A tailsitter aircraft includes an airframe, a thrust array attached to the airframe and a flight control system. The thrust array includes propulsion assemblies configured to transition the airframe from a forward flight orientation to a VTOL orientation at a conversion rate for an approach to a target ground location in a forward flight-to-VTOL transition phase. The flight control system implements an adaptive transition system including a transition parameter monitoring module configured to monitor parameters including a ground speed and a distance to the target ground location. The adaptive transition system includes a transition adjustment determination module configured to adjust the conversion rate of the airframe from the forward flight orientation to the VTOL orientation based on the ground speed and the distance to the target ground location such that the airframe is vertically aligned with the target ground location in the VTOL orientation of the forward flight-to-VTOL transition phase.

A lift cell module is disclosed having a housing with an air inlet, an air outlet and an air duct connecting them, the housing having a generally circular inner wall having an axis and the inner wall being mounted for rotation about the axis. A plurality of radially disposed lift cells including winglets having opposed ends are connected to the inner wall, each of the winglets being vertically spaced and extending parallel to one another. The lift cell module further including a member connected to the housing for applying a motive force to rotate the inner wall.

A lift cell module is disclosed having a housing with an air inlet, an air outlet and an air duct connecting them, the housing having a generally circular inner wall having an axis and the inner wall being mounted for rotation about the axis. A plurality of radially disposed lift cells including winglets having opposed ends are connected to the inner wall, each of the winglets being vertically spaced and extending parallel to one another. The lift cell module further including a member connected to the housing for applying a motive force to rotate the inner wall.

One embodiment is an aircraft including a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second booms; first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings; and first and second wing tips fixedly connected to outboard sides of the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems; wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems and the first and second wing tips are collectively tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode.

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, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or single-seat aircraft, including a main body and a pair of wing sections, each wing section including a front wing and a rear wing, wherein the front wing and the rear wing each include a first end that is connected to the main body, and a second end, wherein the second end of the front wing is connected to the second end of the rear wing. The main body is located between the pair of wing sections, and each wing section includes a propulsion unit located between the front wing and the rear wing of the wing section. Each propulsion unit may include a first rotor and a second rotor, which may be pivotable with respect to the rest of the aircraft.

The present invention relates to an aircraft (10), comprising a fuselage (12), at least one pair of wings (14) and a battery assembly for providing power to electrical systems of the aircraft (10), wherein the battery assembly comprises a number of individual battery modules (18) which are directly or indirectly coupled to one another, the fuselage (12) is provided with a mounting assembly (16) with a number of mounting positions (16a, 16b, 16c) for each holding one of the battery modules (18), and the number of mounting positions (16a, 16b, 16c) is larger than the number of battery modules (18) such that in a mounted state of all battery modules (18), at least one of the mounting positions (16a, 16b, 16c) remains vacant (20) thus defining a placement configuration of the battery modules (18) and the vacant mounting positions (20), and/or the mounting assembly is provided with at least one displacement assembly which allows to displace at least one of the battery modules with respect to the fuselage.

Various reconfigurations of propellers, propeller blades, and/or blade sections of propulsion mechanisms of an aerial vehicle are described. For example, responsive to a fault or failure of a propulsion mechanism, propellers, propeller blades, and/or blade sections of the remaining propulsion mechanisms may be modified to maintain control and safety of the aerial vehicle. In example embodiments, angular orientations, positions, and/or lengths of one or more propellers, propeller blades, and/or blade sections of propulsion mechanisms may be modified to maintain control and safety in either a horizontal, wingborn flight orientation, or a vertical, VTOL flight orientation.

Various reconfigurations of propellers, propeller blades, and/or blade sections of propulsion mechanisms of an aerial vehicle are described. For example, responsive to a fault or failure of a propulsion mechanism, propellers, propeller blades, and/or blade sections of the remaining propulsion mechanisms may be modified to maintain control and safety of the aerial vehicle. In example embodiments, angular orientations, positions, and/or lengths of one or more propellers, propeller blades, and/or blade sections of propulsion mechanisms may be modified to maintain control and safety in either a horizontal, wingborn flight orientation, or a vertical, VTOL flight orientation.

A flight propulsion system for Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) and Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft, having a two cyclorotors, installed in the front and rear portions of a pair-wings mechanism involving top wing and bottom wing, three degree-of-freedom DOF adjusting mechanism for pair-wings, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators, a bar mechanism for pitching oscillation and rotation speed controls and rear cyclorotor, a yawing mechanism for rear cyclorotor, all on each side of the flight vehicle. This propulsion system is particularly useful for VTOL aircraft. The main features are: high controllability and manoeuvrability, low noise and environmental pollutions, VTOL, STOL, hover state flights, marine and ground take-off and landing, high safety, suitable for different aircraft scales and for different missions and purposes, instant altering the flight direction.