A plurality of landing gear are rotatable between a flight position and a landing position under the control of a control system on a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The plurality of landing gear may be separately and selectably rotatable to accommodate uneven or sloping terrain. The landing gear may include flight control surfaces and the degree of deployment of the landing gear controls the flight control surfaces. The flight control surfaces may include separately controllable elements. The aircraft may be a flight module of a modular and morphable air vehicle.

A plurality of landing gear are rotatable between a flight position and a landing position under the control of a control system on a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The plurality of landing gear may be separately and selectably rotatable to accommodate uneven or sloping terrain. The landing gear may include flight control surfaces and the degree of deployment of the landing gear controls the flight control surfaces. The flight control surfaces may include separately controllable elements. The aircraft may be a flight module of a modular and morphable air vehicle.

A method is provided that extends available aircraft engine warm up and cool down times without extending total aircraft time on the ground. Aircraft that have engines with longer than average or longer than typical warm up and cool down times and are equipped with electric taxi systems are driven during hybrid taxi-out and taxi-in periods when the aircraft engines at lowest throttle settings are operating simultaneously with the electric taxi drive systems to move the aircraft during ground travel. The hybrid taxi-out and taxi-in periods ensure optimal steady, even warm up and cool down of engine components by takeoff and upon arrival and avoid thermally-induced structural deformations of engine components that adversely affect engines during flight. Aircraft engines may be designed to rely on the extended warm up and cool down times provided by the hybrid taxi periods without increasing aircraft ground travel time or negatively impacting airport operations.

An integrated pushback guidance system and method is provided for guiding pushback travel of electric taxi system-driven aircraft. The pushback guidance system may be integrated with existing ramp monitoring systems to monitor reverse pushback travel of pilot-controlled electric taxi system-driven aircraft along an optimum pushback path from a stand to a pushback end location. Visual signals relating to pushback travel safety as the pilot drives the aircraft along the pushback path are generated in real time by the system and transmitted to a range of display devices viewable by the aircraft pilot and airport personnel responsible for guiding aircraft pushback. The pilot may be guided by visual signals on only display devices or with guidance from airport personnel also viewing the visual signals on display devices to drive the aircraft safely in reverse with the electric taxi system along the pushback path to the pushback end location.

An aircraft is presented. The aircraft comprises a tow point positioned on a body of the aircraft and forward of main landing gear of the aircraft, wherein the tow point is connected to an airframe of the aircraft to accept and distribute forces forward, aft, and normal to the aircraft.

An electric hydraulic motor system for aircraft having at least a taxing and takeoff mode. While in the taxiing and takeoff mode, a battery and optionally other sources of energy stored within the aircraft together provide energy to drive an electric motor, which in turn drives a hydraulic pump creating hydraulic pressure within the aircraft hydraulic system. The increase in hydraulic pressure within the system actuates a hydraulic motor connected to the aircraft wheels, thereby providing rotation to the wheels of the aircraft, moving the aircraft forward.

There is provided a hydraulic system for a vehicle. The hydraulic system has a hydraulic rotary actuator assembly rotationally coupled to a road wheel of the vehicle. The hydraulic rotary actuator assembly has a first operating mode, wherein a rotation of the road wheel causes the hydraulic rotary actuator assembly to pump a fluid from a fluid supply system. The hydraulic system further has a variable restrictor assembly coupled to the hydraulic rotary actuator assembly in the vehicle. The variable restrictor assembly controls a flow of the fluid flowing from the hydraulic rotary actuator assembly, to brake the rotation of the road wheel on a ground surface. The hydraulic system further has a variable restrictor controller coupled to the variable restrictor assembly. The variable restrictor controller controls the variable restrictor assembly, so as to enable a variation of a rate of braking of the road wheel on the ground surface.

A taxiing system for an aircraft is presented. The taxiing system comprises a hydraulic accumulator configured to receive an increase in hydraulic pressure from a hydraulic motor; a system inlet valve configured to provide hydraulic flow from a hydraulic system of the aircraft to the hydraulic motor; a flow control valve system comprising a plurality of valves configured to direct hydraulic flow between the hydraulic accumulator and the hydraulic motor; and the hydraulic motor connected to wheels of the aircraft and configured to drive or stop the wheels using movement of hydraulic flow in the taxiing system.

A drive system for an aircraft landing gear, the drive system including a pinion gear, a drive shaft arranged to rotate the pinion gear about a drive axis, a driven gear arranged to mesh with the pinion gear to be rotatable by the pinion gear, the driven gear being connectable to a wheel of the landing gear to be capable of rotating the wheel about a wheel axis; and a flexible interface. The flexible interface includes a plurality of driven gear coupling members, each driven gear coupling member having a first connection portion attached to the driven gear, a second connection portion adapted to be attached to the wheel at an offset distance from the wheel axis, and a joint between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, the joint permitting relative movement between the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

Aircraft landing gear assemblies, aircraft including the landing gear assemblies, and methods of deploying landing gear assemblies. The landing gear assemblies include an elongate landing gear strut, a wheel assembly, and a deployment structure. The elongate landing gear strut includes a first strut end region, an opposed second strut end region, and a wheel assembly mount. The wheel assembly is coupled to the wheel assembly mount. The deployment structure is configured to selectively transition the landing gear assembly between a stowed state and a deployed state.