A public transportation system combines a unique combination of components that includes interoperable electric-powered vehicles, facilities, hardware and software having specifications, standards, processes, capabilities, nomenclature, and concepts of operations that together include a concerted, comprehensive, multi-modal, future system for moving people and goods that is herein named Quiet Urban Air Delivery (QUAD) and in which uniquely-capable, ultra-quiet, one to six-seat, electrically-powered, autonomous aircraft (SkyQarts) fly sub-193 kilometer trips on precise trajectories with negligible control latency and perform extremely short take-offs and landings (ESTOL) with curved traffic patterns at a highly-distributed network of very small, airports (“SkyNests”) that themselves have standardized compatible facilities that interoperate with SkyQarts as well as with versatile, autonomous electric-powered payload carts (EPCs) and robotic delivery carts (RDCs) to provide safe, fast, on-demand, community-acceptable, environmentally friendly, high-capacity, affordable door-to-door delivery of both passengers and cargo across urban, suburban and rural settings across the globe.

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to an aircraft, particularly an aircraft for vertical take-off and landing. The aircraft includes a fuselage, and a variable lift body defining an aerofoil. The variable lift body is moveably attached to the fuselage. The variable lift body is pivotable around a first axis extending in the wing span direction. The rotary actor is adapted to cause the variable lift body to pivot in relation to the fuselage arranged within the aerofoil. (FIG. 1a)

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.

Provided is a tailstock type vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method thereof. The unmanned aerial vehicle is mainly composed of a fuselage, wings, ailerons, empennages, an elevator, a rudder, an engine, an attitude adjustment nozzle, a landing gear, and the like. The wings are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the middle of the fuselage; the ailerons are hinged to the trailing edges of the wings on the both sides; the empennages are located at the tail of the fuselage, and a form of vertical empennages+horizontal empennages or V-shaped empennages can be used; the elevator and rudder are hinged to the trailing edges of the empennages; the engine is arranged at the tail of the fuselage for producing main thrust.

There is disclosed a blended wing body aircraft including a center body having a lower side and an upper side opposed to the lower side. The center body has a central chord extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the center body. The lower side has a lowest point located between a first location forward of a pivot point about which the aircraft rotates during take-off and a second location aft of the pivot point. The first location is at a first distance corresponding to about 10% of a length of the central chord forward of the pivot point.

A low noise aircraft comprising a fuselage comprising a nose section, a cabin and a tail comprising an empennage, the profile of the fuselage tightening towards the tail, two wings mounted on opposite sides of the fuselage, two engines, each engine mounted on a pylon on a respective side of the fuselage, two propellers, each propeller joined to and positioned behind a respective the engine, at least one cabin door to access the cabin, and landing gear, wherein the engines are positioned above the wings, wherein the propellers are positioned at a rear end of each engine such that the propellers push the engines, and wherein the propellers are positioned behind the inhabitable zone of the cabin.

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.

Apparatus for laminar flow control for a skin panel for an aircraft including a body for receipt into a recess of the skin panel. The body defines a chamber. The body includes an outer portion defining one or more micro apertures through the outer portion, each of the one or more micro apertures being in fluid communication with the chamber. The body includes a support portion supporting the outer portion, the support portion defining at least one outlet for allowing air to be drawn from the chamber in use by a suction means in fluid communication with the outlet in use. The apparatus is arranged such that, in use, air is drawn through the one or more micro apertures into the chamber and out of the outlet, thereby to promote laminar airflow over the outer portion in use.

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft includes an airframe having first and second wings with first and second pylons extending therebetween. The first and second wings each having first and second outboard nacelle stations. A two-dimensional distributed thrust array is attached to the airframe. The thrust array including a plurality of outboard propulsion assemblies coupled to the first and second outboard nacelle stations of the first and second wings. A flight control system is coupled to the airframe and is operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies. A cargo hook module is coupled to the airframe. The cargo hook module is operable for external load operations.

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.