A landing gear system includes wheel rotatably coupled to an axle. A driveshaft extends through a cavity formed in the axle and is rotatable about an axis. A planetary gear includes a sun gear operably coupled to the drive shaft and a planet gear operably engaging the sun gear. The planetary gear further includes a ring gear that surrounds and is operably coupled to the planet gear so that rotation of the drive shaft rotates the ring gear. A clutch assembly is selectively moveable between an engaged state and a disengaged state. The clutch assembly transfers rotation of the ring gear to the wheel when the clutch assembly is in the engaged state, and the clutch assembly does not transfer rotation of the wheel to the ring gear when the clutch assembly is in the disengaged state.

A landing gear system includes a drive shaft extending through an axle. A wheel with a drive surface is rotatably coupled to the axle. A drive assembly, which has disengaged and engaged states, includes a drive element and an idler element. The drive element, which has an engagement feature, is coupled to the drive shaft for rotation about an axis. The engagement feature has first and second diameters when the drive assembly is in the disengaged and engaged states, respectively. The idler element is frictionally engaged with the engagement feature of the drive element to transfer rotation of the drive element to the wheel when the drive assembly is in the engaged state. The idler element is disengaged from at least one of the engagement feature of drive element and the wheel when the drive assembly is in the disengaged state.

A roller gear for use in a roller gear and sprocket configuration of a drive system is disclosed, particularly for use in a landing gear drive system of an aircraft. Alternative embodiments and, in particular, means for permitting removal and replacement of rollers and roller mounting pins in the roller gear are disclosed.

A public transportation system combines a unique combination of components that includes interoperable electric-powered vehicles, facilities, hardware and software having specifications, standards, processes, capabilities, nomenclature, and concepts of operations that together include a concerted, comprehensive, multi-modal, future system for moving people and goods that is herein named Quiet Urban Air Delivery (QUAD) and in which uniquely-capable, ultra-quiet, one to six-seat, electrically-powered, autonomous aircraft (SkyQarts) fly sub-193 kilometer trips on precise trajectories with negligible control latency and perform extremely short take-offs and landings (ESTOL) with curved traffic patterns at a highly-distributed network of very small, airports (“SkyNests”) that themselves have standardized compatible facilities that interoperate with SkyQarts as well as with versatile, autonomous electric-powered payload carts (EPCs) and robotic delivery carts (RDCs) to provide safe, fast, on-demand, community-acceptable, environmentally friendly, high-capacity, affordable door-to-door delivery of both passengers and cargo across urban, suburban and rural settings across the globe.

An electrically powered STOL aircraft having dedicated motors energized to deploy movable landing gear driven to propel short takeoffs and to actively rotate downwardly to engage the runway surface as the aircraft approaches touchdown on landing. The front and rear landing gear, or both, may be powered and actuated in the landing process with braking to shorten the landing distance, each driven landing gear wheel having a dedicated electric motor and coaxial brake.

An electrically powered STOL aircraft having dedicated motors energized to deploy movable landing gear driven to propel short takeoffs and to actively rotate downwardly to engage the runway surface as the aircraft approaches touchdown on landing. The front and rear landing gear, or both, may be powered and actuated in the landing process with braking to shorten the landing distance, each driven landing gear wheel having a dedicated electric motor and coaxial brake. The landing gear modules are configured and controllable to differentially deploy downwardly so as to enable countersteering during taxi maneuvers and turns.

The present invention provides a method for maneuvering and aligning aircraft equipped and driven during ramp ground travel with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems that have deviated from taxi line travel paths and for maneuvering the electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft to park accurately to align with locations of parking stops when the aircraft nose landing gear wheels stop beyond or short of a parking stop. The aircraft pilot can, without waiting for a tug or starting aircraft engines, precisely maneuver the aircraft with the electric taxi drive systems while viewing the taxi line and parking stop location in real time with an optional camera and sensor system while maneuvering the aircraft in forward or reverse and lateral directions to align the aircraft nose wheels with the taxi line path and to accurately position the nose landing gear wheels at the parking stop.

The invention relates to a motorizing device (1) for moving an aircraft (A) provided with a landing device (L) having wheels (W) on the ground, the motorizing device comprising at least one electric motor (2) having an output shaft provided with means for its rotational connection to at least one of the wheels (W) of the landing device for driving said wheel in rotation, and an electronic control unit (3) connected on the one hand to the motor to control it and on the other hand to a control interface (4) from which the aircraft pilot can transmit control signals which the electronic control unit (3) is arranged to transform into motor control signals, characterized in that the control unit is arranged to implement a first control law having determined dynamics to promote an aircraft movement speed and a second control law having dynamics to promote aircraft manoeuvrability.

Aircraft landing gears include at least one wheel, an electric taxiing system including an electric taxiing motor, brakes capable of slowing down or stopping the rotation of the wheel, and a cooling system for cooling the electric taxiing motor and the brakes. The cooling system includes ventilation means capable of mixing a first air flow originating from the brakes and a second air flow originating from outside the landing gear and of ventilating the electric taxiing motor with a mixture of the two air flows.

A system and a method are provided for safely and efficiently transferring cargo and freight packed in ULD containers directly between an airport freight terminal and freight aircraft. An enclosed freightway is designed to provide a direct connection between the freight terminal and aircraft cargo doors. The enclosed freightway is structured and sized to move ULD containers automatically or manually between freight aircraft and freight terminals. Different freightway configurations enable direct connection between the freight terminal and freight aircraft main cargo door when freight aircraft are driven by electric taxi drive systems or aircraft engines and parked in nose-in orientations and when freight aircraft are driven by electric taxi drive systems and parked in parallel orientations at the freight terminal. An alternative embodiment provides direct connections between freight aircraft cargo doors and interior loading docks for aircraft driven with electric taxi drive systems.