Abstract: In one embodiment, a tiltrotor aircraft may comprise a fuselage; a biplane wing coupled to the fuselage, wherein the biplane wing comprises an upper wing structure and a lower wing structure; a plurality of tiltrotors coupled to the biplane wing; and at least one engine to power the plurality of tiltrotors.

Abstract: A combined flying-driving vehicle having a hybrid propulsion system architecture, foldable wings, and rotatable propulsion devices that is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), fixed wing cruise, and legally operating one a roadway surface.

Abstract: An aircraft emergency landing stability system includes an aircraft a fuselage and landing gear, and a landing stability apparatus coupled to the fuselage, wherein the landing stability structure mitigates a nose-down pitching moment of the aircraft created in response to contact with a landing surface during an emergency landing.

Abstract: A propulsion system for aircraft, in particular lightweight aircraft, provides a low-noise and low-cost aircraft. The propulsion system includes at least two ducted propellers (3, 3?). The ducts of are provided laterally on the fuselage (4) of the aircraft in such a way that the common net thrust of the ducted propellers is substantially collinear to the net drag.

Abstract: A VTOL aircraft includes at least one puller rotor and at least one pusher rotor. The VTOL aircraft, for example, may include three puller rotors and one pusher rotor. The combination of static puller and pusher rotors allows the rotors to remain in a fixed orientation (i.e., no moving mechanical axes are required) relative to the wings and fuselage of the VTOL aircraft, while being able to transition the aircraft from a substantially vertical flight path to a substantially horizontal flight path.

Abstract: An aircraft comprising a fuselage, a vessel associated with the fuselage, a propulsion system associated with the fuselage, and a lift system. The vessel is capable of storing a pressurized gas compressed to a density that allows the aircraft to operate under water. The lift system is capable of providing the aircraft lift to fly in air.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include an aircraft with at least one fuselage, a wing, a power plant coupled to the at least one fuselage, a shroud surrounding a propeller of the power plant, and at least two floats coupled to the wing. In some embodiments, each float may further comprise a step positioned forward of a line that is at least 5 degrees rearward of a vertical line passing through a most aft empty weight center of gravity. In some embodiments, each float comprises a forward portion that is positioned forward of the step, wherein a ski surface is coupled to the forward portion, and an aft portion that is located aft of the step, wherein the aft portion of each float is configured to be wetted at taxiing speed. A rudder may be coupled to the aft portion. Each float may also include a retractable wheel and landing gear, wherein the wheel is preferably positioned on the line that is at least 5 degrees rearward of a vertical line passing through a most aft empty weight center of gravity.

Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a method for testing an aircraft prior to flight. The method includes receiving a user signal from a pre-flight test input source, the user signal indicating that a pilot of the aircraft has directed engine control circuitry, which is arranged to electronically control operation of a set of piston engines of the aircraft during flight, to begin testing the aircraft in an automated manner. The method includes, in response to the user signal, conducting a pre-flight test of the aircraft from the engine control circuitry. The method includes, upon completion of the pre-flight test, outputting a result of the pre-flight test from the engine control circuitry.

Abstract: A flying wing boat is provided, which comprising a fuselage provided with a cockpit at a bow thereof; a pair of main wings, each of which being pivotably connected to one side of the fuselage respectively and being provided with a flap; a pair of pontoons, each of which being provided at a tip of each main wings; at least one propeller provided at a fore part of the fuselage; and a driving system supplying power to the at least one propeller. The flying wing boat of the present invention could improve the safety and comfortability of navigation.

Abstract: An aircraft structure is provided. The aircraft structure for an aircraft includes a fuselage, front wings, rear small wings, vertical winglets, and four levels. The fuselage has a cross-section of substantially a half circle fuselage shape. Being is wide enough to provide lifting force, and includes four levels separated by multi partition structure. The front wings are disposed horizontally in front portions of the fuselage. The rear small wings are disposed horizontally in rear portions of the fuselage. The vertical winglets are disposed at the wingtips of the rear small wings. The first level disposed at a bottom of the four levels includes a fuel tank storages and a plurality of landing gear bays. The second level disposed at a middle of the four levels includes cargo bay. The third level may comprise a top cockpit and a plurality of passenger cabins. The fuselage provides major portion of lifting force and the wings provides steering force, and lifting force.

