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.

An actuation system for a control surface of an aircraft includes a drive lever. The drive lever includes a coupling end configured to pivotably couple to a plurality of wing attach fittings and a lever end. The lever end includes a first actuator fitting configured to pivotably couple to a first actuator on a forward side of the drive lever; a second actuator fitting configured to pivotably couple to a second actuator on an aft side of the drive lever; a first drive link fitting configured to couple, via a first drive link, to a control surface of an aircraft; and a second drive link fitting configured to couple, via a second drive link, to the control surface of the aircraft.

A winged vertical take-off and landing aircraft with compound control surfaces comprising flaps and ailerons which can be operated simultaneously with each other offers improved aerodynamic performance and maneuverability. Configuration of the compound control surfaces may be varied to optimize performance in hovering (vertical) flight modes, cruising (horizontal) flight modes, and transitional flight modes.

The invention relates to an aircraft with a longitudinal central axis, comprising: a fuselage structure (2) which is designed to accommodate persons and/or payload; a wing structure (3) which has at least two wing halves (3.1) which are attached to the fuselage structure (2) and which have a fuselage-side main region (H) and a tip region (S); at least one forward propulsion unit (4) which is designed to generate a forward force, acting in the direction of the central axis, on the aircraft; at least four lifting propulsion units (5) which are designed to generate a lift force, acting in the direction of the central axis, on the aircraft.

A propelling system with variable aerodynamic controls is a system used to generate and control the flight forces of an aircraft. The system includes a stator, a rotor, a plurality of propelling units, and a control system. The stator serves as the stationary connection to the aircraft. The rotor revolves the propelling units about a central rotation axis. The control system enables the control of the propelling units. The propelling units generate the flight forces for the aircraft in the desired direction. In addition, each of the propelling units include a blade body, a shaft channel, a spar shaft, and at least one aileron assembly. The shaft channel receives the spar shaft within the blade body. The spar shaft connects the blade body to the rotor. The blade body passively corrects its angle of attack and supports the aileron assembly. The aileron assembly adjusts the pitch of the blade body.

A system comprising an aerial vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to control pitch, roll, and/or yaw via airfoils having resiliently mounted trailing edges opposed by fuselage-house deflecting actuator horns. Embodiments include one or more rudder elements which may be rotatably attached and actuated by an effector member disposed within the fuselage housing and extendible in part to engage the one or more rudder elements.

This invention discloses a new foil design for generating and changing lift in a fluid dynamic environment. The vessel/aircraft can change foil's lift coefficient by using independently rotatable and locking tubes with at least one flat area attached to axles which enables modification of the surface conformation of the foil. The foil is provided with means to control a pitch, a roll and a yaw motion and to control the position and stability of the aircraft. In one embodiment the foil is capable of maintaining lift upon inversion, or flipping of a vessel. In another embodiment the invention provides a novel device and methodology for modifying foil surface configurations for in-motion fluid dynamic efficiency.

An assembly is provided for an aircraft. This aircraft assembly includes an aircraft control surface. The aircraft control surface includes a first skin, a second skin and a support structure laterally between and connected to the first skin and the second skin. The support structure includes a spar, a first stiffener and a second stiffener. The spar extends spanwise within the aircraft control surface. The first stiffener extends longitudinally within the aircraft control surface to the spar. The second stiffener extends longitudinally within the aircraft control surface to the spar. An actuator receptacle projects longitudinally into the aircraft control surface from a base of the aircraft control surface to the spar. The actuator receptacle extends spanwise within the aircraft control surface between the first stiffener and the second stiffener.

An aerostructure assembly that includes an aerostructure (e.g., a resin pressure molded structure) and a coupling assembly is disclosed. The aerostructure includes an outer shell and a female receiver located within an interior of the outer shell. The coupling assembly includes a coupling and a beam that extends from this coupling. The beam is disposed within the female receiver, including where at least part of the coupling is positioned beyond an open end of the outer shell. The shape of the female receiver may retain the aerostructure to the beam in at least one direction/dimension. One or more fasteners may be utilized to attach the aerostructure to the beam. The coupling may be formed from one or more metals, and in any case, accommodates attachment of the aerostructure assembly to a flight vehicle.

Embodiments relate to reconfigurable unmanned vehicles (100). Such vehicles (100) comprise a fuselage (102) presenting a bay (118) for receiving a plurality of components (120-128), each of the plurality of components (120-128) relating to a respective entity for at least one of flight control or operation of the unmanned vehicle (100). The bay (118) comprising a bus to support communications between at least two of the plurality of components (120-128), the plurality of components (120-128) comprising a controller to determine a configuration or presence of one or more than one component of the plurality of components (120-128) when coupled to the bus.