.

Abstract: A versatile door system for a vehicle having a frame with an opening. The door system includes a door assembly including a hingeable door and a slidable door. The hingeable door is hingeably coupled to the frame proximate the opening. The slidable door is slidably coupled to the hingeable door. A rail system includes a segmented upper rail having a first portion coupled to the frame and a second portion formed on an exterior side of the hingeable door. The slidable door includes a slider bearing configured to sequentially engage the first and second portions of the segmented upper rail along a path of travel of the slidable door. In a closed configuration, the hingeable door and the slidable door are securably disposed within the opening. The hingeable door and the slidable door are configured to collectively provide access to selectable portions of the opening.

Abstract: A ducted fan assembly includes a duct having an inlet, an inner surface, an expanding diffuser and an outlet. A fan disposed within the duct between the inlet and the expanding diffuser is configured to rotate about a fan axis to generate airflow. An active flow control system includes a plurality of injection zones circumferentially distributed about the inner surface. The expanding diffuser has a diffuser angle configured to create flow separation when the airflow is uninfluenced by the active flow control system such that the airflow has a thrust vector with a first direction that is substantially parallel to the fan axis. Injection of pressurized air from one of the injection zones asymmetrically reduces the flow separation between the airflow and the expanding diffuser downstream of that injection zone such that the thrust vector of the airflow has a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

Abstract: An exemplary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mountable to a conductor of an aerial power transmission line system includes a body having a rotor system, a motivation system attached to the body to motivate the UAV along the conductor, a battery carried by the body and electrically connected to at least one of the rotor system and the motivation system, a monitoring tool mounted with the body and an inductive coil carried by the body and in electric connection with the battery, wherein the inductive coil is configured to harvest electricity from the aerial power transmission line system and charge the battery.

Abstract: An exemplary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mountable to a conductor of an aerial power transmission line system includes a body having a rotor system, a motivation system attached to the body to motivate the UAV along the conductor, a battery carried by the body and electrically connected to at least one of the rotor system and the motivation system, a monitoring tool mounted with the body and an inductive coil carried by the body and in electric connection with the battery, wherein the inductive coil is configured to harvest electricity from the aerial power transmission line system and charge the battery.

Abstract: A differential thrust vectoring system includes a first thruster, a second thruster, a main actuator, and a trim actuator. The system is configured such that actuation of the main actuator causes rotation of the thrusters together about an axis, whereas actuation of the trim actuator causes relative rotation of the first and second thrusters about the axis.

Abstract: A tail sitter aircraft includes a fuselage having a forward portion, an aft portion and a longitudinally extending fuselage axis. At least two wings are supported by the forward portion of the fuselage. A distributed propulsion system includes at least one propulsion assembly operably associated with each fixed wing and is operable to provide forward thrust during forward flight and vertical thrust during vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing. A tailboom assembly extends from the aft portion of the fuselage and includes a plurality of rotatably mounted tail arms having control surfaces and landing members. In a forward flight configuration, the tail arms are radially retracted to reduce tail surface geometry and provide yaw and pitch control with the control surfaces. In a landing configuration, the tail arms are radially extended relative to the fuselage axis to form a stable ground contact base with the landing members.

Abstract: A differential thrust vectoring system including a first thruster rotation assembly configured to rotate a first thruster relative of an aircraft, a second thruster rotation assembly configured to rotate a second thruster of an aircraft, and an actuator. The system is configured such that actuation of the actuator causes disparate rotation about the tilt axis of the first and second thrusters.

Abstract: A vehicle has a pod carrier, a pod rotatably connected to the pod carrier, and an energy attenuating system (EAS) disposed between the pod and the pod carrier to attenuate forces associated with a deflection of the pod relative to the pod carrier. A method of operating an energy attenuating system (EAS) is provided for attenuating energy associated with movement between a pod and a pod carrier. The method includes providing a vehicle having a pod carrier and providing the pod carrier with an EAS configured in an undeflected state.

Abstract: A ducted fan assembly for generating thrust during edgewise forward flight. The ducted fan assembly includes a duct having an inlet with a leading portion and a diffuser with a trailing portion during the edgewise forward flight. A fan disposed within the duct is configured to rotate relative to the duct about a fan axis to generate an airflow through the duct from the inlet to the diffuser. An active flow control system includes a plurality of injectors including a first injector configured to inject pressurized air substantially tangential with the leading portion of the inlet and a second injector configured to inject pressurized air substantially tangential with the trailing portion of the diffuser such that when the injectors are injecting pressurized air, flow separation of the airflow at the leading portion of the inlet and the trailing portion of the diffuser is reduced.

Abstract: A versatile door system for a vehicle having a frame with an opening. The door system includes a door assembly including a hingeable door and a slidable door. The hingeable door is hingeably coupled to the frame proximate the opening. The slidable door is slidably coupled to the hingeable door. A rail system includes a segmented upper rail having a first portion coupled to the frame and a second portion formed on an exterior side of the hingeable door. The slidable door includes a slider bearing configured to sequentially engage the first and second portions of the segmented upper rail along a path of travel of the slidable door. In a closed configuration, the hingeable door and the slidable door are securably disposed within the opening. The hingeable door and the slidable door are configured to collectively provide access to selectable portions of the opening.

