Systems and methods for increasing lift of an aircraft lifting surface, may include: a leading-edge assembly; a plurality of high-lift propellers, coupled to the slat assembly and configured to be stowed within a compartment of the lifting surface; a high-lift motor to provide motive force to at least one of the plurality of the high-lift propellers; and a deployment linkage configured to move the slat assembly and plurality of high-lift propellers between a deployed configuration and a stowed configuration, wherein in the stowed configuration the high-lift propellers are stowed within the compartment of the lifting surface and at least a portion of the slat assembly covers the compartment of the lifting surface, and in the deployed configuration the high-lift propellers are positioned external to the aircraft lifting surface to direct airflow from the high-lift propellers past the leading-edge assembly.

Systems and methods for increasing lift of an aircraft lifting surface, may include: a leading-edge assembly; a plurality of high-lift propellers, coupled to the slat assembly and configured to be stowed within a compartment of the lifting surface; a high-lift motor to provide motive force to at least one of the plurality of the high-lift propellers; and a deployment linkage configured to move the slat assembly and plurality of high-lift propellers between a deployed configuration and a stowed configuration, wherein in the stowed configuration the high-lift propellers are stowed within the compartment of the lifting surface and at least a portion of the slat assembly covers the compartment of the lifting surface, and in the deployed configuration the high-lift propellers are positioned external to the aircraft lifting surface to direct airflow from the high-lift propellers past the leading-edge assembly.

A Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) aircraft has a fuselage with an axis and an engine providing thrust, a first aileron at an end of a first wing, a second aileron at an end of a second wing, a first slot having a length through the first wing proximate the first aileron, orthogonal to the axis; a second slot having a length through the second wing proximate the second aileron, orthogonal to the axis; a first electric motor in the first wing driving a first two-blade propeller in the first slot, a second electric motor in the second wing driving a second two-blade propeller in the second slot, and a control mechanism enabling a user to drive the first and second electric motors in a same rotary direction, to reverse the rotary direction, and to drive the first and second motors at a same rpm.

A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, configured to transport passengers and/or cargo, uses propellers during vertical flight and wings during forward flight to generate lift. The VTOL aircraft includes a front wing and a rear wing connected by inboard booms. The rear wing may include a wingtip boom attached to each free end of the wing. A propeller may be attached to each inboard boom and each wingtip boom. The propellers attached to the inboard booms may be stacked propellers including at least two co-rotating propellers. The aircraft can also include a cruise propeller attached to the tail region of the fuselage, where the cruise propeller is configured to rotate in a plane approximately perpendicular to the fuselage to generate thrust during forward flight.

An aircraft includes a fuselage, and a wing extending from the fuselage along a spanwise axis. A section of the wing is rotatable about the spanwise axis. A ducted fan is mounted to the section of the wing. The ducted fan has a hub configured to be drivingly engaged by an engine. The hub is rotatable about a fan axis. Blades protrude from the hub between roots mounted to the hub and tips radially spaced from the hub. A duct circumferentially extends about the fan axis and is mounted to the tips of the blades to rotate with the blades about the fan axis. The section of the wing and the ducted fan are rotatable about the spanwise axis between a hover mode in which the fan axis is substantially perpendicular to a ground, and an aircraft mode in which the fan axis is substantially parallel to the ground.

An aircraft wing configuration for a vertical or a short take-off and landing aircraft having a plurality of propeller-blown wings mounted at different longitudinal locations along a fuselage of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft, producing two or more lifting surfaces, fixed at a predetermined acute wing angle greater than 0° and substantially less than 90° relative to a horizontal plane, and having a plurality of flaps disposed behind the wings. The configuration has a plurality of propellers distributed in front of the plurality of wings producing two or more lifting surfaces and mounted such that the wings are externally blown by forced airstreams from the propellers. The propellers produce distributed thrust components, and the plurality of flaps are in the forced airstreams of the propellers when one or more of the flaps is in an extended position.

A flap assembly for a fixed wing aircraft, comprising first and second flap portions, a compartments in the flap portions enclosing rechargeable batteries, motor controllers and electric motors, vertically-oriented slots in the first flap portion with propellers operable through a sidewall of the slot, such that the propeller in operation extends both over and under the top and bottom walls of the flap portion. With the flap assembly retracted in the wing the propeller is entirely enclosed in the length of the slot, and wherein the flap assembly is extended from the edge of the wing, enhancing area and curvature of the wing, increasing lift on the wing, exposing the slot, and with the slot exposed the motor is started spinning the propeller, providing increased airflow over the flap assembly, further increasing lift on the wing.

A propulsion system includes at least one rotating detonation actuator comprising: a flow path extending from an inlet end to an outlet end; an inner wall defining a radially inner boundary of the flow path; an outer wall defining a radially outer boundary of the flow path; and at least one aircraft wing. The rotating detonation actuator is disposed in the aircraft wing. At least one rotating detonation wave travels through the flow path from the inlet end to the outlet end.

An aircraft includes a fuselage, and a wing extending from the fuselage along a spanwise axis. A section of the wing is rotatable about the spanwise axis. A ducted fan is mounted to the section of the wing. The ducted fan has a hub configured to be drivingly engaged by an engine. The hub is rotatable about a fan axis. Blades protrude from the hub between roots mounted to the hub and tips radially spaced from the hub. A duct circumferentially extends about the fan axis and is mounted to the tips of the blades to rotate with the blades about the fan axis. The section of the wing and the ducted fan are rotatable about the spanwise axis between a hover mode in which the fan axis is substantially perpendicular to a ground, and an aircraft mode in which the fan axis is substantially parallel to the ground.

A vehicle includes a main body and a gas generator producing a gas stream. At least one fore conduit and tail conduit are fluidly coupled to the generator. First and second fore ejectors are fluidly coupled to the at least one fore conduit. At least one tail ejector is fluidly coupled to the at least one tail conduit. The fore ejectors respectively include an outlet structure out of which gas from the at least one fore conduit flows. The at least one tail ejector includes an outlet structure out of which gas from the at least one tail conduit flows. First and second primary airfoil elements have leading edges respectively located directly downstream of the first and second fore ejectors. At least one secondary airfoil element has a leading edge located directly downstream of the outlet structure of the at least one tail ejector.