A parasite aircraft for airborne deployment and retrieve includes a wing; a fuselage rotatably mounted to the wing; a dock disposed on top of the fuselage and configured to receive a maneuverable capture device of a carrier aircraft; a pair of tail members extending from the fuselage; and a plurality of landing gear mounted to the wing. A method of preparing a parasite aircraft for flight includes unfolding an end portion of a wing; unfolding an end portion of a tail member of the parasite aircraft; and rotating a fuselage of the parasite aircraft so that the fuselage is perpendicular to the wing. A method of preparing a parasite aircraft for storage includes rotating a fuselage of the parasite aircraft to be parallel with a wing of the parasite aircraft; folding an end portion of the wing; and folding an end portion of a tail member of the parasite aircraft.

A module includes two main landing gears and a landing gear bay containing the landing gears. The bay has two lateral walls, a roof wall, a front wall and a rear wall. The roof wall, the front wall and the rear wall together form a pressurization barrier between the bay and a pressurized compartment. By virtue of the landing gear module, it is now possible to assemble and test the main landing gears and the one or more doors and the fairing before they are installed on the aircraft.

An aircraft with increased crash robustness including a fuselage with a forward end, an opposite rear end, a ventral surface, and a dorsal surface. The aircraft further including a longitudinal axis running from the rear end to the forward end and a dorsoventral axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and running from the dorsal surface to the ventral surface. The aircraft also including at least a battery module located within the fuselage comprising a plurality of battery cells, each battery cell includes an axial axis positioned orthogonally to each of the longitudinal axis and the dorsoventral axis, and each battery cell has a plurality of radial axes orthogonal to the axial axis, wherein the plurality of radial axes includes a first radial axis aligned with the longitudinal axis and a second radial axis aligned with the dorsoventral axis.

Systems and methods for extending the interior cargo bay of fixed-wing cargo aircraft into a replaceable tailcone bay are disclosed. The system includes an aircraft and a removable tailcone configured couple to the aft end of the fuselage. The aircraft fuselage includes a cargo bay and an aft end opening into the cargo bay. The tailcone, when attached, encloses the aft end opening the cargo bay. The tailcone can include an interior volume configured to extend the fuselage cargo bay such that the interior volume defines an aft end of a cargo bay of the cargo aircraft. In some examples, the tailcone includes a plurality of segments, which can be configured to extend from the aft end of the aircraft to adjust a length of the cargo extension provided by the tailcone.

A method is proposed for installing system components in a portion of an aircraft fuselage. The method provides at least one planar structural arrangement to be secured on or in the aircraft fuselage, secures system components on the structural arrangement, couples system lines to the system components and arranges the system lines on the structural arrangement. The method includes positioning of the structural arrangement with the system components and system lines arranged thereon at a designated installation location of the structural arrangement, and mechanical coupling of the structural arrangement to the aircraft fuselage.

A method and apparatus for forming a composite structure. A plurality of consolidated overbraided thermoplastic preforms are co-consolidated in a circumferential stackup that is circumferentially constrained. Fibers of the plurality of consolidated overbraided thermoplastic preforms are tensioned during co-consolidation.

A system for manufacturing modular aircraft includes at least a common tooling component, wherein the at least a common tooling component is configured to manufacture at least a flight component. The system includes at least a modular tooling component, wherein the at least modular tooling component wherein the at least a modular tooling component is configured to manufacture at least a fuselage component and a collar component. The system includes at least a tooling interface component, wherein the at least a tooling interface component is configured to mechanically connect the at least a common tooling component at a first end to the at least a modular tooling component at a second end.

An inflatable suspended ceiling for a vehicle compartment, in particular for a passenger cabin of an aircraft, includes a flat fabric cover sheet configured to roof over at least a longitudinal section of an interior space along an extending direction of the vehicle compartment underneath a structural ceiling of the vehicle compartment, and a tensioning structure attached to the cover sheet to carry the cover sheet from above and having a flexible envelope enclosing at least one inflatable chamber configured to tension the cover sheet when inflated. Mounting members are attached to the tensioning structure to mount the tensioning structure to counter-mounting members on the structural ceiling in a hanged configuration.

A linking member between a first and a second structural member of a fuselage of an aircraft allowing improved dissipation of stresses. The linking member has a first part made of a solid structure and at least one second part made of a lattice structure. The first part made of the solid structure is configured to dissipate static stresses and to withstand fatigue up to a predetermined maximum stress and fatigue threshold. This configuration allows improved dissipation of the stresses exerted on the linking member.

A pressure bulkhead assembly support tool configured to hold a pressure bulkhead system is presented. The pressure bulkhead assembly support tool comprises a segmented frame having a substantially circular path. A plurality of circumferential force assemblies restrains the pressure bulkhead system such that a circumferential surface of the pressure bulkhead system with a nominal shape is formed. A plurality of alignment probes holds and positions the pressure bulkhead system relative to the segmented frame.