Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

William Thalheimer

Robert William Parks

Tony Shuo Tao

Adrian Hachen

Andrew Mark Heafitz

Bruno Miguel Costa Moniz

Aircraft

Winged tilt-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and related methods are disclosed. Aircraft comprise an airframe comprising one or more wings; one or more tilt-adjustable rotors positioned forward of the one or more wings; and one or more fixed-tilt rotors positioned behind at least one of the one or more wings. Methods comprise tilting only one or more forward rotors positioned in front of one or more wings of the aircraft, and not tilting one or more rearward rotors positioned behind at least one of the one or more wings.

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and related methods

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for shifting a center of gravity of an aircraft is disclosed. The apparatus includes a propulsion component, a moveable ballast component, and an assembly configured to translate the moveable ballast component. The propulsion component is configured to assist in transitioning the aircraft between a first mobility phase and a second mobility phase. The assembly is configured to translate the moveable ballast component between an aft position and a forward position of the aircraft based on the aircraft transitioning between the first mobility phase and the second mobility phase to shift the center of gravity of the aircraft along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

Shifting a center of gravity of an aircraft

Rotor assemblies for aircraft are described that include a plurality of blades that are disposed vertically on a common axis along different horizontal planes. When the rotor assemblies are free-wheeling, the blades form a vertically stacked configuration, and when the rotor assembly is driven in rotation to generate lift, the blades bloom out from the vertically stacked configuration. At least one of the blades in the rotor assembly has a blade geometry that is different with respect to other blades such that when the blades are vertically stacked and free-wheeling, the collective shape of the blades is aerodynamic in shape, based on the different blade geometry, that reduces aerodynamic drag on the rotor assembly.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

William Thalheimer