The present invention discloses an integrated airport design. The runways are designed in an elevated curved shape. The middles of landing runways and take-off runways are designed as an overhead parking apron, and the terminal building is below the runways. Therefore, the usable area of the whole airport is increased. The length of each elevated curved runway is lengthened comparing to the traditional straight runway within the same area. In addition, the downhill take-off runway can enhance take-off operation and reduce the fuel consumption. Thus, the existing land resources can be used to the maximum extent.

An assistance vehicle designed for supplying electrical energy to an electric taxiing device of an aircraft landing gear when the aircraft is moving over the ground. The assistance vehicle includes an autonomous energy source, a connector enabling it to be coupled to the aircraft and to electrically power the electric taxiing device. When an assistance instruction comprising the aircraft position is received, the assistance vehicle moves in an autonomous manner so as to reach the position of the aircraft, is automatically connected to the electric taxiing device when the assistance vehicle reaches the position of the aircraft and switches into freewheeling mode. When the assisted move has finished, the assistance vehicle is separated from the electric taxiing device and switches back into tractor mode. Thus, the electrical power supply system of the aircraft is simplified by externalizing the electrical supply of the electric taxiing device.

Disclosed is a take-off and landing station (1) for a flying vehicle (2) for transporting people and/or loads, which flying vehicle takes off and lands vertically and comprises a flight module (3), having a plurality of drive units (17) arranged on a supporting framework structure (16) of the flight module (3), and a transportation module (4), which can be coupled to the flight module (3). The take-off and landing station (1) comprises a holding apparatus (21) having a plurality of gripper elements and support elements (11) for supporting, fixing and/or orienting the supporting framework structure (16) during take-off and landing of the flying vehicle (2) or the flight module (3).

A method for loading an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with multiple items is disclosed. The method includes determining a weight, size, and Center of Gravity of each of the multiple items. The method also includes positioning the multiple items relative to one another such that a combined Center of Gravity of the multiple items will be positioned within a predetermined region. The method further includes loading the multiple items onto the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with the combined Center of Gravity of the multiple items positioned within the predetermined region.

An aircraft wheel includes a rim that is secured to a central hub defining an axis of rotation of the wheel. The wheel includes one or more driving pins that extend from the hub, projecting in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel so as to cooperate with a driving member for driving the wheel in rotation. The driving pin is distinct from bolts assembling together parts of the wheel.

A method of taxiing an aircraft may comprise: determining, via a brake controller, whether the aircraft is taxiing with a first thrust provided from a first side of the aircraft, a second thrust from a second side of the aircraft, or both the first thrust and the second thrust; and modifying, via the brake controller, a first brake pressure supplied to a first brake disposed on the first side of the aircraft as a function of pedal deflection in response to the taxiing with the first thrust only.

An aircraft landing gear comprising: a shock-absorbing main leg having a sprung part for attachment to an aircraft and an un-sprung part including a slider and an axle carrying at least one wheel, the wheel having a toothed ring gear; a drive transmission mounted externally on the sprung part, or on the un-sprung part, of the main leg, the drive transmission having at least one motor and a drive pinion for meshing with the toothed ring of the wheel; and an actuator for lifting the drive transmission into and out of driving engagement with the toothed ring and for maintaining the driving engagement as the landing gear deflects during a ground taxiing operation. Also, a method of operating the aircraft landing gear.

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.

A drive wheel for a power drive unit of a cargo handling system is disclosed. One aspect of the drive wheel is that it includes one or more wear indicators for a tire of the drive wheel. Another aspect of the drive wheel is that it includes one or more features (e.g., at least one protrusion, alone or in combination with one or more slots) that resists relative rotational movement between the tire of the drive wheel and the hub of the drive wheel.

For aircraft taxiing, an aircraft is equipped with an electric machine installed in a propulsor gearbox (PGB), in parallel to the gas turbine, working in motor mode during taxi, and in generator mode during flight phases (such as take-off, climb, cruise, descent, approach and landing). Typical current systems which use an electric machine in the PGB do not use the electric machine in motor mode for taxi operations (i.e., it is only an additional generator). An optimized power supply providing a combination of a thermal engine such as an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) and an electric energy storage system such as a battery provides power to the PGB electric machine even when the gas turbine is off.