A safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient, and compact aircraft configuration is enabled through the combination of multiple vertical lift rotors, tandem wings, and forward thrust propellers. The vertical lift rotors, in combination with a front and rear wing, permits a balancing of the center of lift with the center of gravity for both vertical and horizontal flight. This wing and multiple rotor system has the ability to tolerate a relatively large variation of the payload weight for hover, transition, or cruise flight while also providing vertical thrust redundancy. The propulsion system uses multiple lift rotors and forward thrust propellers of a small enough size to be shielded from potential blade strike and provide increased perceived and real safety to the passengers. Using multiple independent rotors provides redundancy and the elimination of single point failure modes that can make the vehicle non-operable in flight.

A ground effect craft having a ground effect wing, a plurality of sponsons, and a control system is disclosed. The ground effect wing may include a fore ground effect wing and an aft ground effect wing. The ground effect wing may generate a stabilizing moment on at least one sponson to stabilize the ground effect craft. The plurality of sponsons may be dynamically coupled to the body. The plurality of sponsons may be dynamically coupled to each other. The dynamic coupling may permit the sponsons to move relatively independent of the body and each other, thereby stabilizing the ground effect craft. The ground effect craft may include a stabilizing wing.

A leading edge for an airfoil of an aircraft includes a leading plate with a convex side and a concave side, and at least one container filled with a non-Newtonian fluid. The leading edge is configured to be secured to the torsion box of the airfoil. The at least one container is arranged between the concave side of the leading plate and the torsion box of the airfoil. An airfoil is also provided including such a leading edge. A method is provided for assembling such a leading edge.

An aircraft empennage includes a lower vertical member attached to a rear portion of a fuselage, and an upper stabilizer assembly connected to the lower vertical member by an articulating mount configured to allow movement of the upper stabilizer assembly relative to the lower vertical member to adjust pitch trim of the fuselage. The upper stabilizer assembly includes a V-shaped tail member having a pair of angled stabilizer portions, and each angled stabilizer portion has a trailing-edge ruddervator control surface. A rudder may be attached to a trailing edge of the lower vertical member.

Repositioning the wing provides a methodology in reducing drag on multiple types of vehicles and objects. When the wing's root chord trailing edge is positioned further towards the back of the fuselage, it produces less drag. Therefore, aerospace vehicles or objects may benefit from this in reducing fuel consumption.

A safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient, and compact aircraft configuration is enabled through the combination of multiple vertical lift rotors, tandem wings, and forward thrust propellers. The vertical lift rotors, in combination with a front and rear wing, permits a balancing of the center of lift with the center of gravity for both vertical and horizontal flight. This wing and multiple rotor system has the ability to tolerate a relatively large variation of the payload weight for hover, transition, or cruise flight while also providing vertical thrust redundancy. The propulsion system uses multiple lift rotors and forward thrust propellers of a small enough size to be shielded from potential blade strike and provide increased perceived and real safety to the passengers. Using multiple independent rotors provides redundancy and the elimination of single point failure modes that can make the vehicle non-operable in flight.

A safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient, and compact aircraft configuration is enabled through the combination of multiple vertical lift rotors, tandem wings, and forward thrust propellers. The vertical lift rotors, in combination with a front and rear wing, permits a balancing of the center of lift with the center of gravity for both vertical and horizontal flight. This wing and multiple rotor system has the ability to tolerate a relatively large variation of the payload weight for hover, transition, or cruise flight while also providing vertical thrust redundancy. The propulsion system uses multiple lift rotors and forward thrust propellers of a small enough size to be shielded from potential blade strike and provide increased perceived and real safety to the passengers. Using multiple independent rotors provides redundancy and the elimination of single point failure modes that can make the vehicle non-operable in flight.

[Object] To provide a wing achieving reduction of friction drag and easy to design and also easy to manufacture and an aircraft including such a wing. [Solving Means] A wing 1 is typically used as a main wing of an aircraft 100. The wing 1 is a swept-back wing having a swept-back angle A. The wing 1 is configured such that a surface pressure (pressure distribution (Cp)) on an upper surface of a vicinity of a leading edge 11 in a fluid increases from a wing root 17 to a wing tip 15. A cross-flow component of an external streamline of a surface of the wing 1 is reduced in the vicinity of the leading edge 11, and boundary layer transition is not easily induced in the vicinity of the leading edge 11. With this, friction drag caused by cross-flow instability can be reduced.

[Object] To provide a wing achieving reduction of friction drag and easy to design and also easy to manufacture and an aircraft including such a wing. [Solving Means] A wing 1 is typically used as a main wing of an aircraft 100. The wing 1 is a swept-back wing having a swept-back angle A. The wing 1 is configured such that a surface pressure (pressure distribution (Cp)) on an upper surface of a vicinity of a leading edge 11 in a fluid increases from a wing root 17 to a wing tip 15. A cross-flow component of an external streamline of a surface of the wing 1 is reduced in the vicinity of the leading edge 11, and boundary layer transition is not easily induced in the vicinity of the leading edge 11. With this, friction drag caused by cross-flow instability can be reduced.

A vehicle, includes a main body. A fluid generator is coupled to the main body and produces a fluid stream. At least one tail conduit is fluidly coupled to the generator. First and second fore ejectors are coupled to the main body and respectively coupled to a starboard side and port side of the vehicle. The fore ejectors respectively comprise an outlet structure out of which fluid flows. At least one tail ejector is fluidly coupled to the tail conduit. The tail ejector comprises an outlet structure out of which fluid flows. A primary airfoil element includes a closed wing having a leading edge and a trailing edge. The leading and trailing edges of the closed wing define an interior region. The at least one propulsion device is at least partially disposed within the interior region.