A monolithic blade of a rotorcraft rotor, the blade comprising at least locally an airfoil zone having a pressure side face and a suction side face. The invention is remarkable in that the blade has a root zone including a finger with a spherical bearing surface arranged at a root end of the blade, a recess suitable for receiving a laminated spherical bearing, and a flexible portion having a preferred direction of deformation in bending about a flapping axis of the blade, the flexible portion being arranged between the finger and the recess.

This disclosure describes a tension torsion strap for part of rotor head of a rotary wing aircraft. The tension torsion strap includes, in a direction of a longitudinal axis, a first peripheral area with a connection eye, a central section, and a second peripheral area with a connection eye. The tension torsion strap may be of one-piece made of a multiplicity of joined layers. Improved production and installation is of the tension torsion strap may be achieved by that disclosed in this disclosure, resulting in, among other advantages, more simplified maintenance because the tension torsion strap has an overall asymmetric shape relatively to a transverse axis due to two unequally shaped peripheral areas which cannot be brought into alignment when folding around the transverse axis.

This disclosure describes a tension torsion strap for part of rotor head of a rotary wing aircraft. The tension torsion strap includes, in a direction of a longitudinal axis, a first peripheral area with a connection eye, a central section, and a second peripheral area with a connection eye. The tension torsion strap may be of one-piece made of a multiplicity of joined layers. Improved production and installation is of the tension torsion strap may be achieved by that disclosed in this disclosure, resulting in, among other advantages, more simplified maintenance because the tension torsion strap has an overall asymmetric shape relatively to a transverse axis due to two unequally shaped peripheral areas which cannot be brought into alignment when folding around the transverse axis.

An extension assembly for a rotor system for rotating a plurality of rotor blades about a rotor axis with a central rotor hub that defines the rotor axis includes a beam assembly and a first bearing assembly. The beam assembly is configured to attach to the central rotor hub and is positioned at least partially within a corresponding one of the plurality of rotor blades. The first bearing assembly is configured to be fastened to the beam assembly and to at least one of a leading edge or a trailing edge of the corresponding one of the plurality of rotor blades.

An extension assembly for a rotor system for rotating a plurality of rotor blades about a rotor axis with a central rotor hub that defines the rotor axis includes a beam assembly and a first bearing assembly. The beam assembly is configured to attach to the central rotor hub and is positioned at least partially within a corresponding one of the plurality of rotor blades. The first bearing assembly is configured to be fastened to the beam assembly and to at least one of a leading edge or a trailing edge of the corresponding one of the plurality of rotor blades.

A main rotor system for a rotary wing aircraft is provided including a lower rotor hub to which lower rotor blades are attachable. The lower rotor hub rotates about an axis in a first direction. A hollow rotor shaft extends through the lower rotor hub. The first end of the rotor shaft couples to a component of the rotary wing aircraft for rotation about an axis. An upper rotor hub arranged at the second end of the rotor shaft includes a plurality of similar upper rotor members equidistantly spaced about a circumference of the rotor shaft to form an open center aligned with a hollow interior of the rotor shaft. An opening configured to receive an upper rotor blade is formed between adjacent upper rotor members and the upper rotor hub is configured to rotate in a second direction, opposite the first direction.

A main rotor system for a rotary wing aircraft is provided including a lower rotor hub to which lower rotor blades are attachable. The lower rotor hub rotates about an axis in a first direction. A hollow rotor shaft extends through the lower rotor hub. The first end of the rotor shaft couples to a component of the rotary wing aircraft for rotation about an axis. An upper rotor hub arranged at the second end of the rotor shaft includes a plurality of similar upper rotor members equidistantly spaced about a circumference of the rotor shaft to form an open center aligned with a hollow interior of the rotor shaft. An opening configured to receive an upper rotor blade is formed between adjacent upper rotor members and the upper rotor hub is configured to rotate in a second direction, opposite the first direction.

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a multicopter-assisted launch and retrieval system generally including: (1) a multi-rotor modular multicopter attachable to (and detachable from) a fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; (2) a storage and launch system usable to store the modular multicopter and to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; and (3) an anchor system usable (along with the multicopter and a flexible capture member) to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from wing-borne flight.

A lift fan position lock mechanism is disclosed. In various embodiments, a position lock mechanism includes a ring structure having a first surface, the ring structure including one or more detents defined in the first surface of the ring structure. For each detent, the lock mechanism includes a stationary magnet coupled fixedly to the ring structure at a location adjacent to the detent. The lock mechanism further includes a rotating magnet assembly comprising a magnet of opposite magnetic polarity to at least one of the stationary magnets and a mechanical stop structure of a size and shape to fit into a corresponding detent and engage mechanically with a surface defining at least one extent of said corresponding detent when the rotating magnet assembly is in a locked position.

A composite piece tool used to create a composite piece. The tool includes a substrate having a substrate surface, walls disposed on the substrate and extending from the substrate surface in a thickness direction of the composite piece to define opposite locations of longitudinal composite piece ends and composite piece sides, a tooling surface disposed to occupy an entirety of a space delimited by the walls and on which the composite piece formed and a servo controller coupled to the tooling surface and configured to move the tooling surface upwardly and downwardly relative to the substrate surface and walls to form the composite piece.