A method of delivering heavy payload using an autonomous UAV able to deliver supply by way of airdrop with more precision and at a lower cost. The UAV is equipped with two movable wing systems that rotate from a stowed position to a deployed position upon jettison of the UAV from a mothership. The UAV can be controlled remotely or it can operate autonomously and the movable wings can include ailerons to effectuate flight control of the UAV. The UAV can be reusable or can be an expendable UAV.

A method of delivering heavy payload using an autonomous UAV able to deliver supply by way of airdrop with more precision and at a lower cost. The UAV is equipped with two movable wing systems that rotate from a stowed position to a deployed position upon jettison of the UAV from a mothership. The UAV can be controlled remotely or it can operate autonomously and the movable wings can include ailerons to effectuate flight control of the UAV. The UAV can be reusable or can be an expendable UAV.

A quick-release wing structure includes a lock cylinder assembly and a lock head. The lock cylinder assembly is installed in the fuselage. The lock cylinder assembly includes a shell and a lock plate. An installation slot is opened inside the shell. The side wall of the installation slot is provided with a clamping hole connected with the installation slot. The lock plate is sliding and arranged in the installation slot. The lock head is installed in the wing. A locking slot is set on the periphery of the lock head. The lock head can pass through the clamping hole and drive the lock plate to move. When the locking slot is facing the lock plate, the lock head is clamped onto the locking slot and fixed. The UAV includes the quick-release wing structure described above.

A method for realizing a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that does not use a mechanism dedicated for take-off and landing, which cannot be achieved on the basis of an existing concept of aircraft flight control, by introducing a new concept of a shoulder rotational axis and an arm rotational axis into aircraft flight control and controlling vertical take-off and landing and ordinary flight with the same mechanism. This instruction eliminates a necessity of a tail and ailerons from an airframe of the aircraft, enables reduction of manufacturing, maintenance, and running costs thereof, and makes it possible to avoid problems of maneuverability and cruising distance performance of airframes of vertical take-off and landing aircrafts.

A structure has a net-area-tension fastener pattern formed in the skin panel for receiving fasteners defining a net-area-tension joint for coupling a component attach fitting of a component to the skin panel. The net-area-tension fastener pattern includes two or more rows of fastener holes, including a first row and a last row. Each row is oriented generally perpendicular to a primary load direction of a load that the component is capable of exerting on the skin panel. The first row is located upstream of the last row relative to the primary load direction. The fastener holes in the first row and the last row are respectively the smallest and the largest in the net-area-tension fastener pattern. The rows are spaced apart at a spacing ratio of hole spacing to hole diameter. The spacing ratio of the first row is greater than the spacing ratio of the last row.

A structure has a net-area-tension fastener pattern formed in the skin panel for receiving fasteners defining a net-area-tension joint for coupling a component attach fitting of a component to the skin panel. The net-area-tension fastener pattern includes two or more rows of fastener holes, including a first row and a last row. Each row is oriented generally perpendicular to a primary load direction of a load that the component is capable of exerting on the skin panel. The first row is located upstream of the last row relative to the primary load direction. The fastener holes in the first row and the last row are respectively the smallest and the largest in the net-area-tension fastener pattern. The rows are spaced apart at a spacing ratio of hole spacing to hole diameter. The spacing ratio of the first row is greater than the spacing ratio of the last row.

A vertical take-off and/or landing aircraft comprising: a fuselage having a longitudinal axis; a pair of semi-wings protruding from the fuselage in a transversal direction with respect to the longitudinal axis; a pair of a predetermined breaking areas of the semi-wings defining respective preferred rupture sections at which the respective semi-wings are designed to break, during operation, in a controlled way moving along a preferred collapse trajectory in the event of impact; and at least one fluidic line configured to convey at least one service fluid from and/or towards at least one said semi-wing and crossing at least one of said preferred rupture sections; the aircraft comprises a self-sealing coupling movable between a first configuration in which it enables the flow of said service fluid from and/or towards the semi-wing, and a second configuration in which it prevents the above-mentioned flow and the spilling of the service fluid from the fluidic line; the self-sealing coupling is movable from the first to the second configuration via the movement of the semi-wing along the preferred collapse trajectory.

A vertical take-off and/or landing aircraft comprising: a fuselage having a longitudinal axis; a pair of semi-wings protruding from the fuselage in a transversal direction with respect to the longitudinal axis; a pair of a predetermined breaking areas of the semi-wings defining respective preferred rupture sections at which the respective semi-wings are designed to break, during operation, in a controlled way moving along a preferred collapse trajectory in the event of impact; and at least one fluidic line configured to convey at least one service fluid from and/or towards at least one said semi-wing and crossing at least one of said preferred rupture sections; the aircraft comprises a self-sealing coupling movable between a first configuration in which it enables the flow of said service fluid from and/or towards the semi-wing, and a second configuration in which it prevents the above-mentioned flow and the spilling of the service fluid from the fluidic line; the self-sealing coupling is movable from the first to the second configuration via the movement of the semi-wing along the preferred collapse trajectory.

Disclosed aircraft wing-to-body join methods include measuring a 3D surface contour of each wing root interface surface of a wing root to form a complete wing root 3D surface profile; measuring a 3D surface contour of each wing stub interface surface of a wing stub to form a complete wing stub 3D surface profile; calculating a virtual fit between the aircraft wing and the aircraft body assembly that defines one or more gaps between the wing root interface surface and the wing stub interface surface; and aligning the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly to achieve a real fit consistent with the virtual fit.

Disclosed aircraft wing-to-body join methods include measuring a 3D surface contour of each wing root interface surface of a wing root to form a complete wing root 3D surface profile; measuring a 3D surface contour of each wing stub interface surface of a wing stub to form a complete wing stub 3D surface profile; calculating a virtual fit between the aircraft wing and the aircraft body assembly that defines one or more gaps between the wing root interface surface and the wing stub interface surface; and aligning the aircraft wing to the aircraft body assembly to achieve a real fit consistent with the virtual fit.