Other

Freewing Aerial Robotics Corporation

Mojave Aerospace Ventures, LLC

Scaled Composites, Inc.

Williams Internaitonal Co., L.l.c.

Elbert L Rutan

Sam B Williams

Hugh J Schmittle

Christophe Chevallier

A launch system and method improve the launch efficiency of a booster rocket and payload. A launch aircraft atop which the booster rocket is mounted in a cradle, is flown or towed to an elevation at which the booster rocket is released. The cradle provides for reduced structural requirements for the booster rocket by including a compressible layer, that may be provided by a plurality of gas or liquid-filled flexible chambers. The compressible layer contacts the booster rocket along most of the length of the booster rocket to distribute applied pressure, nearly eliminating bending loads. Distributing the pressure eliminates point loading conditions and bending moments that would otherwise be generated in the booster rocket structure during carrying. The chambers may be balloons distributed in rows and columns within the cradle or cylindrical chambers extending along a length of the cradle. The cradle may include a manifold communicating gas between chambers.

Pressure-equalizing cradle for booster rocket mounting

An orbital launch system and its method of operation use a maneuver to improve the launch condition of a booster rocket and payload. A towed launch aircraft, to which the booster rocket is mounted, is towed to a predetermined elevation and airspeed. The towed launch aircraft begins the maneuver by increasing its lift, thereby increasing the flight path angle, which increases the tension on the towline connecting the towed launch aircraft to a towing aircraft. The increased tension accelerates the towed launch aircraft and booster rocket, while decreasing the speed (and thus the kinetic energy) of the towing aircraft, while increasing kinetic energy of the towed launch aircraft and booster rocket by transferring energy from the towing aircraft. The potential energy of the towed launch aircraft and booster rocket is also increased, due to the increased lift. The booster rocket is released and ignited, completing the launch.

Dynamic tow maneuver orbital launch technique

The hybrid rocket system of this invention is characterized by use of an oxidizer tank having a cylindrical midsection surrounded by a skirt and bonded thereto by a layer of elastomeric adhesive. The skirt outer surface is in turn adhesively secured to a spacecraft inner surface. An elongated solid-fuel motor case is mechanically rigidly secured to a central rear surface of the tank, and the case terminates in a throat and nozzle. The elastomeric-adhesive bonding of tank to skirt, and rigid adhesion of skirt to spacecraft forms the sole support for the rocket system, and separate support for the motor case is not required.

Unitized hybrid rocket system

A rocket-powered spacecraft having a wing which has hinged aft portions which can be elevated about a hinge line. Tail booms extend rearwardly from the outer ends of the aft wing portions, and rudders are mounted at the aft ends of the booms. Each tail boom supports a horizontal tail with an elevon at its trailing edge. In normal flight, the wing aft portions are not elevated, and the wing has a normal airfoil shape. During atmosphere reentry, the wing aft portions are steeply elevated to provide a stable high-drag altitude for the spaceship for speed reduction at low thermal and structural loading. After reentry, the aft wing is returned to an unelevated position which enables gliding flight to a horizontal-runway landing.

Winged spacecraft

A joint structure, such as a bulkhead joined to an annular shell, is formed by providing a conforming pattern of ridges and valleys on the facing portions of the elements to be joined. A tensioned band is applied to the external surface of the annular shell overlying one of the ridges in the annular shell. The tensioned band stresses the joint in compression, offsetting subsequently applied shear stresses so as to negate peeling failure forces. The joint loadings are sustained with a mechanical interlocking, making the use of an adhesive optional.

Tensioned structural composite joint

A jet aircraft has a generally cylindrical fuselage section defining a passenger compartment and a generally conical aft fuselage section having a maximum lateral dimension substantially smaller than the lateral dimension of the fuselage section. A propulsion engine is mounted on the vertical stabilizer of the fuselage and has an air inlet disposed entirely within a rearward projection of the fuselage passenger compartment to preclude the ingestion of foreign objects into the engine.

Single engine aircraft

An aircraft includes a forward fuselage segment, an aft fuselage segment, a wing structure supported from the aft fuselage segment, a tail structure supported from either the aft fuselage segment or the wing structure, and an engine supported from either the aft fuselage segment or the wing structure. A payload module is disposed between and connects the forward fuselage segment and the aft fuselage segment, so as to form the structural attachment between the forward fuselage segment and the aft fuselage segment. The payload module is disconnectable from the forward fuselage segment and the aft fuselage segment such that the forward fuselage segment and the aft fuselage segment are not connected to each other when the payload module is disconnected from the forward fuselage segment and the aft fuselage segment.

Aircraft with removable structural payload module

An aircraft control system for controlling an aircraft, particularly a free wing aircraft in low speed or hover regimes. An air speed sensor measures air speed of the aircraft and outputs an air speed signal to a control processor which processes the air speed signal with a speed control input signal. A control actuator actuates an aircraft control surface in response to the control surface control signal. The air speed sensor may include a shaft mounted impeller located in an airstream of the aircraft. A rotational speed sensor, coupled to the impeller, measures a rotational speed of the impeller and outputs a rotational speed signal as the air speed signal. In an alternative embodiment, the air speed sensor may include a vane located in an airstream of the aircraft and deflected in response to air flow in the airstream. In another embodiment, the speed sensor may include an angular position sensor which measures an angle between a free wing and the aircraft fuselage and outputs an angle measurement signal as the air speed signal. The aircraft control surface may comprises a control boom pivotally attached to a fuselage of the aircraft of a trim tab pivotally attached to a fuselage of the aircraft.

Active feedback loop to control body pitch in STOL/VTOL free wing

A VTOL/STOL free wing aircraft includes a free wing having wings on opposite sides of a fuselage connected to one another respectively adjacent fixed wing inboard or center root sections fixedly attached to the fuselage for free rotation about a spanwise access. Horizontal and vertical tail surfaces are located at the rear end of a boom assembly rotatably connected to the fuselage. A gearing or screw rod arrangement controlled by the pilot or remote control operator selectively relatively pivots the fuselage in relation to the tail boom assembly to enable the fuselage to assume a tilted or nose up configuration to enable VTOL/STOL flight.

STOL/VTOL free wing aircraft with articulated tail boom

Airplane

This invention relates to a tandem or multi-winged aircraft wherein a primary wing system is so designed and equipped that it is capable of being actuated in a manner to bring about a shift in the neutral point of the craft relative to its center of gravity and wherein a secondary wing system located ahead of the primary one and movable fore and aft relative to the latter is deployed and angled during its excursion so as to effectively counteract the neutral point shift that would be brought about by deploying the primary wing system alone thereby maintaining the neutral point at approximately its former location in at least both the cruise mode as well as the high-lift mode preferred for landing and take-off.

Tandem or multi-winged high performance aircraft

A support and actuating system for large Fowler-type flaps on the trailing edge of an aircraft wing. Each flap is vertically and laterally supported at diagonally opposite corners, and the remaining leading-edge corner is vertically supported and laterally free to permit smooth and simple actuation. The flap is constructed to be torsionally stiff to eliminate need for conventional multiple flap tracks and support at the remaining trailing-edge corner. Elimination of some or all external tracks on the wing tracks provides a clean low-drag wing when the flaps are retracted in cruising flight, while enabling simple deployment of unusually large flaps for increased lift during landing, takeoff, and other low speed conditions. The flap system is useful on straight or rearwardly swept wings, and is particularly adapted to forwardly swept wings.

Growing community of inventors

Mojave, CA, United States of America

Elbert L Rutan