Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Sierra Nevada Corporation

Other

Freedom Aircraft Ventures LLC

James Donn Hethcock, Jr

Paul K Oldroyd

Carl A May

John R McCullough

Rodney H Jones

Frank B Stamps

Andrew Paul Haldeman

James Michael Westrom

Drew Alan Sutton

Jonathan Alexander Freeman

Kenneth E Nunn, Jr

David Gordon Carlson

Dieter Koehler

Luc Van Bavel

Dave Carlson

Jeffrey A Gamon

Ronald K Cox

David W Levy

Patrick R Tisdale

Paul Branson Sherrill

Phillip Anthony Kendrick

Bryan W Marshall

Dalton T Hampton

Wei-Yueh Lee

Daniel C Burns

Paul C Collado

Ian R Gilchrist

Timothy Kent Ledbetter

Michael Luke Hatfield

Robert Clive Fews

Michael Derman

Michael Mataresse

Robert G Pierce

Jacob Hethcock

Robert David Wyatt

Enrico G T Pianori

David B McNeill

Michael Matarrese

Matthew Barclay

Mark E Tohlen

Raymond Lester Humphries

Ian Gilchrist

Luke A Thompson

David Wyatt

Sean James Fairchild

Frank Bradley Stamps

An aircraft designed to provide sustained G forces, with a relatively high steady angle of attack maneuverability using less thrust by balancing thrust and drag to sustain a high turn rate with dual low thrust engines using novel wing and fuselage designs. The aircraft includes a wing oriented laterally relative to the fuselage, at least one horizontal tail surface extending laterally from the fuselage and positioned rearward of the fixed wing, and at least one vertical tail surface extending upward from the fuselage. The first and second engines are mounted to the fuselage at locations positioned vertically below the fixed wing.

Aircraft design and technology

Methods and related structures to splice two sizes of cores in a manner to directly interface the facets of the cells and avoid the common practice of using fillers, casting materials, and expanding adhesives is useful to optimize the specific strength of the design and minimize the weight while maximizing the load carrying capability of the structure and to allow the core to vent moisture and other gasses.

Net edge composite core splices for aircraft wing

A composite core assembly includes a composite core structure having internal material interfaces and an attachment rail coupled to the composite core structure. The attachment rail includes a first planar surface and a second planar surface adjoined with the first planar surface. The first planar surface is arranged parallel to an internal material interface plane of the composite core structure, and the first planar portion is at least partially integrated into the composite core structure in an internal material interface plane. At least a portion of the first planar surface extends beyond a perimeter surface of the composite core structure, and the second planar surface is configured to attach to the surrounding support member. The core material does not have net edge facets or flat edges positioned next to surrounding structure, and/or may not have a structure arranged parallel to the adjacent support structure to attach to the support structure.

Devices and methods to attach a composite core to a surrounding structure

Aircraft

Soccer tee

A golfing apparatus for assisting a golfer in putting includes a guide member adapted to encourage only certain motions during the golf swing to improve the engagement of ball with club and subsequently improve ball control, trajectory and speed. Further the golfing apparatus includes a movable member configured to slide along a path defined by the guide member and coupled with the putter handle. The guide member is affixed to the waist of a golfer. The guide member is curved to follow a natural rotation of arms and shoulders of the golfer and can be adjusted for proper angle that best fits a golfer's stance and has a second planar back stop surface to further align and control the movement of the putter club head, thereby assisting the golfer in putting.

Golf putting training aid

Devices and methods to attach composite core to a surrounding structure

A golfing appartaus for assisting a golfer in putting includes a guide member adapted to encourage only certain motions during the golf swing to improve the engagement of ball with club and subsequently improve ball control, trajectory and speed. Further the golfing apparatus includes a movable member configured to slide along a path defined by the guide member and coupled with the putter handle. The guide member is afixed to the waist of a golfer. The guide member is curved to follow a natural rotation of arms and shoulders of the golfer and can be adjusted for proper angle that best fits a golfer's stance and has a second planar back stop surface to further align and control the movement of the putter club head, thereby assisting the golfer in putting.

One aspect of a process of forming an aircraft component includes bonding a first end of a honeycomb structure to a surface of an aircraft skin member, the honeycomb structure including multiple connected cells. Foam is sprayed on a second end of the honeycomb structure opposite the first end. The process also includes curing the foam on the second end of the honeycomb structure.

Joining structural members using foam

An airfoil member can have a root end, a tip end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The airfoil member can include an upper skin, a lower skin, and a composite core member having a plurality of cells, an upper surface network of the cells can be bonded to the upper skin, a lower surface network of the cells can be bonded to the lower skin. The composite core can have a septum layer embedded in the cells that form the composite core, the septum layer being configured to provide tailored characteristics of the airfoil member.

Method of optimizing and customizing rotor blade structural properties by tailoring large cell composite core and a rotor blade incorporating the same

In one embodiment, a method may comprise coupling a plurality of reinforcement fibers to a plurality of spherical components; inserting the plurality of spherical components into an enclosure; and heating the enclosure to cause the plurality of spherical components to expand, wherein the plurality of spherical components expands to form a geodesic structure, wherein the geodesic structure comprises a plurality of polyhedron components configured in a geodesic arrangement.

Geodesic composite structures

An aircraft includes a composite structure, comprising an outer skin formed from a composite material and having a first thickness, an inner skin formed from a composite material and having a second thickness, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness, and a core structure positioned between the inner and outer skins to increase bending stiffness of the composite structure. During use a structural load carried by the inner skin exceeds a structural load carried by the outer skin.

Shielded structure for aircraft

In one embodiment, a rotor hub comprises a hub body, and a plurality of blade grips configured for attaching a plurality of rotor blades. The rotor hub further comprises a plurality of centrifugal force bearings coupled to the plurality of blade grips, wherein a focus of the plurality of centrifugal force bearings is aligned with a centerline of a rotor mast. The rotor hub further comprises a plurality of drive links configured to transfer torque to the plurality of rotor blades, wherein the plurality of drive links is positioned to correspond with a leading edge side of the plurality of rotor blades. The rotor hub further comprises a plurality of pitch horns configured to adjust a pitch of the plurality of rotor blades.

Low moment rotor hub

A rotor hub comprises a gimbal assembly and an elastomeric centrifugal force bearing. The gimbal assembly is configured to transfer rotational movement of a mast to the rotor hub and to enable the rotor hub to flap relative to the mast. The elastomeric centrifugal force bearing is configured to withstand centrifugal force of a rotor blade when the mast is rotated and is configured to accommodate pitch changes of the rotor blade. A method comprises designing a gimbal assembly that enables a tail rotor hub to flap relative to a tail rotor mast. A centrifugal force bearing is selected that enables tail rotor blades to withstand centrifugal force and that allows for tail rotor blade pitch change articulation. Then, instructions are provided to use the gimbal assembly and the centrifugal force bearing in an in-plane tail rotor assembly.

Gimbaled tail rotor hub with spherical elastomeric centrifugal force bearing for blade retention and pitch change articulation

A method of making a core-stiffened structure includes the steps of providing a honeycomb core having an adhesive disposed on first and second surfaces thereof, providing a first skin and a second skin, and assembling the first skin, the second skin, and the honeycomb core to form the core-stiffened structure. The method further includes the steps of curing the core-stiffened structure and inhibiting at least one of the first skin and the second skin from protruding into at least one cell of the honeycomb core during the step of curing the core-stiffened structure.

Method of making core-stiffened structure

Growing community of inventors

Colleyville, TX, United States of America

James Donn Hethcock, Jr