Abstract: According to the invention, inflatable buoyancy bodies are kept in storage housings on the outside of a vehicle. During normal use, buoyancy bodies are folded up and stored under covers. Only when the vehicle is on water do the covers open and buoyancy bodies fill with air. An on-board compressed air system supplies air for filling buoyancy bodies so that air, which is not required by a braking installation or the like of the vehicle, is used to fill the buoyancy bodies. The additional use of outside air enables more air to be supplied to the buoyancy bodies at a low pressure than the sole use of the on-board compressed air system. In order to empty the buoyancy bodies, a vacuum is generated in connection lines. When stop cocks are open, air is sucked out of the buoyancy bodies, which then fold up and the covers are closed and locked.

Abstract: A vehicle adapted for airborne flight and waterborne sailing has a fuselage (20) with left and right wings (52, 54) that pivot independently about a respective longitudinal axis from a generally horizontal orientation for flight to a generally vertical orientation to provide wind-driven propulsion for sailing. Further, the wings (52, 54) pivot about a respective second axis (66) that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to trim the wings (52, 54) for sailing with a given relative wind direction. The wings (52, 54) are mounted by a respective first pivotal joint (56, 58) to the distal ends of respective stub wing/decks (48, 50). The stub wing/decks form a fixed central wing section (46). Water hulls (28) are mounted below the distal ends of the stub wing/decks (48, 50) on vertical pylons (30) to provide stable flotation. Vertical and horizontal stabilizers (40, 60) are mounted on the back ends of the water hulls (28).

Abstract: An amphibian delta wing jet aircraft, which has a plurality of triangular folding wing panels, two of which are hingedly attached to a lifting shape body, which incorporates a W-shaped hull in it's cross section of a fuselage so that the craft operates efficiently as an aircraft when flying through the air with the wings in a fully unfolded extended position. The craft also performs well as a watercraft capable of relatively high speeds on the water surface when the wing are folded-up in a non extended position. The W-shape hull transverse cross section also provides excellent characteristics so that the craft can hydroplane over marshlands or waterlogged soil which may be covered with emersed rushes, or snow, cattails and other tall grasses. The craft is also provided with four retractably mounted mechanically extendable wheels, to be utilized when configured as a land vehicle.

Abstract: An aerodynamically efficient fiberglass hull consisting of a pointed bow, a step amidships, and aft section coming to a point which will be attached to the hull of land aircraft and convert them to water operations. In addition, one wing float will be securely attached to the outboard section of each wing. The main and nose landing gear will be removed enabling the propellers to have adequate clearance from water. Landing gear removal procedures will not be used for amphibious aircraft.

Abstract: The amphibious aircraft has two top mounted wings and an engine having a rear mounted propeller. The aircraft also has a tail having two wings mounted in a V-shaped fashion. Each of the wings has a pivotal tip mounted thereon. The aircraft also has a sponson on each side of the fuselage by way of horizontally mounted struts. The struts and thereby the sponsons are mounted to the aircraft in such a manner so that they are adjustable in their horizontal attitude. The pivotal wing tips at the top mounted wings control the yaw of the aircraft while the adjustable wing tips in the V section of the aircraft can control both the horizontal direction of the aircraft as well as the right or left direction. It all depends if both the wing tips are pivoted in the same direction or opposite to each other, respectively.

