A vertical stabilizer for an aircraft, including a fin, pivotable rudder, rudder adjustment arrangement, and vortex generator arrangement having on each side of the fin a turbulence generation element, each turbulence generation element disposed in a surface section of the fin and mounted moveably between a first, retracted position, where it is retracted into an interior space of the fin, and a second, extended position, where it projects at least partially outwardly from the fin transversely with respect to the surface section, and a turbulence generation element adjustment arrangement which is coupled to the rudder. The turbulence generation element adjustment arrangement engages the turbulence generation elements to move them. In a range of angular positions of the rudder, the turbulence generation element adjustment arrangement is inoperative for causing a movement of the turbulence generation elements out of the first position.

A control surface actuation mechanism for moving a control surface relative to a fixed aerofoil portion of an aircraft is disclosed including an articulating support, a sliding member on the articulating support and coupled to the control surface, the sliding member arranged to slide relative to the articulating support, a track with a path for attachment on the fixed aerofoil portion, and a rigid connecting element connected to the first track and to the sliding member. The first end of the first rigid connecting element is configured to move passively along the path, as the sliding member is driven to slide relative to the articulating support by an actuator.

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft include a fuselage having a center of gravity (CG) and defining mutually orthogonal X-, Y- and Z-axes. An even number of positionally mirror imaged port and starboard side rotors are provided laterally of the fuselage in spaced relationship to a plane established by the XZ axes while an even number of fuselage rotors are positioned along an X-axis centerline of the fuselage. Improved stability during failure of an engine/motor/rotor is achieved by causing one-half of the side rotors to rotate in one direction about the Z-axis and a remaining one-half of the side rotors rotate in a counter direction relative thereto, while one-half of the fuselage rotors rotate in one direction about the Z-axis and a remaining one-half of the fuselage rotors rotated in a counter direction relative thereto.

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft include a fuselage having a center of gravity (CG) and defining mutually orthogonal X-, Y- and Z-axes. An even number of positionally mirror imaged port and starboard side rotors are provided laterally of the fuselage in spaced relationship to a plane established by the XZ axes while an even number of fuselage rotors are positioned along an X-axis centerline of the fuselage. Improved stability during failure of an engine/motor/rotor is achieved by causing one-half of the side rotors to rotate in one direction about the Z-axis and a remaining one-half of the side rotors rotate in a counter direction relative thereto, while one-half of the fuselage rotors rotate in one direction about the Z-axis and a remaining one-half of the fuselage rotors rotated in a counter direction relative thereto.

A piezoelectric steering engine of bistable includes a base, four torsion units respectively fixed on the base, and four stiffness devices respectively located at a free end of the four torsion units. The four torsion units share the same structure, and are sequentially arranged at an interval of 90 in a same plane. The four stiffness devices share the same structure and are all connected to rudder blades. Every torsion unit includes a cantilever beam, a first macro-fiber composite actuator and a second macro-fiber composite actuator both of which are respectively attached to two opposite surfaces of the cantilever beam. A first stiffness device includes an elastic ring and a bearing pad mounted inside the elastic ring. After the cantilever beam passes through the bearing pad, a torque is exerted on the cantilever beam by the elastic ring through the bearing pad, resulting in the buckling of the cantilever beam.

A morphing wing includes a pantograph mechanism capable of being extended and contracted in a predetermined direction, a plurality of flight feathers attached to the pantograph mechanism, connection members configured to connect flight feathers adjacent to each other among the plurality of flight feathers, a first rotating mechanism configured to rotate the pantograph mechanism around one axis of a plane that intersects the direction, and a second rotating mechanism configured to rotate the pantograph mechanism around another axis of the plane. Each of the plurality of flight feathers is configured so that an angle formed by adjacent flight feathers connected via the connection members increases as the pantograph mechanism extends.

A morphing wing includes a pantograph mechanism capable of being extended and contracted in a predetermined direction, a plurality of flight feathers attached to the pantograph mechanism, connection members configured to connect flight feathers adjacent to each other among the plurality of flight feathers, a first rotating mechanism configured to rotate the pantograph mechanism around one axis of a plane that intersects the direction, and a second rotating mechanism configured to rotate the pantograph mechanism around another axis of the plane. Each of the plurality of flight feathers is configured so that an angle formed by adjacent flight feathers connected via the connection members increases as the pantograph mechanism extends.

A linkage mechanism for a flaperon includes a support structure linkage, a droop panel linkage, and a flaperon linkage. The support structure linkage is pivotally attached to a support structure of a wing of an aircraft. The droop panel linkage is pivotally attached a droop panel. The flaperon linkage is pivotally attached to a flaperon. A second end of the droop panel linkage and a second end of the flaperon linkage are pivotally attached to a connecting section of the support structure linkage. The connecting section is spaced apart from the pivot end of the support structure linkage such that the linkage mechanism transfers a pivoting motion from the flaperon into a pivoting motion of the droop panel.

A linkage mechanism for a flaperon includes a support structure linkage, a droop panel linkage, and a flaperon linkage. The support structure linkage is pivotally attached to a support structure of a wing of an aircraft. The droop panel linkage is pivotally attached a droop panel. The flaperon linkage is pivotally attached to a flaperon. A second end of the droop panel linkage and a second end of the flaperon linkage are pivotally attached to a connecting section of the support structure linkage. The connecting section is spaced apart from the pivot end of the support structure linkage such that the linkage mechanism transfers a pivoting motion from the flaperon into a pivoting motion of the droop panel.

A vehicle includes a wing and a control surface pivotably coupled to the wing and configured to pivot about a range of motion. A propulsor is coupled to the control surface and configured to rotate between a first position associated with a hover flight mode and a second position associated with a forward flight mode. The propulsor is aerodynamically actuated between the first position and the second position due to aerodynamics about the wing. The propulsor may rotate from an initial flight mode, such as a takeoff mode, to a second flight mode, such as a forward flight mode.