An aircraft launch system includes a riser coupleable to an aircraft. The riser includes an actuator and a tether coupled to the actuator. The aircraft launch system further includes a sky crane coupled to the tether. The actuator is operable to retract the tether and draw together the sky crane and the aircraft.

A method and apparatus may be present for moving a wing. A plurality of lifting assemblies may be attached to a first plurality of channels in a ring associated with the wing of an aircraft. A plurality of base assemblies may be attached to a plurality of fittings with a second plurality of channels associated with a fuselage of the aircraft. The plurality of lifting assemblies may be moved away from the plurality of base assemblies using a plurality of biasing systems such that the ring may move away from the fuselage.

A unit that is mountable to an underside of drone to attach an attachment to the drone and then release the attachment after the drone is airborne. The unit is provide with a retractable bar that is controllable via a remote controller. In use, an attachment is suspended from the bar and once the drone becomes airborne, a user may retract the bar via remote control to drop the attachment previously suspended from the bar.

A ground-based vectored thrust system for landings and take-off of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The vectored thrust system provides an upward thrust on the VTOL aircraft when in proximity to the pad. The upward thrust can supplement the thrust system of the VTOL aircraft, or can be used exclusively to elevate the VTOL aircraft. A control unit can control one or more of the components of the vectored thrust system. The control unit can also be configured to take-over the flight of the VTOL aircraft when it is within a predetermined flight envelope of the pad.

A sensor configured for use with a vertical takeoff and landing capable aircraft (VTOL aircraft) includes a probe portion configured to extend outward of an outer surface of the VTOL aircraft. The probe portion includes a distal end formed by a probe on a first side of the sensor. The sensor has an interior portion configured to extend within the outer surface of the VTOL aircraft, the interior portion including a proximal end having an electrical connector on a second side of the sensor, the second side being opposite the first side.

In one embodiment, a hybrid aircraft includes a fixed-wing propulsion system and a multirotor propulsion system. The multirotor propulsion system includes a propeller coupled to a motor shaft. A motor drives the propeller via the motor shaft. The hybrid aircraft further includes a magnetic orientation detent to prevent the propeller of the multirotor propulsion system from rotating when power to the multirotor propulsion system is removed. The magnetic orientation detent further includes a plurality of magnets coupled to the circumference of the motor shaft and a detent magnet magnetically coupled to the plurality of magnets.

A proximity detection system for facilitating charging of electric aircraft. The proximity detection system includes at least a computing device. The at least a computing device is configured to receive a detection datum from at least a sensor, determine a proximal element as a function of the detection datum, and communicate a notification as a function of the proximal element to at least one of the electric aircraft and a charging structure. The detection datum includes information on at least one of the electric aircraft and the charging structure. The proximal element includes information on a spacing between the electric aircraft and the charging structure. A proximity detection method for facilitating charging of an electric aircraft is also provided.

An air-conditioning system includes a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger vehicle, and a drone. The drone is configured to be secured, in a secured state, to the motor vehicle and released from the motor vehicle. The drone is a flying drone that is driven using propellers. The drone, in the secured state, serves to air-condition the motor vehicle using the propellers by pushing air into the passenger vehicle through a roof of the vehicle. The roof defines openings that correspond to a propeller circumference that allow air, generated by the propellers, to flow into the passenger vehicle.

A fluid interaction apparatus includes a wing having a first configuration with a first profile drag coefficient and a second configuration with a second profile drag coefficient that is less than the first profile drag coefficient. The fluid interaction apparatus further includes a body having a longitudinal axis, wherein the body is coupled to the wing. The fluid interaction apparatus further includes an actuator configured to change the wing from the first configuration when moving in a first direction relative to the body to the second configuration when moving in a second direction relative to the body, the second direction having a substantial component parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body.

Various embodiments of systems, apparatus, and/or methods are described for enhanced responsiveness in responding to an emergency situation using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). Drones are fully autonomous in that they are operated without human intervention from a pilot, an operator, or other personnel. The disclosed drone utilizes movable access doors to provide the capability of vertically takeoff and landing. The drone also includes an emergency recovery system including a mechanism to deploy a parachute in an event of a failure of the on-board autopilot. Also disclosed herein is a drone port that provides an IR-based docking mechanism for precision landing of the drone, with a very low margin of error. Additionally, the drone port includes pads that provide automatic charge to the drone's batteries by contact-based charging via the drone's landing gear legs.