Abstract: An active flow control system for generating yaw control moments for an aircraft during hover flight. The system includes right and left yaw effectors disposed proximate the right and left wingtips of the wing. A pressurized air system includes a pressurized air source and a plurality of injectors operably associated with the right and left yaw effectors. Based upon which of the injectors is injecting pressurized air, the right and left yaw effectors generate no yaw control moment, generate a yaw right control moment or generate a yaw left control moment.

Abstract: A versatile door system for an aircraft includes forward and aft door assemblies. The forward door assembly includes a forward hingeable door hingeably coupled to the airframe proximate a forward location of an aircraft opening and a forward slidable door slidably coupled to the forward hingeable door. The aft door assembly includes an aft hingeable door hingeably coupled to the airframe proximate an aft location of the aircraft opening and an aft slidable door slidably coupled to the aft hingeable door. In a closed configuration, the forward hingeable door, the forward slidable door, the aft hingeable door and the aft slidable door are securably disposed within the aircraft opening. In operation, the forward hingeable door, the forward slidable door, the aft hingeable door and the aft slidable door are individually operable to collectively provide access to a selectable width of the aircraft opening.

Abstract: An active flow control system for generating roll control moments for an aircraft during hover flight. The system includes right and left roll effectors disposed proximate the right and left wingtips of the wing. A pressurized air system includes a pressurized air source and a plurality of injectors operably associated with the right and left roll effectors. Based upon which of the injectors is injecting pressurized air, the right and left roll effectors generate no roll control moment, generate a roll right control moment or generate a roll left control moment.

Abstract: An active flow control system for generating roll control moments for an aircraft during forward flight. The system includes right and left roll effectors disposed on a trailing edge of the wing. A pressurized air system includes a pressurized air source and a plurality of injectors operably associated with the right and left roll effectors that influence the path of airflow across the wing. Based upon which of the injectors is injecting pressurized air, the right and left roll effectors generate no roll control moment, generate a roll right control moment or generate a roll left control moment.

Abstract: An active flow control system for generating pitch control moments for an aircraft during flight. The system includes a nozzle disposed proximate the aft end of the aircraft. The nozzle is configured to discharge a gas stream in the aftward direction. A pressurized air system includes a pressurized air source and one or more injectors configured to selectively inject pressurized air into the nozzle to influence the path of the gas stream. Based upon which injectors are injecting pressurized air into the nozzle, the gas stream exits the nozzle generating no pitch control moment, generating a pitch down control moment or generating a pitch up control moment.

Abstract: An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a forward flight orientation. The aircraft has a blended wing body and includes first and second engines, a binary lift fan system, first and second forced air bypass systems and first and second exhaust systems. The engines have turboshaft and turbofan modes. The lift fan system includes ducted fans in a tandem longitudinal orientation. In the VTOL orientation of the aircraft, the engines are in the turboshaft mode coupled to the lift fan system such that the engines provide rotational energy to the ducted fans generating the thrust-borne lift. In the forward flight orientation of the aircraft, the engines are in the turbofan mode coupled to the forced air bypass systems such that the bypass air combines with the engine exhaust in the exhaust systems to provide forward thrust generating the wing-borne lift.

Abstract: An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a forward flight orientation. The aircraft has a blended wing body and includes an engine, a trinary lift fan system, a forced air bypass system and an exhaust system. The engine has a turboshaft mode and a turbofan mode. The lift fan system includes a plurality of ducted fans in a tandem lateral and forward orientation. In the VTOL orientation of the aircraft, the engine is in the turboshaft mode coupled to the lift fan system such that the engine provides rotational energy to the ducted fans generating the thrust-borne lift. In the forward flight orientation of the aircraft, the engine is in the turbofan mode coupled to the forced air bypass system such that bypass air combines with engine exhaust in the exhaust system to provide forward thrust generating the wing-borne lift.

Abstract: An aircraft having a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a forward flight mode. The aircraft includes a fuselage and a dual tiltwing assembly having a vertical lift orientation and a forward thrust orientation relative to the fuselage. The dual tiltwing assembly includes a forward wing and an aft wing coupled together and to the fuselage by a quadrilateral linkage. A distributed propulsion system is coupled to the dual tiltwing assembly and includes a plurality of forward propulsion assemblies coupled to the forward wing and a plurality of aft propulsion assemblies coupled to the aft wing. A flight control system is operably associated with the distributed propulsion system and the dual tiltwing assembly. The flight control system is operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies and is operable to transition the dual tiltwing assembly between the vertical lift orientation and the forward thrust orientation.

Abstract: An active flow control system for generating yaw control moments for an aircraft during forward flight. The system includes right and left yaw effectors disposed proximate the right and left wingtips of the wing. A pressurized air system includes a pressurized air source and a plurality of injectors operably associated with the right and left yaw effectors that influence the path of airflow above and below the yaw effectors. Based upon which of the injectors is injecting pressurized air, the right and left yaw effectors generate no yaw control moment, generate a yaw right control moment or generate a yaw left control moment.