An aircraft wing with a root, a tip, an inboard wing part, an outboard wing part, and a junction between the inboard wing part and the outboard wing part. The inboard wing part has anhedral and is swept back so that it extends downwardly and aft away from the root towards the junction. The outboard wing part has dihedral and is swept forward so that it extends upwardly and forward away from the junction towards the tip. An engine and landing gear are mounted at the junction. An aircraft with a pair of such wings has a W-shaped profile viewed from above, and an inverted gull-wing profile viewed from the front.

An aircraft wing with a root, a tip, an inboard wing part, an outboard wing part, and a junction between the inboard wing part and the outboard wing part. The inboard wing part has anhedral and is swept back so that it extends downwardly and aft away from the root towards the junction. The outboard wing part has dihedral and is swept forward so that it extends upwardly and forward away from the junction towards the tip. An engine and landing gear are mounted at the junction. An aircraft with a pair of such wings has a W-shaped profile viewed from above, and an inverted gull-wing profile viewed from the front.

A shrink mechanism for use with a landing gear of an aircraft is provided. The landing gear includes an outer sleeve at least partially surrounding a shock strut, the shrink mechanism has a shaft rotatably coupled to the outer sleeve about a shaft rotation axis, the shaft being disposed perpendicular to a centerline of the shock strut, an anchor arm coupled to the shaft, the anchor arm being configured to couple to a structure within a wing of the aircraft, a shrink arm coupled to the shaft, the shrink arm and the anchor arm being coupled to the shaft so as to rotate as a unit with the shaft about the shaft rotation axis, and a shrink link rotatably coupled to the shrink arm, the shrink link being configured to rotatably couple to the shock strut.

An aircraft having a retractable landing gear assembly configured to support some of the weight of the aircraft via one or more wheels, and another retractable non-wheeled landing gear assembly or device configured to support some of the weight of the aircraft via one or more low-friction supports such as an air cushion is disclosed. The aircraft may have a maximum take-off weight between 100 and 150 tonnes. There may be two main landing gears each carrying two wheels, a nose landing gear, and a central non-wheeled landing gear providing the low friction vertical support when the aircraft is moving on the ground/operating surface.

Landing gear monitoring systems and methods for an aircraft include a landing gear timing analysis control unit that is configured to analyze one or both of landing gear motion of one or more landing gears of the aircraft or door motion of one or more doors proximate to the landing gear(s) to determine an operational status of one or both of the landing gear(s) or the door(s).

Landing gear monitoring systems and methods for an aircraft include a landing gear timing analysis control unit that is configured to analyze one or both of landing gear motion of one or more landing gears of the aircraft or door motion of one or more doors proximate to the landing gear(s) to determine an operational status of one or both of the landing gear(s) or the door(s).

Systems and methods for mechanically rotating an aircraft about its center-of-gravity (C.sub.G) are disclosed. The system can enable the rear, or main, landing gear to squat, while the nose landing gear raises to generate a positive pitch angle for the aircraft for takeoff or landing. The system can also enable the nose gear and main gear to return to a relatively level fuselage attitude for ground operations. The system can include one or more hydraulically linked hydraulic cylinders to control the overall height of the nose gear and the main gear. Because the hydraulic cylinders are linked, a change on the length of the nose cylinder generates a proportional, and opposite, change in the length of the main cylinder, and vice-versa. A method and control system for monitoring and controlling the relative positions of the nose gear and main gear is also disclosed.

An aerial vehicle having a single wing is configured for vertical-flight and forward-flight operations. The wing has a substantially high aspect ratio. The aerial vehicle includes tilt motor assemblies disposed at a forward end and an aft end of a fuselage. The tilt motor assemblies are configured to orient motors and rotors vertically, horizontally, or at any angle between vertical and horizontal. A pair of parallel booms are mounted beneath the wing on either side of the fuselage. Each of the booms has at least one vertically oriented motor and rotor associated therewith, and a vertical fin extending thereunder. Additionally, a forward tilt motor assembly includes a rotatable extension that is deployed when the motor assembly is configured for vertical flight, enabling the aerial vehicle to land on the vertical fins and the landing rotatable extension.

An aerial vehicle having a single wing is configured for vertical-flight and forward-flight operations. The wing has a substantially high aspect ratio. The aerial vehicle includes tilt motor assemblies disposed at a forward end and an aft end of a fuselage. The tilt motor assemblies are configured to orient motors and rotors vertically, horizontally, or at any angle between vertical and horizontal. A pair of parallel booms are mounted beneath the wing on either side of the fuselage. Each of the booms has at least one vertically oriented motor and rotor associated therewith, and a vertical fin extending thereunder. Additionally, a forward tilt motor assembly includes a rotatable extension that is deployed when the motor assembly is configured for vertical flight, enabling the aerial vehicle to land on the vertical fins and the landing rotatable extension.

An aircraft landing gear structure according to the present disclosure includes a strut assembly and a wheel assembly operatively coupled to the strut assembly. The strut assembly includes an upper tubular housing and a lower tubular housing configured to be longitudinally translated with respect to the upper tubular housing such that the overall length of the strut assembly is transitioned between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration for stowage during flight. The wheel assembly includes a forward link pivotally coupled to the upper tubular housing and a truck beam that is pivotally coupled to the lower tubular housing such that translation of the lower tubular housing with respect to the upper tubular housing causes pivoting of the forward link and the truck beam with respect to one another, thereby tilting and/or raising a wheel of the wheel assembly with respect to the upper tubular housing.