A method according to certain embodiments generally involves operating a system including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a base station. The base station includes a nest including an upper opening having an upper opening diameter and a lower opening having a lower opening diameter less than the upper opening diameter. The lower opening is accessible from within the base station. The method generally includes landing the UAV within the nest such that a portion of the UAV is accessible via the lower opening, releasably attaching a load to the UAV, and operating the UAV to deliver the load to a destination.

Systems and methods for mechanically rotating an aircraft about its center-of-gravity (C.sub.G) are disclosed. The system can enable the rear, or main, landing gear to squat, while the nose landing gear raises to generate a positive angle of attack for the aircraft for takeoff or landing. The system can also enable the nose gear and main gear to return to a relatively level fuselage attitude for ground operations. The system can include one or more hydraulically linked hydraulic cylinders to control the overall height of the nose gear and the main gear. Because the hydraulic cylinders are linked, a change on the length of the nose cylinder generates a proportional, and opposite, change in the length of the main cylinder, and vice-versa. A method and control system for monitoring and controlling the relative positions of the nose gear and main gear is also disclosed.

A flying robot comprising: a flying body unit; a propulsion portion comprising a plurality of propulsion units configured to cause propulsion to occur by driving rotor blades, the plurality of propulsion units being provided on the flying body unit; a working body unit; a manipulator unit configured to be capable of executing predetermined work and comprising one or more work manipulators provided on the working body unit; and connection units provided on the working body unit and the flying body unit so as to enable the flying body unit to be connected with and disconnected from the working body unit; wherein the flying robot executes the predetermined work by the work manipulators in a state in which the working body unit and the flying body unit are connected at the connection units. The flying robot is caused to execute a wide range of content of work as far as possible.

Systems and methods for mechanically rotating an aircraft about its center-of-gravity (C.sub.G) are disclosed. The system can enable the rear, or main, landing gear to squat, while the nose landing gear raises to generate a positive angle of attack for the aircraft for takeoff or landing. The system can also enable the nose gear and main gear to return to a relatively level fuselage attitude for ground operations. The system can include one or more hydraulically linked hydraulic cylinders to control the overall height of the nose gear and the main gear. Because the hydraulic cylinders are linked, a change on the length of the nose cylinder generates a proportional, and opposite, change in the length of the main cylinder, and vice-versa. A method and control system for monitoring and controlling the relative positions of the nose gear and main gear is also disclosed.

An aircraft landing gear includes a strut leg, a bottom portion carrying at least one wheel and mounted to slide in the strut leg, and a plurality of elements such as power electric cables, signal-carrying electric cables, and hydraulic pipes extending toward the bottom portion along the strut leg and terminating at the bottom portion, all of the elements being flexible between a bottom end of the strut leg and the bottom portion of the landing gear. The landing gear includes a first movable support having a proximal end hinged to the bottom end of the strut leg, and a distal end carrying a rack for receiving and guiding the flexible elements. The landing gear also includes a second movable support having a distal end hinged to the bottom portion of the landing gear and a proximal end carrying a rack for receiving and guiding the flexible elements.

Methods and systems are provided that facilitate the maintenance of levered landing gears by monitoring the condition of the stop pads of such landing gears. One embodiment provides for calibrating a sensor for measuring a condition of a stop joint formed by a first stop pad and a second stop pad of a levered landing gear against a nominal condition of at least one of the first stop pad and the second stop pad; monitoring, by the sensor, a current condition of the at least one of the first stop pad and the second stop pad from the nominal condition; determining whether a non-conformance from the nominal condition of the at least one of the first stop pad and the second stop pad has been detected by the sensor for the current condition; and in response to determining that the non-conformance has been detected, generating an alert.

An example charging station for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the charging station generally including a nest and a charging device. The nest includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion defines an upper opening sized and shaped to receive a landing apparatus of the UAV, and a diameter of the nest reduces from a first diameter at the upper opening to a second diameter at the lower portion. The charging device is mounted in the nest, and includes a first contact pad and a second contact pad. The charging device is configured to apply a voltage differential across the first contact pad and the second contact pad such that the charging station is operable to charge a power supply of the UAV via the landing apparatus.

A tie-down for attachment to an aft tail section of an aircraft for inhibiting damage to the aircraft when the aircraft is on the ground is disclosed. The tie-down has a mount member configured to attach to the aft tail section and a projection member supported by the mount member. The projection member extends in a generally downward direction from the mount member so as to provide a contact surface with the ground that is lower than the aft tail section.

Thermal control system for aircraft main landing gear wheel wells and related methods are disclosed. An example thermal control system includes a conduit defining a fluid passageway between an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the conduit positioned in fluid communication with a landing gear wheel well and the outlet of the conduit positioned in fluid communication with the atmosphere. The conduit generates a pressure differential through the fluid passageway between the inlet and the outlet to exhaust heat from the landing gear wheel well to the atmosphere.

The present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle built-in antenna. The unmanned aerial vehicle built-in antenna includes a substrate and a microstrip antenna disposed on the substrate. The substrate is provided with a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other. The microstrip antenna includes a microstrip feeder, an antenna element arm, a grounding wire and a first grounding terminal that are disposed on the first surface of the substrate, a second grounding terminal disposed on the second surface of the substrate and a feeding coaxial line. A feed terminal of the feeding coaxial line is connected to a first terminal of the microstrip feeder, and a grounding terminal of the feeding coaxial line is connected to the first grounding terminal. A first end of the grounding wire is connected to a first terminal of the antenna element arm, and a second end of the grounding wire is connected to the first grounding terminal. The first grounding terminal is connected to the second grounding terminal.