A wing having a main wing section with a forward spar and an aft spar extending through an internal cavity. The forward and aft spars are spaced apart and delimiting a dry segment of the internal cavity. A winglet is rotatably coupled to the main wing section by a cant hinge defining a cant axis about which the winglet rotates relative to the main wing section between an extended position in which the winglet is aligned with the main wing section, and a folded position in which the winglet is rotated about the cant axis. A linkage assembly disposed in the dry segment is pivotably mounted to one of the forward and aft spars and is coupled to the cant hinge. The linkage assembly is displaceable to apply a force to move the winglet between the extended position and the folded position during flight of the aircraft.

An electric VTOL aeronautical apparatus is disclosed that has folding wings each having an inboard wing portion coupled to an outboard portion via a hinge. Folding wings are known to be used during flight, although using a motor to fold and unfold the wings. In the present disclosure, the motor with its concomitant weight and complication is obviated or reduced by making the rotational axis of the hinge such that end of the hinge on the leading edge of the wing is displaced more outboard and lower than the end of the hinge on the trailing edge to allow the wing to fold and unfold passively. When in forward flight, a folded wing has more of the underside of the wing facing the flow, which pushes the wing upward, i.e., unfolding the wing. When the aeronautical apparatus transitions to vertical flight, gravity pulls the wings downward into the folded position.

The aircraft comprises a fuselage defining a fuselage main axis. The fuselage comprises a docking system for fixing removable nacelles. The aircraft has wings equipped with tilting actuators for rotating wings about rotation axes parallel to the fuselage main axis and at least six propellers mechanically connected to the fuselage. The aircraft also has at least one cryo-hydrogen tank and at least one fuel cell for supplying power to the propellers, and

A capacitor for supplying power to the propellers, charged by at least one fuel cell. This capacitor stores electrical energy greater than the energy needed by all the propellers for ten seconds of hovering flight. Each propeller is equipped with a tilting actuator for rotating the propeller about a rotation axis making an angle of less than 45 degrees with a plane perpendicular to the fuselage main axis. The fuselage having a forward and a rear portion defining a forward to rear order of the propellers, in cruise flight, the two forward propellers are activated to provide vertical thrust, the intermediate propellers between the forward and rearmost propellers are not activated and the two rearmost propellers are activated to provide horizontal thrust.

A skin for an aircraft is configured to be disposed on a first rigid member (182). The first rigid member has at least a portion of a structural frame for the aircraft. The skin is configured to be disposed on a second rigid member (184) that has at least a portion of the structural frame for the aircraft. The second rigid member (184) is movable with respect to the first rigid member (182) and a distance is defined between the first rigid member and the second rigid member. A morphing member of the skin extends between the first rigid member and the second rigid member. The morphing member compensates for at least one of a change in the distance and a change in an orientation between the first rigid member and the second rigid member.

An aerial vehicle includes a fuselage, a wing, and a wing shift device. The wing shift device is configured to be coupled to the fuselage. The wing shift device comprises a plurality of apertures for coupling the wing to the aerial vehicle. The plurality of apertures are configured to permit the wing to be shifted in a forward or aft direction along the fuselage based on a center of gravity of the aerial vehicle.

An aerial vehicle includes a fuselage, a wing, and a wing shift device. The wing shift device is configured to be coupled to the fuselage. The wing shift device comprises a plurality of apertures for coupling the wing to the aerial vehicle. The plurality of apertures are configured to permit the wing to be shifted in a forward or aft direction along the fuselage based on a center of gravity of the aerial vehicle.

A span-loaded, highly flexible flying wing, having horizontal control surfaces mounted aft of the wing on extended beams to form local pitch-control devices. Each of five spanwise wing segments of the wing has one or more motors and photovoltaic arrays, and produces its own lift independent of the other wing segments, to minimize inter-segment loads. Wing dihedral is controlled by separately controlling the local pitch-control devices consisting of a control surface on a boom, such that inboard and outboard wing segment pitch changes relative to each other, and thus relative inboard and outboard lift is varied.

A span-loaded, highly flexible flying wing, having horizontal control surfaces mounted aft of the wing on extended beams to form local pitch-control devices. Each of five spanwise wing segments of the wing has one or more motors and photovoltaic arrays, and produces its own lift independent of the other wing segments, to minimize inter-segment loads. Wing dihedral is controlled by separately controlling the local pitch-control devices consisting of a control surface on a boom, such that inboard and outboard wing segment pitch changes relative to each other, and thus relative inboard and outboard lift is varied.

The present disclosure provides an aircraft (10) for flying in a forward direction (F). The aircraft (10) comprises an aircraft body (20), and a wing comprising a first wing portion (30A) and a second wing portion (30B). The first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) extend away from the aircraft body (20). The first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) are configured to generate a first lift value during level flight of the aircraft (10) in the forward direction (F) when the first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) are in an equilibrium position. Each of the first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) is flexibly mounted relative to the aircraft body (20) such that when a lift force generated by the first wing portion (30A) changes from the first lift value to a second lift value, the first wing portion (30A) is deflected substantially vertically away from an equilibrium position. The aircraft (10) is configured to provide a further force to the first wing portion (30A) to substantially prevent further deflection of the first wing portion (30A) away from the equilibrium position.

The present disclosure provides an aircraft (10) for flying in a forward direction (F). The aircraft (10) comprises an aircraft body (20), and a wing comprising a first wing portion (30A) and a second wing portion (30B). The first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) extend away from the aircraft body (20). The first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) are configured to generate a first lift value during level flight of the aircraft (10) in the forward direction (F) when the first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) are in an equilibrium position. Each of the first wing portion (30A) and the second wing portion (30B) is flexibly mounted relative to the aircraft body (20) such that when a lift force generated by the first wing portion (30A) changes from the first lift value to a second lift value, the first wing portion (30A) is deflected substantially vertically away from an equilibrium position. The aircraft (10) is configured to provide a further force to the first wing portion (30A) to substantially prevent further deflection of the first wing portion (30A) away from the equilibrium position.