An aircraft fuselage end cargo door mechanism including a hinge rotatably coupling an aircraft fuselage end cargo door to a fuselage. The hinge being coupled to both the aircraft fuselage end cargo door and the fuselage so that an entirety of an axis of rotation of the aircraft fuselage end cargo door, defined by the hinge, relative to the fuselage is located forward of an entirety of a major joint line between the aircraft fuselage end cargo door and the fuselage. An uppermost portion of the major joint line comprises a joint line radius where a portion of the joint line radius formed by the aircraft fuselage end cargo door pivots within another portion of the joint line radius formed by the fuselage.

The invention relates to an opening system (10) for an auxiliary door (20) of an airplane in a fuselage (30), the door and the fuselage having skins in the extension of one another. In one exemplary embodiment, the system (10) includes a framing lintel (11) integrated into the fuselage, an upper beam (2S) of the door structure arranged opposite the lintel (11), and a set of three lever links (4A, 4B, 4C). Each link is connected, on the one hand, to the lintel (11) by a lever articulation (5a, 6a) fixed relative to the fuselage (30) and, on the other hand, to the upper beam (2S) by a lever articulation (5b, 6b) mobile with the door (20), the articulations (5a, 5b; 6a, 6b) being connected respectively to the lintel (11) and to the upper beam (2S) by fittings (41, 43; 42, 44). The set of links includes two types of link mounted alternately, in which the mobile articulation (5b, 6b) remains positioned respectively close to the fuselage skin (30) and further from this skin (30), the articulations (5a, 5b; 6a, 6b) of two adjacent levers (4A, 4B; 4B, 4C) forming an evolving quadrilateral.

A cargo door for an aircraft having a plurality of locking devices spaced near an edge of the cargo door, at least one vent panel, a control handle, and a torsion shaft actuating a plurality of pins to lock and unlock the plurality of locking devices is provided. A first drive connects the control handle to the torsion shaft to rotate the torsion shaft following a locking or unlocking command imparted to the control handle. A second drive connects the torsion shaft to the at least one vent panel to open or close the at least one vent panel following a rotation of the torsion shaft. The torsion shaft is a double shaft having two coaxial and rotationally integral shafts, namely an inner control shaft and an outer tubular control shaft.

A cargo aircraft is disclosed, and may include a fuselage defining a longitudinally-extending cargo compartment and including: an elongate cylindrical portion, longitudinally-opposed forward and rearward ends, and laterally-opposed first and second sides, and a forward portion engaged with the forward end of the cylindrical portion, the fuselage defining a continuous cargo opening to the cargo compartment along the first side, the cargo opening having a first portion extending along the cylindrical portion to a rearward edge and a second portion extending along the forward portion to a forward edge, wherein an increased distance of the forward edge from the forward end of the cylindrical portion allows an elongate cargo item to be obliquely inserted lengthwise through the cargo opening from the forward edge at a decreased acute loading angle between the elongate cargo item and the lateral centerline.

There is disclosed in one example an unmanned vertical lift aircraft, comprising: an airframe; a drive system configured for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL); a power plant to power the drive system; and an internal cargo bay comprising a fore aperture and an aft aperture, the fore and aft apertures having dimensions substantially conforming to a cross section of the internal cargo bay, and the internal cargo bay comprising a substantially linear and open volume between the fore and aft apertures.

In one embodiment, an aircraft includes a blended wing body (BWB) and a cargo bay having a polygonal shape. A longitudinal centerline of the aircraft intersects a vertex of the polygonal shape and an interior angle of the vertex.

A mono-rail crane system (and a corresponding operation method) for use in an aircraft. The crane system comprises a first longitudinal mono-rail installable on the underside of a rear cargo door of the airplane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rear cargo door; a second longitudinal mono-rail, which is installable on a cargo hold ceiling of the aircraft, and, in the fully opened state of the rear cargo door, in aligned continuity with the first longitudinal mono-rail so that the longitudinal axes of the first and second longitudinal mono-rails coincide to form one common longitudinal axis; a crane mobile equipment configured to be moved along the first and second longitudinal mono-rails in order to hoist and transfer the load; and a linear actuator configured to advance and retreat the second longitudinal monorail towards and away from the first longitudinal monorail.

A removable battery to provide motive power for an aircraft includes a battery frame and removable, interchangeable battery modules. Each of the battery modules defines module common space through which liquid heat transfer fluid flows during charging of the battery when the battery is removed from the aircraft and through which air as a heat transfer fluid flows during discharge of the battery, as during flight. The module common space also defines a combustion conduit to convey heated air and products of combustion safely outside the battery in the event of a cell fire during flight. The removable battery frame is a structural component of the aircraft.

Multi-rotor rotorcraft comprise a fuselage, and at least four rotor assemblies operatively supported by and spaced-around the fuselage. Each of the at least four rotor assemblies defines a spin volume and a spin diameter. Some multi-rotor rotorcraft further comprise at least one rotor guard that is fixed relative to the fuselage, that borders the spin volume of at least one of the at least four rotor assemblies, and that is configured to provide a visual indication of the spin volume of the at least one of the at least four rotor assemblies. Various configurations of rotor guards are disclosed.

An aircraft door mechanism includes an aircraft structure (14) delimiting an opening (24); an aircraft door (26) movable between a position closing off the opening (24) and a released position of the opening (24); and a guide system (28) for moving the door (26) between the closed off and released positions. The guide system (28) includes a main rail (46) that is fixed relative to the structure and a main carriage (48) mechanically connected to the door (26) and able to slide on the main rail (46) during the movement between said closed off and released positions. The main rail (46) is positioned between the door (26) and the structure during at least part of the movement of the door (26) between said closed off and released positions.