A method of operating a landing gear controller for an aircraft, including: the landing gear controller receiving one or more signals from at least one position sensor. The one or more signals indicate a position of one of a landing gear bay door and a landing gear when the landing gear bay door or the landing gear, respectively, is part way through a range of travel between two limits of travel. The method may also include the landing gear controller controlling movement of the other of the landing gear bay door and the landing gear on the basis of the one or more signals.

A structural assembly for an aircraft having pairs of main gantries distributed in the longitudinal direction, two transverse panels fixed to the front and the rear of the pairs of main gantries to together define a compartment for a landing gear of the aircraft, at least one pair of secondary gantries between the main gantries, at least one crossmember parallel to the transverse panels and that straddles at least one secondary gantry, and, for each secondary gantry and each crossmember straddling the secondary gantry, a connecting rod mounted to be able to freely rotate, via a first end, on a lower part of the crossmember and, via a second end, on an outer lateral part of the secondary gantry. Such an arrangement reduces the vertical bulk of the structural assembly.

A structural assembly for an aircraft having pairs of main gantries distributed in the longitudinal direction, two transverse panels fixed to the front and the rear of the pairs of main gantries to together define a compartment for a landing gear of the aircraft, at least one pair of secondary gantries between the main gantries, at least one crossmember parallel to the transverse panels and that straddles at least one secondary gantry, and, for each secondary gantry and each crossmember straddling the secondary gantry, a connecting rod mounted to be able to freely rotate, via a first end, on a lower part of the crossmember and, via a second end, on an outer lateral part of the secondary gantry. Such an arrangement reduces the vertical bulk of the structural assembly.

A tail sitter aircraft includes a fuselage having a forward portion, an aft portion and a longitudinally extending fuselage axis. A main lifting surface is supported by the forward portion of the fuselage. A propulsion system is operably associated with the main lifting surface and operable to provide thrust during forward flight, vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing. A tailboom assembly extends from the aft portion of the fuselage. The tailboom assembly includes a plurality of rotatably mounted tail arms having control surfaces and landing members wherein, in a forward flight configuration, the tail arms are radially retracted to reduce tail surface geometry and provide yaw and pitch control with the control surfaces and, wherein, in a landing configuration, the tail arms are radially extended relative to one another about the fuselage axis to form a stable ground contact base with the landing members.

A tail sitter aircraft includes a fuselage having a forward portion, an aft portion and a longitudinally extending fuselage axis. A main lifting surface is supported by the forward portion of the fuselage. A propulsion system is operably associated with the main lifting surface and operable to provide thrust during forward flight, vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing. A tailboom assembly extends from the aft portion of the fuselage. The tailboom assembly includes a plurality of rotatably mounted tail arms having control surfaces and landing members wherein, in a forward flight configuration, the tail arms are radially retracted to reduce tail surface geometry and provide yaw and pitch control with the control surfaces and, wherein, in a landing configuration, the tail arms are radially extended relative to one another about the fuselage axis to form a stable ground contact base with the landing members.

Adjustment mechanisms, systems and methods allow for a moveable aerodynamic surface to be positionally adjusted relative to a stationary adjustment surface so as to ensure smooth aerodynamic transition between such surfaces. The adjustment mechanisms may include a base structure adapted for fixed connection to the moveable aerodynamic surface, a fixed-position receiver opposing the base structure and adapted for positionally fixed connection to the support structure of the moveable aerodynamic surface and an adjustment bolt having a head and a threaded shaft extending from the head through an elongate slot of the base structure, the slot defining an elongate axis which is aligned with an adjustment axis for the moveable aerodynamic surface, and being threadably coupled to the receiver to operably interconnect the base structure and the receiver.

Adjustment mechanisms, systems and methods allow for a moveable aerodynamic surface to be positionally adjusted relative to a stationary adjustment surface so as to ensure smooth aerodynamic transition between such surfaces. The adjustment mechanisms may include a base structure adapted for fixed connection to the moveable aerodynamic surface, a fixed-position receiver opposing the base structure and adapted for positionally fixed connection to the support structure of the moveable aerodynamic surface and an adjustment bolt having a head and a threaded shaft extending from the head through an elongate slot of the base structure, the slot defining an elongate axis which is aligned with an adjustment axis for the moveable aerodynamic surface, and being threadably coupled to the receiver to operably interconnect the base structure and the receiver.

An aircraft landing gear bay roof for forming a pressurization barrier between an upper pressurized compartment and a landing gear bay for the housing of a landing gear. The roof comprises a main bulkhead extending in a longitudinal direction, an inclined forward bulkhead, rigidly connected to a forward edge of the main wall, and an inclined aft bulkhead, rigidly connected to an aft edge of the main bulkhead. The forward bulkhead and the aft bulkhead each form an obtuse angle with the main bulkhead. This configuration enables a better absorption of loads by the landing gear bay roof and a shorter and optimized path for transmission of the mechanical loads, in particular to the fuselage member to which the aft bulkhead is configured to be connected.

An aircraft landing gear bay roof for forming a pressurization barrier between an upper pressurized compartment and a landing gear bay for the housing of a landing gear. The roof comprises a main bulkhead extending in a longitudinal direction, an inclined forward bulkhead, rigidly connected to a forward edge of the main wall, and an inclined aft bulkhead, rigidly connected to an aft edge of the main bulkhead. The forward bulkhead and the aft bulkhead each form an obtuse angle with the main bulkhead. This configuration enables a better absorption of loads by the landing gear bay roof and a shorter and optimized path for transmission of the mechanical loads, in particular to the fuselage member to which the aft bulkhead is configured to be connected.

An exposed main landing gear cavity in a bottom wall of an aircraft fuselage may include a main landing gear cavity outer ring recessed within the fuselage and having an inner surface encircling the main landing gear cavity, first baffle extending inward from the outer ring inner surface at an aft and inboard position on the inner surface, and a second baffle extending inward from the outer ring inner surface at an aft and outboard position on the outer ring inner surface. The main landing gear cavity may further include an aft fairing disposed proximate the outer ring bottom edge of the outer ring and connected to the fuselage at an aft side of the main landing gear cavity. An aft fairing top surface may have curvature causing the top surface to extend downward away from the outer ring as the top surface extends inward away from the outer ring.