The invention described herein provides a flight crew with an easier and more intuitive way to control and monitor flight-control surfaces. Specifically, the invention displays all flight-control surfaces on a touch-screen display device located in an aircraft cockpit. The invention includes graphical and numerical position indicators to continuously display actual position information for flight-control surfaces. Additionally, the invention allows a flight crew to make flight-control surface adjustments through the touch-screen device. The invention further includes an engine performance indicator and a mode controller configured to display autopilot modes and to receive autopilot mode selections. A method is presented for controlling an aircraft flight-control surface via a touch screen device. The method includes receiving an indication of a flight-control surface and enabling selection of a position change. Based on the position change selection, the method includes verifying a corresponding movement and displaying an actual position of the flight-control surface.

A method of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation, including: receiving from a customer a first data request, the first data request having: a first geographic coverage area; and a refresh rate for the first geographic coverage area; planning a first plurality of flight missions to accomplish the first data request; uploading flight missions data representing the first plurality of flight missions into a UAV pod; and deploying the UAV pod

Embodiments of the present invention provide an alternative distributed airborne transportation system. In some embodiments, a method for distributed airborne transportation includes: providing an airborne vehicle with a wing and a wing span, having capacity to carry one or more of passengers or cargo; landing of the airborne vehicle near one or more of passengers or cargo and loading at least one of passengers or cargo; taking-off and determining a flight direction for the airborne vehicle; locating at least one other airborne vehicle, which has substantially the same flight direction; and joining at least one other airborne vehicle in flight formation and forming a fleet, in which airborne vehicles fly with the same speed and direction and in which adjacent airborne vehicles are separated by distance of less than 100 wing spans.

A method and device for displaying vertical constraints of an aircraft, an associated program produce and aircraft are disclosed. In one aspect, the vertical constrains are displayed on a display device of the aircraft, the display device being part of an aircraft piloting system, the method being implemented by an electronic device that is part of the aircraft piloting system. The method includes acquiring at least one vertical constraint of the aircraft, computing a representative slope value associated with the vertical constraint, and displaying a symbol depicting the vertical constraint at the representative slope value associated with the vertical constraint on a slope scale

In some examples, an aerial vehicle may determine, based on sensor information received from at least one onboard sensor, that an amount of light fails to satisfy a light threshold. Based at least in part on determining that the amount of light fails to satisfy the light threshold, the aerial vehicle is caused to takeoff at a specified trajectory and a specified acceleration for enabling navigation via an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a satellite positioning system. Further, the aerial vehicle is directed to navigate an environment based at least on determining a relative heading of the aerial vehicle from information received from the IMU and information received from the satellite positioning system.

A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. The client device is sent an itinerary for servicing the transport request including a leg serviced by the VTOL aircraft. Confirmation is received that the rider has boarded the VTOL aircraft and determination made as to whether the VTOL aircraft should wait for additional riders. Instruction are sent to the VTOL aircraft to take-off if one or more conditions are met.

A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. The client device is sent an itinerary for servicing the transport request including a leg serviced by the VTOL aircraft. Confirmation is received that the rider has boarded the VTOL aircraft and determination made as to whether the VTOL aircraft should wait for additional riders. Instruction are sent to the VTOL aircraft to take-off if one or more conditions are met.

A system and method for pilot assistance in an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The system generally includes a pilot control and a flight controller. The pilot control is attached to the eVTOL aircraft. The pilot control is configured to transmit an input relating to the flight path of the aircraft. The flight controller is communicatively connected to the pilot control. The flight controller is configured to receive the input relating to the flight path, generate an output of a recommended flight maneuver as a function of the input, and display the recommended flight maneuver.

A method is for operating a wireless logger device configured to monitor an environmental-related parameter of an asset at least while the asset is onboard an aircraft and is transported by the aircraft from an origin location to a destination location. The logger device includes a power source, at least one sensing device, a storage medium, a communication module, and a processor. The method includes receiving an aviation-related signal periodically transmitted by the aircraft, by the communication module, switching, by the processor, the logger device to a flight mode, the flight mode being a power mode where the communication module performs no transmission of the measured and stored environmental-related data, and tracking, by the external control computer, the position of the aircraft using the received flight data as input data.

A method is for operating a wireless logger device configured to monitor an environmental-related parameter of an asset at least while the asset is onboard an aircraft and is transported by the aircraft from an origin location to a destination location. The logger device includes a power source, at least one sensing device, a storage medium, a communication module, and a processor. The method includes receiving an aviation-related signal periodically transmitted by the aircraft, by the communication module, switching, by the processor, the logger device to a flight mode, the flight mode being a power mode where the communication module performs no transmission of the measured and stored environmental-related data, and tracking, by the external control computer, the position of the aircraft using the received flight data as input data.