Abstract: A lifting arrangement for aircraft fuselages that consists of placing longitudinal vertical or slanted fins or plates on the lower and lateral lower part of the whole fuselage, said fins forming a channel with the underside of the fuselage, including nose, fuselage and tail, open on their lower area. Further adding longitudinal horizontal or laterally slanted fins on the lateral middle or middle-to-low area of the fuselage and with a positive slope up to the nose with said fins arranged in such a way that the upper fins are projected increasingly laterally, and because of this arrangement and their slope up to the nose, the air flow is directed downward and backward.

Abstract: General aviation class amphibious aircraft which include two fuselages, each having a hydrodynamic surface, the fuselages connected via a primary flight surface and a ducted power plant located aft and above the fuselages. The power plant location removes the fan/propeller arc from water and spray during water-borne taxiing, takeoff and landing. The combination of fuselages, lifting surface and ducting provides an aerodynamically efficient design with a lower center of gravity and protected powerplant for yielding improved performance including increased range and airspeed, together with favorable maneuverability, stability and control characteristics both aerodynamically and hydrodynamically.

Abstract: A floatation system for attachment to a helicopter landing skid includes a girt dimensioned to be attached to a landing skid and a plurality of floats attached to the elongate girt, wherein the plurality of floats are adapted to be converted from a packed configuration to an deployed configuration, and wherein at least one of the plurality of floats extends beneath the elongate girt when the plurality of floats is in the deployed configuration.

Abstract: An anti-submarine warfare system includes an unmanned “sea-sitting” aircraft housing submarine detecting equipment, the aircraft including a body portion having a catamaran configuration adapted for stably supporting the body portion when sitting in water, the body portion including a fuselage and laterally disposed sponsons connected to the fuselage via platforms, and submarine detecting equipment housed within the fuselage and adapted to be electronically linked to sonobuoys disposed in adjacent water locations.

Abstract: An anti-submarine warfare system includes an unmanned “sea-sitting” aircraft housing submarine detecting equipment, the aircraft including a body portion having a catamaran configuration adapted for stably supporting the body portion when sitting in water, the body portion including a fuselage and laterally disposed sponsons connected to the fuselage via platforms, and submarine detecting equipment housed within the fuselage and adapted to be electronically linked to sonobuoys disposed in adjacent water locations.

Abstract: An amphibious airplane having an engine assembly mounted at a top center location in the fuselage, and a tail assembly having a horizontal fin in an elevated position so as to be in the propeller air stream. A lift augmenting aerodynamic surface is positioned at the top middle portion of the aircraft fuselage, with the propeller being at the concavely curved rear end of the lift augmenting surface. A pair of platforms are positioned on opposite sides of the fuselage at lower locations adjacent to a passenger section of the aircraft. These platforms are aerodynamically aligned and also have strakes extending forwardly therefrom along opposite sides of the fuselage. In cruise mode, the increased velocity imparted to the propeller air stream acts on the horizontal fin to exert a downward force, with the various forces of the airplane balancing each other.

Abstract: An amphibious airplane having an engine assembly mounted at a top center location in the fuselage, and a tail assembly having a horizontal fin in an elevated position so as to be in the propeller air stream. A lift augmenting aerodynamic surface is positioned at the top middle portion of the aircraft fuselage, with the propeller being at the concavely curved rear end of the lift augmenting surface. A pair of platforms are positioned on opposite sides of the fuselage at lower locations adjacent to a passenger section of the aircraft. These platforms are aerodynamically aligned and also have strakes extending forwardly therefrom along opposite sides of the fuselage. In cruise mode, the increased velocity imparted to the propeller air stream acts on the horizontal fin to exert a downward force, with the various forces of the airplane balancing each other.

Abstract: The invention comprises an improved seaplane having a retractable step. The term retractable step, however, is a misnomer. The step portion of the seaplane float includes a panel which may be extended once the plane is airborne to reduce aerodynamic drag created by such hydrodynamic steps. The panel may be hinged at a rear portion of the aircraft and extended and retracted using a hydraulic strut or the like. Side panels may also be provided which would hinge via a piano type hinge or the like to the sides of the extendable panel. The side panels may be provided with an end pin or pins which would travel in a track within the step cavity such that the side panels would be pushed into position as the step cover panel is extended. The apparatus of the present invention may be employed in both conventional and tunnel type hulls.

