Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Danielle Lynn Moore

Levi Charles Hefner

Kirk Landon Groninga

Dakota Charles Easley

Daniel Bryan Robertson

Steven Ray Ivans

John T Lloyd

William Anthony Amante

Sung Kyun Kim

Kip Gregory Campbell

Steve Michael Loveland

Steven R Schafer

Bradley Paul Regnier

Robert W Roe

Brian John Cox

Andrea Chavez

Mathew Chapdelaine

Steve R Schafer

Carey Andrew Cross

Bradley Paul Reigner

One embodiment is an apparatus for inhibiting accidental contact by a human with a tail rotor connected to an empennage of an aircraft. The apparatus includes an inverted V-tail connected to an empennage of the aircraft forward of the tail rotor, the inverted V-tail stabilizer comprising a first V-tail stabilizer on a side of the empennage to which the tail rotor is connected and a second V-tail stabilizer on a side of the empennage opposite the side of the empennage to which the tail rotor is connected; and a shroud bar having a first end connected to an outboard end of the first V-tail stabilizer and a second end opposite the first end connected to the empennage aft of the tail rotor, wherein a horizontal distance from the shroud bar to the tail rotor is greater than a length of an arm of the human.

Protective shroud for aircraft tail rotor

One embodiment is an aircraft operable in a hover mode and a cruise mode and including a fuselage; wings connected on opposite sides of the fuselage; a canard connected to the fuselage forward of the wings; forward propulsion systems connected to a trailing edge of the canard on opposite sides of the fuselage; aft propulsion systems connected to trailing edges of the wings; and wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to leading edges of the wings. The aft propulsion systems are tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in the hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in the cruise mode. Each of the propulsion systems includes a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotor blades. The propulsion systems are substantially equidistant from a center of gravity (CG) of the aircraft.

Tilting hexrotor aircraft

An aircraft includes a fuselage and a wing system having first and second oppositely disposed wings that extend laterally from the fuselage. A tiltable propulsion system is rotatably coupled to the fuselage between the first and second wings. The tiltable propulsion system includes a frame system having four diagonally extending arms each having a propulsion assembly coupled thereto. A flight control system is configured to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies and the orientation of the tiltable propulsion system. In a VTOL flight mode of the aircraft, the tiltable propulsion system is substantially perpendicular to the aircraft's yaw axis in a vertical thrust orientation such that the propulsion assemblies are configured to provide vertical thrust. In a forward cruise flight mode of the aircraft, the tiltable propulsion system is substantially perpendicular to the aircraft's roll axis in a forward thrust orientation such that the propulsion assemblies provide forward thrust.

Long-endurance aircraft having tiltable propulsion

An example of an aerial vehicle includes a rudder removably connected to the aerial vehicle by a twist lock mechanism. The twist lock mechanism is biased in a locked position by an elastic member.

Rudder twist lock method and apparatus

A foldable wing system for an unmanned aerial system having a fuselage includes a left wing frame having an inboard gear rotatably coupled to the fuselage, a right wing frame having an inboard gear rotatably coupled to the fuselage and a wing actuator coupled to a linkage point on at least one of the wing frames. The wing frames are movable between a plurality of positions including a deployed position and a stowed position. The inboard gear of the left wing frame is engaged with the inboard gear of the right wing frame such that the wing frames move symmetrically between the plurality of positions in response to movement of the linkage point by the wing actuator.

Foldable wings for UAS having a geared interface

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has a fuselage, a rotor system, and a wing configured for selective positioning during flight of the UAV to a deployed position, a stowed position, and to positions between the deployed position and the stowed position. The UAV has a flexible wing skin at least partially carried by a leading arm and the leading arm is rotatable relative to the fuselage.

UAV with in-flight adjustable wings

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has a first blade assembly configured to rotate in a first direction about an axis of rotation and a second blade assembly configured to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction about the axis of rotation, wherein the second blade assembly can be selectively cocked relative to the axis of rotation.

UAV rotor system

Growing community of inventors

Fort Worth, TX, United States of America

Danielle Lynn Moore