A hybrid wing aircraft has an engine embedded into a body of the hybrid wing aircraft. The embedded engine has a fan that is received within a nacelle. The body of the aircraft provides a boundary layer over a circumferential portion of a fan. A system delivers additional air to correct fan stability issues raised by the boundary layer.

A drag reduction system an aircraft having an aircraft component is disclosed including a skin panel having an inner surface and an outer surface for contact with an ambient flow, the outer surface includes an upstream area for laminar flow and a downstream area for turbulent flow and/or transitional flow, the skin panel includes a plurality of micro pores for blowing air from inside the aircraft component into the ambient flow.

Fluid systems are described herein. An example embodiment of a fluid system has a first body portion, a second body portion, a plurality of supports, a plurality of fluid pressurizers, and a plurality of ducts. The first body portion and the second body portion cooperatively define an injection opening, a suction opening, and a channel that extends from the injection opening to the suction opening. The fluid pressurizer is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion. Each duct of the plurality of ducts is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion.

Systems, methods, lift fans, and aircraft involving active flow control of a ducted fan or fan-in-wing configuration are described.

A semi-active system for providing a required fluid flow, the system comprising an outlet configured to protrude into the main flow direction of an external fluid flow external to the semi-active system, an exhaust channel provided, in relation to the main flow direction of the external fluid flow, beneath the outlet, the exhaust channel being configured to inject an exhaust fluid flow into the external fluid flow, a device configured to produce a jet fluid flow and a pipe provided within the exhaust channel, the pipe being configured to fluid-communicatively couple to the device, and entrain, by the produced jet fluid flow, the exhaust fluid flow.

A ducted fan assembly includes a duct having an inlet, an inner surface, an expanding diffuser and an outlet. A fan disposed within the duct between the inlet and the expanding diffuser is configured to rotate about a fan axis to generate airflow. An active flow control system includes a plurality of injection zones circumferentially distributed about the inner surface. The expanding diffuser has a diffuser angle configured to create flow separation when the airflow is uninfluenced by the active flow control system such that the airflow has a thrust vector with a first direction that is substantially parallel to the fan axis. Injection of pressurized air from one of the injection zones asymmetrically reduces the flow separation between the airflow and the expanding diffuser downstream of that injection zone such that the thrust vector of the airflow has a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.

A process and machine configured to predict and preempt an undesired load and/or bending moment on a part of a vehicle resulting from an exogenous or a control input. The machine may include a predictor with an algorithm for converting parameters from a state sensed upwind from the part into an estimated normal load on the part and a prediction, for a future time, of a normal load scaled for a weight of the aerospace vehicle. The machine may: produce, using a state upwind from the part on the aerospace vehicle and/or a maneuver input, a predicted state, load and bending moment on the part at a time in the future; derive a command preempting the part from experiencing the predicted load and bending moment; and actuate the command just prior to the part experiencing the predicted state, thereby alleviating the part from experiencing the predicted load and bending moment.

Air acceleration at slot of aircraft wing. In one embodiment, a wing includes an air duct configured to transport air in a spanwise direction along a leading edge of the wing from an air supply source of the aircraft. The wing further includes a discharge duct configured to transport the air in an aft direction from the air duct to an aft end of the wing, and one or more nozzles disposed on the aft end of the wing and configured to accelerate air into a slot between the wing and a flap of the aircraft to increase lift and reduce drag for the wing.

Fluid systems are described herein. An example embodiment of a fluid system has a lengthwise axis, a chord length, a first body portion, a second body portion, a spacer, and a fluid pressurizer. The first body portion and the second body portion cooperatively define an injection opening, a suction opening, and a channel that extends from the injection opening to the suction opening. The fluid pressurizer is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion. The first body portion defines a cavity that is sized and configured to filter debris that enters the channel during use and provide a mechanism for removing the debris from the system.

Fluid systems are described herein. An example embodiment of a fluid system has a lengthwise axis, a chord length, a first body portion, a second body portion, a spacer, and a fluid pressurizer. The first body portion and the second body portion cooperatively define an injection opening, a suction opening, and a channel that extends from the injection opening to the suction opening. The fluid pressurizer is disposed within the channel cooperatively defined by the first body portion and the second body portion. The first body portion defines a cavity that is sized and configured to filter debris that enters the channel during use and provide a mechanism for removing the debris from the system.