Abstract: A seaplane hull which in one embodiment has a high length to beam ration, substantially fair topside waterlines from bow to stern and a fine bow entry angle is disclosed. These characteristics minimize dispersement of the water, offering the low wave-making drag characteristics which enable high speeds without requiring planing lift. Chines on the underside describe a slim planing surface where edges converge aft toward a central plane. The slim planing surface minimizes wetted area at speed, and low pressure hollows, provided immediately above the chines, allow for air to travel aft and under an afterbody when at speed. The design enables continuity of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic streamlines throughout acceleration to take-off speed.

Abstract: Several innovative systems for an aircraft, and aircraft incorporating them, are disclosed. Features include inboard-mounted engine(s) with a belt drive system for turning wing-situated propellers; compound landing gear integrating ski, pontoon and wheel subcomponents; pivotal mounting armatures for landing gear and/or propellers which provide a plurality of possible landing gear and/or propeller configurations; and a compound wing structure featuring extendable wing panels that permit the wing span of the aircraft to be nearly doubled while in flight. Aircraft incorporating such features will enjoy several safety advantages over conventional multi-engine aircraft and will be capable of modifications during flight which permit landings on any of snow, hard surfaces (runways) and water.

Abstract: An improved step reinforcement system is disclosed for use in inflatable or pneumatic aircraft floats such as are employed in waterborne and amphibious aircraft. The float itself comprises a continuous tubular shell having spaced apart upper and lower walls interconnected by spaced apart first and second side walls to define an interior space within the float. The lower wall further includes a step extending continuously and transversely between vertically spaced fore and aft portions thereof. According to the improvement of the present invention, at least one inflatable bladder is disposed within the interior space of the float so as to be adjacent to the step and abut at least the lower wall of the float. The bladder has an internal pressure sufficiently greater than the internal pressure of the float so as to reinforce the step. An elongate stiffening element abuts the fore portion of the lower wall of the float forward from the step.

Abstract: Several innovative systems for an aircraft, and aircraft incorporating them, are disclosed. Features include inboard-mounted engine(s) with a belt drive system for turning wing-situated propellers; compound landing gear integrating ski, pontoon and wheel subcomponents; pivotal mounting armatures for landing gear and/or propellers which provide a plurality of possible landing gear and/or propeller configurations; and a compound wing structure featuring extendable wing panels that permit the wing span of the aircraft to be nearly doubled while in flight. Aircraft incorporating such features will enjoy several safety advantages over conventional multi-engine aircraft and will be capable of modifications during flight which permit landings on any of snow, hard surfaces (runways) and water.

Abstract: An amphibious aircraft, capable of high speed maneuverability on the surface of the water, utilizes a aerodynamic platform to generate lift and to define a tunnel with a pair of central sponsons extending inwardly of the wings of the aircraft longitudinally of the platform which supports the cockpit and propulsion system.

Abstract: The invention relates to an amphibian aircraft incorporating a hydrodynamic system formed by three floats wherein the first two floats are attached to a fuselage leading portion symmetrically to the aircraft axis and the third float is attached to a fuselage trailing portion along the aircraft axis of symmetry. The distance between the floats renders it possible to place a trailing float out of the zones of the water surface disturbed by hydroplaning leading floats. Moreover, the center of gravity is shifted behind the steps of the bottom of the leading floats to the trailing portion of the fuselage.

Abstract: An amphibious aircraft capable of V-STOL operations, the aircraft comprised of a pair of buoyant, coterminus, and elongated body members having an axially converging and diverging profile, joined together at the forward end thereof by a forward fuselage having at least one cambered surface, the entire structure thereof functioning as a lifting body, the forward fuselage having a pair of wings rigidly attachable thereto, and at least one propulsion unit attachable thereto proximal to the aircraft's longitudinal centerline, whereby the transition between vertical and conventional flight modes may be accomplished, the aircraft further having a stabilizer for pitch and yaw control which are pivotally and hingedly attachable to the rear of said elongated body members.

