An amphibious aircraft has a tricycle landing gear that is movable between a retracted, or up, position and an extended, or down, position. Each member of the landing gear is protected in the forward direction by a hydrodynamic protector, or vane, or shoe, such as may tend to create lift when brought into engagement with water, as during landing. The landing gear protector vanes may be mounted to move with extension and retraction of the landing gear. The landing gear wheels may protrude to extend partially downwardly proud of the sole of the shoe. The landing gear actuator and transmission may operate all gear in concert. The shoes may include sacrificial wear members for ground engagement in the event of an inadvertent gear-up landing on terrain.

A propulsion system for an aerial vehicle or toy aerial vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises a ducted fan or shrouded propeller drive system for driving the vehicle along ground, the ducted fan or shrouded propeller drive system operating in a plane and having a peripheral ground-engagement part or hubless wheel. The system further comprises a ducted fan or shrouded propeller comprising one or more blades rotatable about a ducted fan or shrouded propeller axis for producing thrust, wherein the ducted fan or shrouded propeller is mounted as such that it may tilt or rotate so that during ground travel it may be in the same plane as the hubless wheel and during operation of the ducted fan or shrouded propeller for flight the blades pass through the plane and inside the hubless wheel. In this way, the ducted fan or shrouded propeller blades of the drive system are protected from blade strikes on obstacles and personnel operating around the ducted fan or shrouded propeller drive system are protected from harm from exposed rotors or blades with no duct or shroud surrounding them.

A propulsion system for an aerial vehicle or toy aerial vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises a ducted fan or shrouded propeller drive system for driving the vehicle along ground, the ducted fan or shrouded propeller drive system operating in a plane and having a peripheral ground-engagement part or hubless wheel. The system further comprises a ducted fan or shrouded propeller comprising one or more blades rotatable about a ducted fan or shrouded propeller axis for producing thrust, wherein the ducted fan or shrouded propeller is mounted as such that it may tilt or rotate so that during ground travel it may be in the same plane as the hubless wheel and during operation of the ducted fan or shrouded propeller for flight the blades pass through the plane and inside the hubless wheel. In this way, the ducted fan or shrouded propeller blades of the drive system are protected from blade strikes on obstacles and personnel operating around the ducted fan or shrouded propeller drive system are protected from harm from exposed rotors or blades with no duct or shroud surrounding them.

An aircraft float includes a float body configured to provide buoyancy to an aircraft, and a lower portion of the float body is configured to contact water. The lower portion of the float body includes a turbulator.

An aircraft float includes a float body configured to provide buoyancy to an aircraft. The float body includes a skin. A longitudinally extending structural member is located internal to the skin, and the longitudinally extending structural member is coupled to an upper portion of the skin.

An aircraft float includes a float body configured to provide buoyancy to an aircraft. The float body includes a skin. A longitudinally extending structural member is located internal to the skin, and the longitudinally extending structural member is coupled to an upper portion of the skin.

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is shown. The VTOL aircraft has a main wing having a left wing and a right wing configured as folding wings, and one or more of a foreplane, having a left canard and a right canard configured as folding wings, and/or a tailplane, having a left stabiliser and a right stabiliser configured as folding wings. Each one of the folding wings has a fixed inboard section and a folding outboard section. The folding outboard section is downwardly foldable to a landing condition to support the aircraft on a surface.

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is shown. The VTOL aircraft has a main wing having a left wing and a right wing configured as folding wings, and one or more of a foreplane, having a left canard and a right canard configured as folding wings, and/or a tailplane, having a left stabiliser and a right stabiliser configured as folding wings. Each one of the folding wings has a fixed inboard section and a folding outboard section. The folding outboard section is downwardly foldable to a landing condition to support the aircraft on a surface.

A convertible ducted fan engine and mounting system. The convertible ducted fan engine has a shroud encircling a mechanical fan. The convertible ducted fan engine includes a fluid-propulsion configuration in which the mechanical fan rotates freely with respect to the shroud to produce thrust through fluid flow, and a drive-wheel configuration in which the shroud rotates about the rotational axis.

A convertible ducted fan engine and mounting system. The convertible ducted fan engine has a shroud encircling a mechanical fan. The convertible ducted fan engine includes a fluid-propulsion configuration in which the mechanical fan rotates freely with respect to the shroud to produce thrust through fluid flow, and a drive-wheel configuration in which the shroud rotates about the rotational axis.