An aircraft emergency landing stability system includes an aircraft, including a fuselage and landing gear, and a blister projecting downwardly from a fuselage-underside surface of the fuselage proximate to a nose of the fuselage. The blister locates a secondary contact surface of the aircraft forward of a center of gravity of the aircraft to mitigate a nose-down pitching moment of the aircraft created in response to contact with a landing surface during an emergency landing.

An apparatus including a platform, casters attached to the platform, and a carriage supported by the platform is described. The carriage includes a left arm, a right arm, and an actuation mechanism. The left arm can pivot about a left lateral axis, and the right arm can pivot about a right lateral axis. The actuation mechanism allows a distance between a proximal end of the left arm and a proximal end of the right arm to be modified. Increasing the distance causes a distal end of the left arm and a distal end of the right arm to swing towards each other. Decreasing the distance causes the distal end of the left arm and the distal end of the right are to swing away from each other. The apparatus provides a convenient means by which to move a helicopter equipped with skids while the helicopter is on the ground.

An aircraft landing system for landing of an aircraft includes at least one force sensor and a processor. The at least one force sensor is coupled with a landing gear of the aircraft for sensing forces applied to the landing gear at a plurality of positions during landing at a landing zone. The processor is configured to receive force measurements from the at least one force sensor.

An aircraft landing system for landing of an aircraft includes at least one force sensor and a processor. The at least one force sensor is coupled with a landing gear of the aircraft for sensing forces applied to the landing gear at a plurality of positions during landing at a landing zone. The processor is configured to receive force measurements from the at least one force sensor.

Aerial vehicles may be configured to control their attitudes by changing one or more physical attributes. For example, an aerial vehicle may be outfitted with propulsion motors having repositionable mounts by which the motors may be rotated about one or more axes, in order to redirect forces generated by the motors during operation. An aerial vehicle may also be outfitted with one or more other movable objects such as landing gear, antenna and/or engaged payloads, and one or more of such objects may be translated in one or more directions in order to adjust a center of gravity of the aerial vehicle. By varying angles by which forces are supplied to the aerial vehicle, or locations of the center of gravity of the aerial vehicle, a desired attitude of the aerial vehicle may be maintained irrespective of velocity, altitude and/or forces of thrust, lift, weight or drag acting upon the aerial vehicle.

Aerial vehicles may be configured to control their attitudes by changing one or more physical attributes. For example, an aerial vehicle may be outfitted with propulsion motors having repositionable mounts by which the motors may be rotated about one or more axes, in order to redirect forces generated by the motors during operation. An aerial vehicle may also be outfitted with one or more other movable objects such as landing gear, antenna and/or engaged payloads, and one or more of such objects may be translated in one or more directions in order to adjust a center of gravity of the aerial vehicle. By varying angles by which forces are supplied to the aerial vehicle, or locations of the center of gravity of the aerial vehicle, a desired attitude of the aerial vehicle may be maintained irrespective of velocity, altitude and/or forces of thrust, lift, weight or drag acting upon the aerial vehicle.

Aerial vehicles are provided with one or more transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910). The one or more transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910) may support one or more propulsion units, and transform between a flight configuration where the propulsion units of the arms effect flight of the aerial vehicle, and a landing configuration, wherein the transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910) are used as a landing support that bears weight of the aerial vehicle when the aerial vehicle is not in flight. Using the transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910) as legs when the UAV is in a landed state permits the UAV to reduce weight and reduce obstruction to a payload carried by the UAV when the UA is in flight.

Aerial vehicles are provided with one or more transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910). The one or more transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910) may support one or more propulsion units, and transform between a flight configuration where the propulsion units of the arms effect flight of the aerial vehicle, and a landing configuration, wherein the transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910) are used as a landing support that bears weight of the aerial vehicle when the aerial vehicle is not in flight. Using the transformable arms (110, 310, 410, 510, 910) as legs when the UAV is in a landed state permits the UAV to reduce weight and reduce obstruction to a payload carried by the UAV when the UA is in flight.

Systems, methods, and devices provide a vehicle, such as an aircraft, with rotors configured to function as a tri-copter for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and a fixed-wing vehicle for forward flight. One rotor may be mounted at a front of the vehicle fuselage on a hinged structure controlled by an actuator to tilt from horizontal to vertical positions. Two additional rotors may be mounted on the horizontal surface of the vehicle tail structure with rotor axes oriented vertically to the fuselage. For forward flight of the vehicle, the front rotor may be rotated down such that the front rotor axis may be oriented horizontally along the fuselage and the front rotor may act as a propeller. For vertical flight, the front rotor may be rotated up such that the front rotor axis may be oriented vertically to the fuselage, while the tail rotors may be activated.

Systems, methods, and devices provide a vehicle, such as an aircraft, with rotors configured to function as a tri-copter for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and a fixed-wing vehicle for forward flight. One rotor may be mounted at a front of the vehicle fuselage on a hinged structure controlled by an actuator to tilt from horizontal to vertical positions. Two additional rotors may be mounted on the horizontal surface of the vehicle tail structure with rotor axes oriented vertically to the fuselage. For forward flight of the vehicle, the front rotor may be rotated down such that the front rotor axis may be oriented horizontally along the fuselage and the front rotor may act as a propeller. For vertical flight, the front rotor may be rotated up such that the front rotor axis may be oriented vertically to the fuselage, while the tail rotors may be activated.