Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Bell Textron Inc.

Steven Ray Ivans

Brent Chadwick Ross

Kirk Landon Groninga

Berlin Benfield

Nathan Gabriel Wu

Kendall F Goodman

Daniel Bryan Robertson

Matthew Edward Louis

Jeremy Robert Chavez

Alan Carl Ewing

Cory M Hitte

Jason Paul Hurst

Adam Bryant Anderson

Steve R Schafer

Jeffrey Paul Nissen

Kip Gregory Campbell

Nicholas Ralph Carlson

Bradley Paul Regnier

Robert W Roe

Brad Joseph Passe

Berlin B Benfield

Paul K Oldroyd

John Richard Mccullough

James Everett Kooiman

Troy Cyril Schank

Andrew Paul Haldeman

William Anthony Amante

Jared Mark Paulson

Michael E Rinehart

Steven G Hagerott

Aaron Alexander Acee

Dudley E Smith

Glenn Alan Shimek

Mark Loring Isaac

Andrew Thomas Carter

David Haynes

Steve Michael Loveland

Lynn Francis Eschete

Keith Alan Stanney

Danielle Lynn Moore

Brad John Roberts

Steven Allen Robedeau, Jr

Troy Thomas Bushmire

Steven R Schafer

Keith C Pedersen

Mark E Dreier

Brian John Cox

David L Miller

David Alan Hawthorne

Mathew Chapdelaine

Terry L Gibson

Jason Paul Winter

Derek Ray Eddins

Clegg Benjamin Brian Smith

Bradley Robert Henson

Carey Andrew Cross

Thomas M Mast

Bradley Paul Reigner

Brent C Cross

Terry Lee Gibson

One embodiment is an aircraft including a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second booms; and first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings; wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems are tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode.

Tilting hexrotor aircraft

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

There is disclosed in one example an unmanned vertical lift aircraft, comprising: an airframe; a drive system configured for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL); a power plant to power the drive system; and an internal cargo bay comprising a fore aperture and an aft aperture, the fore and aft apertures having dimensions substantially conforming to a cross section of the internal cargo bay, and the internal cargo bay comprising a substantially linear and open volume between the fore and aft apertures.

Unmanned rotorcraft with dual cargo doors

Embodiments include an aircraft comprising a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; and first and second propulsion systems connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage, wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second propulsion systems and at least a portion of the wing are tiltable between a first position in which the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position in which the aircraft is in a cruise mode, wherein each of the propulsion systems includes pylon and a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotor blades.

Electric tiltrotor aircraft

A rotorcraft has a fuselage, an engine disposed substantially laterally centrally relative to the fuselage, and an air intake system (AIS). The AIS has a first duct configured to provide streamline air flow, a second duct configured to provide streamline air flow, and a combining section configured to receive streamline air flow from each of the first duct and the second duct. The combining section is further configured to output streamline air flow.

Aircraft with bifurcated air inlet

One embodiment is an aircraft including a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second booms; first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings; and first and second wing tips fixedly connected to outboard sides of the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems; wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems and the first and second wing tips are collectively tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode.

An aircraft includes a fuselage and a wing assembly that is rotatable between a substantially perpendicular orientation relative to the fuselage in flight modes and a substantially parallel orientation relative to the fuselage in a wing stowage mode. The wing assembly includes a wing that is pivotable between forward flight and VTOL orientations by a pivot angle. A distributed thrust array is coupled to the wing that includes outboard and inboard propulsion assemblies, each propulsion assembly having an axis of rotation that has a fixed angle relative to a chord axis of the wing. In a VTOL flight mode, the axis of rotation of each propulsion assembly is substantially vertical and the wing is in the VTOL orientation. In a forward flight mode, the wing is in the forward flight orientation and the axis of rotation of each propulsion assembly is tilted forward from the vertical by the pivot angle.

Variable incidence wing aircraft having a wing stowage mode

An aircraft is described with both VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capabilities and convention airplane capabilities. A preferred embodiment comprises a fuselage and fixed wing, with one boom on either side of the fuselage. Each boom comprises a tilt rotor on a fore end and a fixed rotor on the aft end. Both rotors can be directed vertically for VTOL capability. During cruise the tilt rotors can be directed forward for thrust and the fixed rotors can be stopped and directed along the boom axis, minimizing drag. The described embodiments have advantages in weight savings and maneuverability compared to other VTOL aircraft.

Quad tilt rotor unmanned aircraft

A tandem tiltrotor aircraft in which the tiltrotor assemblies are operably coupled at the forward and aft ends of the fuselage of the aircraft is disclosed. The tiltrotor assemblies are capable of rotating between a vertical lift position and a horizontal flight position. The in-line location of the tiltrotor assemblies allow the aircraft to have the vertical take-off and landing capabilities, and, in combination with the at least one wing, can be used in horizontal flight. The aft rotor assembly can assume a horizontal flight position that places the rotor blades forward of a vertical fin of the aircraft. In another embodiment, a winged triple tiltrotor aircraft is disclosed. In another embodiment, a winged quad tiltrotor aircraft is disclosed.

Winged tiltrotor aircraft

There is disclosed in one example a tiltrotor system for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, including: a rotor pylon, wherein the rotor pylon is rotatable, via a rotation maneuver, between a substantially horizontal orientation and a substantially vertical orientation; a linear actuator disposed to actuate the rotation maneuver; and a mechanical guide disposed to maintain a center of gravity along a substantially linear axis throughout the rotation maneuver.

Articulated tiltrotor

An aerial resupply system (ARS) including a supply aircraft. The supply aircraft includes at least one of supply fuel, an ordinance, and data. The supply aircraft also includes a retractable boom system (RBS) configured for selective stowage within a fuselage of the supply aircraft and configured to supply at least one of supply fuel, the ordinance, and data to a location external to the fuselage.

Systems and methods for aerial aircraft resupply

One embodiment is an aircraft including first and second fuselages; a wing assembly connecting the first and second fuselages, wherein the first and second fuselages are parallel to one another; first and second forward propulsion systems tiltably attached to forward ends of the first and second fuselages; and first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second fuselages.

Twin fuselage tiltrotor aircraft

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft has an airframe including first and second wings with first and second pylons coupled therebetween. A distributed thrust array is coupled to the airframe including a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the first wing and a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the second wing. A UAV carrier assembly is coupled between the first and second pylons. The UAV carrier assembly has a plurality of UAV stations each configured to selectively transport and release a UAV. A flight control system is configured to control each of the propulsion assemblies and launch each of the UAVs during flight.

Aircraft for transporting and deploying UAVs

A cargo transporting system for a tailsitter aircraft includes a cargo receptacle rotatably coupled to an underside of a wing and a cargo assembly selectively coupled to the cargo receptacle. By rotating the cargo receptacle, the cargo transporting system can transition between a deployed position and a retracted position. In the deployed position, the cargo receptacle is substantially perpendicular to the wing, and accommodates ground personnel charged with connecting or removing the cargo assembly from the cargo transporting system. In the retracted position, the cargo receptacle is substantially parallel to the wing, and positioned for flight operations.

Cargo transporting systems for tailsitter aircraft

Growing community of inventors

Ponder, TX, United States of America

Steven Ray Ivans