An aircraft includes an engine and a system that is configured to detect an event associated with the engine during a take-off. The system is further configured to determine a speed of the aircraft a particular time after the event and to determine a remaining distance between the aircraft and an end of a runway at the particular time. The system is also configured to compare the speed of the aircraft to a take-off rejection speed threshold. The take-off rejection speed threshold indicates a maximum aircraft speed that would result in the aircraft stopping prior to a particular distance from the end of the runway. The take-off rejection speed threshold is selected from a plurality of aircraft speeds generated during aircraft deceleration simulations. The system is also configured to generate an indication recommending whether to continue the take-off based on comparison.

An autothrottle for an aircraft that includes a power-control input (PCL) manually movable by a pilot along a travel path to effect a throttle setting that controls engine power of the aircraft. The autothrottle determines a control-target setting for a throttle of the aircraft and dynamically adjusts the throttle according to the control-target setting, including moving the PCL to achieve the control-target setting. A virtual detent is set and dynamically adjusted at positions along a travel path of the PCL corresponding to the control-target setting. The virtual detent is operative, at least when the autothrottle is in a disengaged state for autothrottle control, to indicate the control-target setting to the pilot via a haptic effect that applies a detent force opposing motion of the PCL in response to the PCL achieving the position of the virtual detent.

An example method includes: receiving information indicative of a desired aircraft cruise insertion point comprising achieving a desired cruise altitude for an aircraft within a predetermined period of time from departure, or within a predetermined distance from departure; determining a desired airspeed for the aircraft; prior to a flight of the aircraft, determining, based on the desired airspeed and the desired aircraft cruise insertion point, a climb trajectory for the aircraft; and during a climb flight phase of the aircraft, varying climb thrust of an engine of the aircraft to follow the climb trajectory and achieve the desired aircraft cruise insertion point.

An system (10) for an aircraft (1) including a controller (100) configured to receive at least one signal during a take-off procedure of the aircraft. The signal includes information representative of at least one parameter of the aircraft. The controller is configured to determine whether a current or future aircraft climb rate associated with the take-off procedure meets a criterion, on the basis of the at least one signal. The controller is configured to determine at least one remedial action to be taken, such as performance of at least a portion of a procedure to retract a landing gear of the aircraft, when the controller determines that the aircraft climb rate does not meet the criterion.

An autothrottle for an aircraft that includes a power-control input (PCL) manually movable by a pilot along a travel path to effect a throttle setting that controls engine power of the aircraft. The autothrottle determines a control-target setting for a throttle of the aircraft and dynamically adjusts the throttle according to the control-target setting, including moving the PCL to achieve the control-target setting. A virtual detent is set and dynamically adjusted at positions along a travel path of the PCL corresponding to the control-target setting. The virtual detent is operative, at least when the autothrottle is in a disengaged state for autothrottle control, to indicate the control-target setting to the pilot via a haptic effect that applies a detent force opposing motion of the PCL in response to the PCL achieving the position of the virtual detent.

A method and system allowing fully autonomous automatic take-off using only images captured by cameras on the aircraft and avionics data. The system includes an image capture device on the aircraft to take a stream of images of the runway, image processing modules to estimate, on the basis of the streams of images, a preliminary current position of the aircraft on the runway and to assign a preliminary confidence index to the estimate. A data consolidation module can determine a relevant current position of the aircraft on the runway by consolidating data originating from the image processing modules with inertial data to correct the estimate of the preliminary current position and determine a relevant confidence index using a current speed of the wheels of the aircraft to refine the preliminary confidence index. A flight control computer can control and guide aircraft take-off.

A method for optimizing the take-off parameters of an aircraft. The aircraft comprises a system for automatically controlling the high lift devices at the moment when the wheels of the aircraft leave the ground. The method comprises a step of selecting a first configuration of the high lift devices at the start of the take-off phase and a selection of an acceleration speed of the aircraft. The method is advantageous in that, on reception of an actual aircraft take-off detection signal, a control unit is configured to transmit a control command making it possible to bring the high lift devices into a second configuration, in which they are retracted relative to the first position, and consecutively accelerate the speed of the aircraft automatically to an acceleration speed entered by the pilot.

A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The UAV comprises at least one rotor. The method includes receiving a take-off signal; initiating the at least one rotor to operate with a first preset rotation acceleration in response to the take-off signal; detecting a take-off status information of the UAV, the take-off status information at least comprising a current height of the UAV; determining whether the detected current height of the UAV is equal to or greater than a threshold; and sending a hover signal to the at least one rotor to enable the UAV to hover in the current height in response to the determination that the detected current height of the UAV is equal to or greater than the threshold.

A gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a control unit to command the gas turbine engine to perform one of a rolling takeoff procedure and an unrestricted takeoff procedure. The control unit is configured command the gas turbine engine to perform the rolling takeoff procedure when information required to determine whether the unrestricted takeoff procedure can be performed is unavailable to the control unit.

A rotorcraft-assisted launch and retrieval system, and a method for controlling an airborne rotorcraft which includes controlling by a controller a first feedback loop about a longitudinal roll axis of the airborne rotorcraft and controlling by the controller a second feedback loop about a horizontal pitch axis of the airborne rotorcraft, without controlling a vertical yaw axis of the airborne rotorcraft.