A wingless compact aircraft, with a limited footprint and no exposed high-speed moving parts. The aircraft can takeoff and land vertically, can fly at high-speed and even cruise on land and water in one of the preferred embodiments.

A simple, safe, and inexpensive flight control system in an aircraft. An anti-torque system for a rotary-wing aircraft has an airfoil with a first surface extending from a first trailing edge and a leading edge, and a second surface extending from a second trailing edge to join the first surface at the leading edge. The airfoil has a first moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the first trailing edge, and a second moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the second trailing edge. Means are provided to pivot the deflector panels in unison about their respective pivot axes to alter the direction of travel of the airflow downstream of the pivot axes over the surfaces of the deflector panels, thereby producing a lift in a direction perpendicular to the airflow to counteract the torque applied on the aircraft. The flight control system may be arranged within a fixed-wing aircraft.

A simple, safe, and inexpensive flight control system in an aircraft. An anti-torque system for a rotary-wing aircraft has an airfoil with a first surface extending from a first trailing edge and a leading edge, and a second surface extending from a second trailing edge to join the first surface at the leading edge. The airfoil has a first moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the first trailing edge, and a second moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the second trailing edge. Means are provided to pivot the deflector panels in unison about their respective pivot axes to alter the direction of travel of the airflow downstream of the pivot axes over the surfaces of the deflector panels, thereby producing a lift in a direction perpendicular to the airflow to counteract the torque applied on the aircraft. The flight control system may be arranged within a fixed-wing aircraft.

Example air vehicles including freewings and related methods are disclosed herein. An example air vehicle includes a fuselage; a freewing coupled to the fuselage, the freewing pivotable relative to the fuselage; and a rotor carried by the freewing, the rotor pivotable independently of the freewing.

Example air vehicles including freewings and related methods are disclosed herein. An example air vehicle includes a fuselage; a freewing coupled to the fuselage, the freewing pivotable relative to the fuselage; and a rotor carried by the freewing, the rotor pivotable independently of the freewing.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling aircraft roll operations are disclosed. An example system includes a wing actuator coupled to an aileron of an aircraft, an alternate power unit (APU), a control wheel position sensor to measure a control wheel position of a control wheel of the aircraft, a flight control computer (FCC) coupled to the APU and the control wheel position sensor, the FCC to invoke the APU to provide power to the wing actuator, and transmit a control signal to the wing actuator, the control signal to invoke the wing actuator to control the aileron based on the control wheel position, and a differential linkage coupled to the wing actuator and the aileron, the differential linkage to convert first movement of the wing actuator into second movement to control the aileron, the first movement of the wing actuator based on the control wheel position.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling aircraft roll operations are disclosed. An example system includes an aileron actuator including a mode selector valve to control fluid flow through the aileron actuator, and a valve spring coupled to the mode selector valve, the valve spring to adjust the mode selector valve from the active position to a block position, the block position to prevent fluid flow through the aileron actuator, a wing cable system coupled to the aileron actuator, a wing actuator coupled to the wing cable system, the wing actuator to control displacement of the aileron of the aircraft in response to the mode selector valve being in the block position, and a differential linkage coupled to the wing actuator and the aileron, the differential linkage to translate the displacement of the wing actuator into rotational movement to adjust the aileron from a first position to a second position.

A simple, safe, and inexpensive flight control system in an aircraft. An anti-torque system for a rotary-wing aircraft has an airfoil with a first surface extending from a first trailing edge and a leading edge, and a second surface extending from a second trailing edge to join the first surface at the leading edge. The airfoil has a first moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the first trailing edge, and a second moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the second trailing edge. Means are provided to pivot the deflector panels in unison about their respective pivot axes to alter the direction of travel of the airflow downstream of the pivot axes over the surfaces of the deflector panels, thereby producing a lift in a direction perpendicular to the airflow to counteract the torque applied on the aircraft. The flight control system may be arranged within a fixed-wing aircraft.

A simple, safe, and inexpensive flight control system in an aircraft. An anti-torque system for a rotary-wing aircraft has an airfoil with a first surface extending from a first trailing edge and a leading edge, and a second surface extending from a second trailing edge to join the first surface at the leading edge. The airfoil has a first moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the first trailing edge, and a second moveable deflector panel pivotally coupled to the second trailing edge. Means are provided to pivot the deflector panels in unison about their respective pivot axes to alter the direction of travel of the airflow downstream of the pivot axes over the surfaces of the deflector panels, thereby producing a lift in a direction perpendicular to the airflow to counteract the torque applied on the aircraft. The flight control system may be arranged within a fixed-wing aircraft.

Flaperon actuation systems for aircraft are disclosed herein. An example aircraft includes a wing including, a fixed wing portion, a flaperon, and an actuation system. The actuation system includes a first actuator coupled to the fixed wing portion. The first actuator is operable to move the flaperon along a first degree of freedom between a stowed position in which the flaperon is aligned with the fixed wing portion and a deployed position in which the flaperon is moved downward relative to the fixed wing portion. The actuation system also includes a linkage assembly coupled between the fixed wing portion and the flaperon. The linkage assembly includes a second actuator operable to move the flaperon along a second degree of freedom to pitch the flaperon between an upward position and a downward position.