A vehicle propulsion system comprises at least two motors. Combustion occurs upstream of a first motor, and a second motor is downstream of said first motor. The first motor is a turbine that drives a primary propulsion element to effect propulsion and a compressor to effect compression. The second motor is an expansion device whose incoming gases arrive from said first motor. The first motor and the second motor intercommunicate energy via electrical, electromagnetic, and/or mechanical means. Pressurized gases that result from said compression, combustion, or both are rendered or wastegated for auxiliary usage such as aerial thrust, vertical takeoff and/or vertical landing, near-vertical takeoff and/or near-vertical landing, pneumatic storage for hybrid drive, pneumatic lift and/or drive for towing and/or raising another vehicle, aerial vehicle steering, aerial vehicle pitch stabilization or manipulation, aerial vehicle roll stabilization or manipulation, and/or aerial vehicle yaw stabilization or manipulation.

One aspect is a flight control system for a rotary wing aircraft that includes flight control computer configured to interface with a main rotor system, a translational thrust system, and an engine control system. The flight control computer includes processing circuitry configured to execute control logic. The control logic includes a primary flight control configured to produce flight control commands for the main rotor system and the translational thrust system. Main rotor engine anticipation logic is configured to produce a rotor power demand associated with the main rotor system. Propulsor loads engine anticipation logic is configured to produce an auxiliary propulsor power demand associated with the translational thrust system. The auxiliary propulsor power is combined with the rotor power demand to produce a total power demand anticipation signal for the engine control system.

A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. A transportation system determines a first and a second hub for a leg of the transport request serviced by the VTOL aircraft and calculates a set of candidate routes from the first hub to the second hub. A provisioned route is selected from among the set of candidate routes based on network and environmental parameters and objectives including pre-determined acceptable noise levels, weather, and the presence and planned routes of other VTOL aircrafts along each of the candidate routes.

A lift assembly that is releasably fastened to a fuselage of a rotorcraft. The lift assembly comprises a wing comprising at least two spars. A main gearbox passes through an opening in the suction side of a central box of the wing so that its bottom is attached to a resilient suspension system arranged level with the pressure side of the central box, a top of the main gearbox projecting from the central box and being fastened to at least one spar by at least three suspension bars. A reversible fastener system having a plurality of fastener means serves to fasten the central box reversibly to a plurality of fastener points of a fuselage.

A method and apparatus for reducing a force. An apparatus comprises a multi-directional joint assembly and a damper associated with the multi-directional joint assembly. The multi-directional joint assembly has a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end move relative to each other. The damper is comprised of a number of elastomeric layers and a number of rigid layers interspersed with each other reducing at least one of a force and a moment.

A method and apparatus for reducing a force. An apparatus comprises a multi-directional joint assembly and a damper associated with the multi-directional joint assembly. The multi-directional joint assembly has a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end move relative to each other. The damper is comprised of a number of elastomeric layers and a number of rigid layers interspersed with each other reducing at least one of a force and a moment.

This invention relates to a universally attachable hinged wing that pivots and provides lift for multirotor drones while moving in a forward direction of flight, thus reducing power consumption and increasing payload capacity or flight duration time and distance, and provides a visual line of sight (VLOS) aid while hovering.

This invention relates to a universally attachable hinged wing that pivots and provides lift for multirotor drones while moving in a forward direction of flight, thus reducing power consumption and increasing payload capacity or flight duration time and distance, and provides a visual line of sight (VLOS) aid while hovering.

An aircraft includes a fuselage, a wing disposed above the fuselage, a pylon connecting the wing to the fuselage, and a plurality of internal combustion engines housed in the fuselage. The pylon vertically traverses the fuselage and is fixed to an upper portion and a lower portion of the fuselage. Among the plurality of internal combustion engines, a first internal combustion engine and a second internal combustion engine are disposed bilaterally symmetrically about the pylon and are fixed to the pylon.

An aircraft including: a pair of wings rotatably coupled to opposing lateral sides of the fuselage and being rotatable relative to each other; a pair of servo motors, each connected to a corresponding wing and configured to rotate the corresponding wing in two rotational directions; a pair of thrust motors, each of which mounted on a corresponding wing; and a flight controller connected to the servo motors and to the thrust motors, and configured to control each servo motor and each thrust motor, such that the aircraft can be selectively operated in a cruising mode, such that the pair of wings are in a non-permanent-rotation-state about a yawing axis which extends at least substantially through the center of gravity, and a monocopter mode, in which the pair of thrust motors provide thrust in opposite directions so that the pair of wings are in a permanent-rotation-state about the yawing axis.