Abstract: A flying boat or sea plane has a wing system in order to obtain hydrodynamic lift when protracted and including two wings arranged one above the other but establishing, in front view, a closed frame; the wing system can be retracted into the fuselage of the vehicle by turning the wings upside down and pulling them into the fuselage using a three-group lever system.

Abstract: A seaplane having a low wing, a cabin over the wing, a pusher propeller located at the aft end of the cabin and just forward of the trailing edge of the wing and an empennage supported on a tail boom. The central portion of the leading edge of the wing extends forward in the shape of an isosceles triangle with its base against what would be a conventional leading edge and its apex in a vertical plane through the center line of the aircraft. The wing, including the triangular extension, provides flotation. The underside of the central portion incorporates transverse, angularly displaced and longitudinal steps. The lower portion of the propeller arc is separated from the water surface by the thickness of the wing near its trailing edge and the clearance between the arc and the proximate upper surace of the wing, allowing the thrust line and line of action of aerodynamic drag to be relatively close, resulting in a relatively low negative pitching moment.

Abstract: An amphibious executive or business airplane, also having military application, possesses sponsons integrated with the airplane fuselage. The trailing end of the sponsons end in a sharp edge, thus eliminating the need for a hull or float step or venting. A channel is formed by the sponsons and the underside of the fuselage, which channel has a constant cross-section and produces a surface lift effect facilitating take-off and landing. A pair of keels beginning substantially aft of the center of gravity of the airplane provide directional stability on the water. The aircraft is preferably jet powered with the inlet of the engines disposed above the sponsons to eliminate water intake. Variable geometry wings of telescoping design maximize aerodynamic performance on take-off and landing and during the high altitude, high speed cruise regime of the flight.

Abstract: Air, Land and Sea vehicle is convertible between aircraft form, road vehicle form and boat form. The conversion between aircraft form and road vehicle forms having (4) four tires as an automobile as well as a roadable vehicle structure that are movable outwardly for highway usage, and inwardly into stored position for the aircraft form or boat form, and having storage for the wing and tail assemblies which has a foldable section for this purpose. For conversion between aircraft form and boat forms, the apparatus has a retractable or extendable water propeller as propelling means in the water, and parts arranged for steering. The wings and tail assemblies are moved inwardly into stored position including auto and aero tires moved inwardly into their water-leak-proof compartments.

Abstract: A flying boat having a boat-like fuselage with a substantially horizontal separation thereof extending in the longitudinal direction into two structural parts which may be separately manufactured, the two parts being a complete lower boat body part and an upper cabin part adapted to be mounted on the boat part, and the lower boat body part and upper cabin part being secured together to form a closed fuselage.

Abstract: An aircraft of variable geometry and certain unique features which allow its operation along the surface of water, ice or the ground under sail power provided by tilting the wings up into a cross-wind to attain sufficient speed to be self launched into gliding flight in two modes -- while close to the surface in wind shear, circling and climbing in a regenerative flight path powered by changes in wind speed with altitude until sufficient altitude is attained to soar on rising air currents.

Abstract: A high speed water vessel includes a body having a waterborne hull which is lifted upwardly as the vessel moves through the water to reduce drag forces on the hull. Lift forces are imparted to the hull under the combined influence of rotors and airfoils or wings. The rotors include blades which are located within semicircular-shaped recesses in the trailing edges of the airfoils. Upon rotation of the blades, air pressure thrust forces are applied against the trailing edges of the airfoils to propel the vessel forwardly through the water. In addition, rotation of the blades induces air to flow across the upper surfaces of the airfoils and downwardly at the trailing edges of the airfoils to promote the application of air pressure lift forces to the airfoils. These lift forces raise the hull of the vessel so that the vessel can move through the water at high speeds.