Launch and land system for a tethered aircraft (in connection with FIG. 1) The invention provides for a launch and land system (1) for a tethered aircraft (90) comprising a runway (12) for the aircraft and a winch (62) for the tether (92), wherein the runway comprises a funnel-shaped target area (14) with a wide end oriented towards one end of the runway and a narrow end opposite of the wide end, wherein said target area is laterally bordered by restriction devices (80) extending from one end of the target area to the other for preventing the aircraft to roll out of the target area.

An air vehicle configured to augment effective drag to change the rate of descent of the air vehicle in flight via propeller shaft rotation direction reversal, i.e., thrust reversal.

This disclosure describes a configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing gear assembly that includes adjustable landing gear extension that may be extended or contracted so that the body of the UAV is contained in a horizontal plane when the UAV is landed, even on sloping surfaces. For example, when a UAV is landing, the slope of the surface may be determined and the landing gear extensions adjusted based on the slope so that the body of the UAV remains approximately horizontal when the UAV lands and is supported by the landing gear extensions.

A VTOL aircraft (1), including: a fuselage (2) for transporting passengers and/or load; a front wing (3) attached to the fuselage (2); an aft wing (4) attached to the fuselage (2), behind the front wing (3) in a direction of forward flight (FF); a right connecting beam (5a) and a left connecting beam (5b), which connecting beams (5a, 5b) structurally connect the front wing (3) and the aft wing (4), which connecting beams (5a, 5b) are spaced apart from the fuselage (2); and at least two propulsion units (6) on each one of the connecting beams (5a, 5b). The propulsion units (6) include at least one propeller (6b, 6b) and at least one motor (6a) driving the propeller (6b, 6b), preferably an electric motor, and are arranged with their respective propeller axis in an essentially vertical orientation (z).

Disclosed herein are aircraft and landing gear systems configured to fix an aircraft to the ground. For example, the aircraft and aircraft systems configured for ground manipulation. In one aspect, an aircraft with an arm and end-effector may be fixed a ground surface to facilitate ground-based robotic manipulation tasks.

This invention relates to the use of a retracting hand launching and landing pole for drones having small or short landing legs that are difficult to grasp when hand launching and landing in windy conditions and on moving platforms or irregular ground, and will not interfere with normal flat surface landings.

A fixed wing unmanned aircraft and a method for operating the same are provided. The fixed wing unmanned aircraft may include, but is not limited to, a failure detection system configured to detect faults in one or more of the plurality of components, a capability evaluation system communicatively coupled to the failure detection system, the capability evaluation system configured to determine a capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the faults in the one or more of the plurality of components, and a trajectory generation system communicatively coupled to the failure detection system and the capability evaluation system, the trajectory generation system configured to generate a touch down trajectory for the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the determined capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein when the determined capability level is below a predetermined threshold, the touch down trajectory comprising a stall maneuver configured to minimize a lateral energy of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle.

The present disclosure relates to a reconfigurable battery system and method of operating the same. The reconfigurable battery system comprising a plurality of switchable battery modules, a battery supervisory circuit, and a battery pack controller, where the plurality of switchable battery modules electrically arranged in series to define a battery string defining an output voltage. The battery pack controller operably coupled to the battery supervisory circuit to selectively switch, for each of the plurality of switchable battery modules, the battery switch between the first position and the second position based at least in part on the one or more parameters of the battery and in accordance with a predetermined switching routine.

A circulation control system for an aerial vehicle. The system comprises an air supply unit attached to the aerial vehicle configured to generate a specified amount of mass air flow; an air delivery system, the air supply unit and the air delivery system being connected via at least one tube that turns at least one right angle; a circulation control wing through which air from the air supply unit is delivered through the air delivery system, the circulation control wing comprising at least one plenum configured to blow the air out of a slot in a trailing edge of the wing, and at least one dual radius flap positioned behind the slot.

Systems and methods to reduce aerodynamic drag and/or affect flight characteristics of an aerial vehicle may include adjustable fairings associated with one or more components of the aerial vehicle. The adjustable fairings may be coupled to and at least partially surround a motor, propulsion mechanism, motor arm, strut, or other component of an aerial vehicle. In addition, the adjustable fairings may be passively movable between two or more positions responsive to airflow around the fairings, and/or the adjustable fairings may be actively moved between two more positions to affect flight characteristics. Further, the adjustable fairings may include actuatable elements to alter a portion of an outer surface of the fairings to thereby affect flight characteristics. In this manner, adjustable fairings associated with various components of an aerial vehicle may reduce aerodynamic drag and/or may improve control and safety of an aerial vehicle.