Wisk Aero LLC

Zee.aero Inc.

Kitty Hawk Corporation

Aerion Corporation

Leland Stanford Junior University

Ilan Kroo

Eric Allison

James D Chase

Herve Martins-Rivas

Richard R Tracy

Neel Vora

Marshall Gusman

Jim Bungener

Geoffrey Alan Long

Stefan Richard Bieniawski

Brendan Kennelly

Uri Tzarnotzky

Hak-Tae Lee

Calder Hughes

A safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient, and compact aircraft configuration is enabled through the combination of multiple vertical lift rotor assemblies, tandem wings, and forward thrust propellers. The vertical lift rotor assemblies, in combination with a front and rear wing, permits a balancing of the center of lift with the center of gravity for both vertical and horizontal flight. This wing and multiple rotor system has the ability to tolerate a relatively large variation of the payload weight for hover, transition, or cruise flight while also providing vertical thrust redundancy. The propulsion system uses multiple lift rotor assemblies and forward thrust propellers of a small enough size to be shielded from potential blade strike and provide increased perceived and real safety to the passengers. Using multiple independent rotor assemblies provides redundancy and the elimination of single point failure modes that can make the vehicle non-operable in flight.

Personal aircraft

A safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient, and compact aircraft configuration is enabled through the combination of multiple vertical lift rotors, tandem wings, and forward thrust propellers. The vertical lift rotors, in combination with a front and rear wing, permits a balancing of the center of lift with the center of gravity for both vertical and horizontal flight. This wing and multiple rotor system has the ability to tolerate a relatively large variation of the payload weight for hover, transition, or cruise flight while also providing vertical thrust redundancy. The propulsion system uses multiple lift rotors and forward thrust propellers of a small enough size to be shielded from potential blade strike and provide increased perceived and real safety to the passengers. Using multiple independent rotors provides redundancy and the elimination of single point failure modes that can make the vehicle non-operable in flight.

In various embodiments, a tilt-wing aircraft includes a fuselage; a first wing tiltably mounted at or near a forward end of the fuselage; and a second wing rotatably mounted to the fuselage at a position aft of the first wing. A first plurality of rotors is mounted on the first wing at locations on or near a leading edge of the first wing, with two or more rotors being mounted on wing portions on each side of the fuselage; and a second plurality of rotors mounted on the second wing at locations on or near a leading edge of the second wing, with two or more rotors being mounted on wing portions on each side of the fuselage. A flight control system generates a set of actuators and associated actuator parameters to achieve desired forces and moments.

Tilt-wing aircraft

A flight control system is disclosed. In various embodiments, a flight control system includes a data storage device configured to store an aerodynamic model; and a processor coupled to the data storage device and configured to use the aerodynamic model to determine a set of actuators and for each actuator in the set a corresponding set of one or more actuator parameters to achieve a desired set of forces and moments. The aerodynamic model provides for each actuator in the set of actuator corresponding force and moment data for each of a first set of operating conditions based on a first set of simulations performed by varying one or more actuator parameters while holding other actuators at a baseline value and a second set of simulations to determine interactions between the actuator and said other actuators under each of a second set of operating conditions.

Aircraft control system based on sparse set of simulation data

Aircraft

Improved miniature trailing edge effectors for aerodynamic control are provided. Three types of devices having aerodynamic housings integrated to the trailing edge of an aerodynamic shape are presented, which vary in details of how the control surface can move. A bucket type device has a control surface which is the back part of a C-shaped member having two arms connected by the back section. The C-shaped section is attached to a housing at the ends of the arms, and is rotatable about an axis parallel to the wing trailing edge to provide up, down and neutral states. A flip-up type device has a control surface which rotates about an axis parallel to the wing trailing edge to provide up, down, neutral and brake states. A rotating type device has a control surface which rotates about an axis parallel to the chord line to provide up, down and neutral states.

Miniature trailing edge effector for aerodynamic control

In combination, an aircraft wing and fuselage, comprising the wing having camber at or near the wing leading edge which has blunted sharpness and low sweep angle, and the fuselage having indentation along the wing side thereof, and lengthwise of the fuselage.

Laminar flow wing for transonic cruise

Growing community of inventors

Stanford, CA, United States of America

Ilan Kroo