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.

A magnetic locking system and methods for restricting movement of an electric aircraft motor is provided. A locking system may include a magnetic lock, which includes a first magnetic component and a second magnetic component. First and second magnetic components may be configured to attract each other and thus lock rotor in a certain position. The first or second magnetic component may include an electromagnet so that magnetic lock may be engaged or disengaged based on one or more parameters, such as a detection by a sensor or a signal generated by a controller.

The Curtis Protocol, an aircraft control interface, is provided. The Curtis Protocol standardizes the division and selection of aircraft flight regimes and flight modes within the selected flight regime.

Vertical take-off/landing and horizontal straight flight aircraft for transportation of passengers, cargo, and/or goods are described herein. The aircraft have increased thrust and flight speed; improved controllability and maneuverability of flight; increased safety of take-off, landing and touchdown of the aircraft; reduction in the weight and size characteristics of aircraft. An aircraft includes redistributed, assembled and interconnected small-sized independently operating electric motors of the main rotors obtained by defragmentation of the propeller-motor group (PMG), spaced from each other and forming a small-sized independently operating PMG located at certain distance from the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and each small-sized main rotor in each small-sized independently operating PMG is connected to the small-sized independently operating electric motor. The small-sized independently operating PMGs are installed inside the screens, on the beams of the common frame and/or on tubes.

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.

The present invention relates to the propulsion system and aircraft with vertical take-off and landing—VTOL that uses aerodynamic phenomena of thrust amplification, including at zero speed, to reduce the thrust/weight ratio.

According to the invention, an individual aircraft 1, with vertical take-off and landing, uses a fuselage 2 in the form of a frame 3 that merges two propulsion system, 4 and 5 one in the front and the other in the rear, of the bi-planar type, located at the ends of the fuselage 2. The propulsion system 4 uses two wings 6 and 7, which are superimposed, parallel and distanced by a certain distance D. The rear wing 7 is fixed perpendicularly to the frame 3 in its median area, so that an angle α between 25° and 80° is formed with the horizontal plane in static position. The front wing 6 and the rear wing 7 are secured at their ends by two jet limiters 8. Similarly the rear propulsion system 5 uses two wings 8 and 10. On each rear wing 7 and 10 are installed a number of electric motors 11, preferably located at equal distances from each other. Each electric motor 11 actuates a tractor propeller 12.

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft includes a flight fuselage on which a main wing and auxiliary wings are mounted; a pair of front propellers respectively mounted at both sides of the flight fuselage so as to be variable in the horizontal and vertical directions; a rear propeller mounted on the auxiliary wings provided at the rear of the flight fuselage so as to be variable in the horizontal and vertical directions; front and rear variable parts mounted on the flight fuselage and the auxiliary wings so as to vary the front propellers and the rear propeller in the horizontal or vertical direction; and a control unit for controlling the front and rear variable parts.

A first and a second aircraft are detachably coupled where the first aircraft is configured to perform a vertical landing using a first battery while the first aircraft is unoccupied and the unoccupied first aircraft includes the first battery. In response to detecting a second, removable battery being detachably coupled to the first aircraft, a power source for the first aircraft is switched from the first battery to the second, removable battery. After the switch, the first aircraft takes off vertically using the second, removable battery while occupied. The detachably coupled first aircraft and second aircraft are flown using the second aircraft (the power to keep the detachably coupled first aircraft and second aircraft airborne comes exclusively from the second aircraft and not the first aircraft).

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 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.