Disclosed herein is a VTOL tilt-wing aircraft that serves as a 4-6 passenger airliner for scheduled service between city centers and that is optimized for travel distances from 100-500 miles fully loaded with passengers and fuel. The VTOL aircraft solves technical, cost, and time problems inherent in other forms of transportation, including, but not limited to, rail, passenger airlines, and helicopters. The VTOL aircraft (1) takes off and lands like a helicopter, (2) flies fast like a jet, and (3) costs less than or comparable to a helicopter.

A method for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft including at least two engines capable of transmitting engine torque to at least one main rotor, the assistance method comprising the following steps: periodically determining a current position of the rotorcraft; making a first periodic comparison between the current position and a decision point; identifying an engine failure; making a second periodic comparison between the current position of the rotorcraft and a touchdown point; periodically determining an emergency landing profile, the emergency landing profile being generated at least depending on a result of the second periodic comparison; and periodically generating control orders to pilot the rotorcraft according to the emergency landing profile.

A metallic-composite joint fitting is provided. The fitting may comprise a frustoconical internal bearing having a bore, a conical sleeve configured to be disposed about the frustoconical internal bearing, a composite structure configured to couple between the frustoconical internal bearing and the conical sleeve, a metallic end fitting configured to be disposed within the bore and couple to the frustoconical internal bearing, and an external nut configured to couple to the metallic end fitting and the conical sleeve, wherein at least one of the frustoconical internal bearing or the conical sleeve comprises a flanged portion mutually configured to couple the conical sleeve to the frustoconical internal bearing via a locking ring.

An aircraft cabin includes an upper deck, and a cargo area. The cargo area is configured to accommodate at least one passenger and is situated at a different level than the upper deck. An accessway provides access between the upper deck and the cargo area. The upper deck has, at least locally, a raised floor in the vicinity of the accessway so that at least one part of the cargo area has a ceiling height higher than the ceiling height of the rest of the area cargo.

An aircraft cabin includes an upper deck, and a cargo area. The cargo area is configured to accommodate at least one passenger and is situated at a different level than the upper deck. An accessway provides access between the upper deck and the cargo area. The upper deck has, at least locally, a raised floor in the vicinity of the accessway so that at least one part of the cargo area has a ceiling height higher than the ceiling height of the rest of the area cargo.

An improved composite stiffener and methods and tooling used to form the same. The stiffener includes one or more base flanges, a composite rod extending in an axial direction, a bulb cap surrounding the composite rod, and an upright web extending from the one or more base flanges to the base cap. The upright web includes a non-linear profile in the axial direction providing the improved lateral stiffness. The method includes providing tooling including a first compression tool extending in the axial direction and including a first web portion having a non-linear profile, and a second compression tool extending in the axial direction and including a second web portion having a non-linear profile. Plies are placed within the tooling and compressed such that at least a portion of plurality of plies are compressed in the web forming portion thereby forming a web of the bulb stiffener having a non-linear profile.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a streamlined body for passing through a fluid is provided. The streamlined body includes an outer surface defining a leading edge and a trailing edge. The leading edge is oriented to pass through the fluid before the trailing edge during movement of the body through the fluid. The streamlined body further includes a plurality of fibers coupled to the outer surface. Each fiber of the plurality of fibers projects away from the outer surface.

An aircraft has an aft main cargo cabin with a low deck floor, and a rear access configured to provide access to the aft main cargo cabin from behind the fuselage. The deck floor of the aft main cargo cabin is lower than a first deck floor of a forward main cabin of a forward section of the fuselage. The aft main cargo cabin has a second height that is greater than the first height of the forward main cabin, allowing the aft main cargo cabin to accommodate oversize cargo with larger dimension(s). The aircraft may be built with such an aft main cargo cabin and rear access, or may be a modified aircraft that includes such an aft main cargo cabin and rear access. Related methods of reconfiguring a base aircraft into a modified aircraft having such an aft main cargo cabin and rear access are also disclosed.

A blended wing body aircraft wherein at least each profile section corresponding to the normalized half-span values from 0 to 0.2 has a thickness ratio having a nominal value within the range set forth in Table 1. Also, a blended wing body aircraft wherein at least each profile section corresponding to the normalized half-span values from 0.15 to 0.3 has a normalized chord having a nominal value within the range set forth in Table 1, and wherein a ratio between a maximum thickness of the center body and the chord length along the centerline has a nominal value of at least 16%. Also, a blended wing body aircraft wherein a region of the aircraft defined by normalized half-span values from 0.1 to 0.2 has a normalized chord having a dimensionless rate of change from −3.5 to −5.1, and a thickness ratio having a rate of change from −0.27 to −0.72.

A sound-absorbing panel to be used affixed to a jet engine of an aircraft, provided with: a resin core layer having a first surface, a second surface disposed on the side opposite from the first surface, and multiple partitions extending between the first surface and second surface so as to partition multiple cells; a resin first skin layer laminated on the first surface of the core layer; and a resin second skin layer laminated on the second surface of the core layer. The first skin layer is disposed so as to face the external space while in use, and has multiple through-holes for providing communication between internal spaces of the multiple cells and external space faced by the first skin layer. The core layer has openings for providing communication between the internal spaces of the multiple cells and external space of the core layer.