Wing root insert system for an aircraft family

An aircraft structure, comprising:

• a fuselage having a centerline, a center section cutout, and a fuselage width at the center section cutout, the center section cutout configured to accept a center section component;
• a wing having oppositely disposed wing tips, a wingspan equal to a distance between the oppositely disposed wing tips, a centerline, and an airfoil over substantially its entire wingspan, the wing configured to allow it to be divided into a first part and a second part along its centerline, the first part and the second part being substantially mirror images of each other and comprising opposing wing roots at the centerline, wherein the first part and the second part each have a span from the wing root to the corresponding wing tip equal to one-half the wingspan of the wing;
• the fuselage and the wing configured to be combined in a selected one of either a first configuration or a second configuration;
• wherein, in the first configuration, further comprising a center section component inserted into the center section cutout and joined to the fuselage, the wing being divided into the first part and the second part, each of the first part and the second part having a leading edge extending from the wing root to the corresponding wing tip, the wing roots of the first part and the second part being connected to opposing sides of the center section component by a side-of- body join, wherein an effective wingspan of the aircraft in the first configuration is equal to twice the span of one of the first part and the second part;
• and
• wherein, in the second configuration, the center section component is not inserted into the center section cutout, the wing is inserted into the center section cutout and connected to the fuselage, the centerline of the wing being coincident with the centerline of the fuselage, and a center portion of the airfoil of the wing being inside the fuselage, wherein the effective wingspan of the aircraft in the second configuration is equal to twice the span of one of the first part and the second part minus the fuselage width, and wherein a single common wing design for the first part and the second part is used in both the first configuration and the second configuration and the span of the first part and the second part is the same in both the first configuration and the second configuration.

A method of providing an aircraft structure, comprising:

• providing a fuselage having a centerline, a center section cutout, and a fuselage width at the center section cutout, the center section cutout configured to accept a center section component;
• and
• providing a pair of wings, each wing having a wing root, a wing tip, a leading edge from the wing root to the wing tip, a span equal to a distance from the wing root to the wing tip, and an airfoil over substantially its entire span, the wings being substantially mirror images of each other,
• wherein the fuselage and the pair of wings are configurable in
• a first configuration provided by inserting the center section component into the center section cutout and joining it to the fuselage, and attaching the wing roots to the center section component in a side-of-body join, wherein an effective wingspan of the aircraft in the first configuration is equal to twice the span of one of the pair of wings, and
• a second configuration provided by not inserting the center section component into the center section cutout, inserting the wings into the center section cutout, connecting the wings to each other in a centerline join, and connecting the wings to the fuselage, wherein a portion of the airfoil of each wing is inside the fuselage, wherein the effective wingspan of the aircraft in the second configuration is equal to twice the span of one of the pair of wings minus the fuselage width, and wherein a single common wing design for the pair of wings is used in both the first configuration and the second configuration and the span of each of the pair of wings is the same in both the first configuration and the second configuration.

A method of providing an aircraft structure, comprising:

• providing a fuselage having a centerline, a center section cutout, and a fuselage width at the center section cutout, the center section cutout configured to accept a center section component;
• and
• providing a wing having oppositely disposed wing tips, a wingspan equal to a distance between the oppositely disposed wing tips, a centerline, and an airfoil over substantially its entire wingspan, the wing configured to allow it to be divided into a first part and a second part along its centerline, the first part and the second part being substantially mirror images of each other and comprising opposing wing roots at the centerline, the first part and the second part each having a leading edge extending from the wing root to a corresponding one of the wing tips, wherein the first part and the second part each have a span from the wing root to the corresponding wing tip equal to one-half the wingspan of the wing,
• wherein the fuselage and the wing are configurable in
• a first configuration provided by inserting the center section component into the center section cutout and joining it to the fuselage, dividing the wing into the first part and the second part, and connecting the wing roots of the first part and the second part to opposing sides of the center section component by a side-of-body join, wherein an effective wingspan of the aircraft in the first configuration is equal to twice the span of one of the first part and the second part;
• and
• a second configuration provided by not inserting the center section component into the center section cutout, inserting the wing into the center section cutout, and connecting the wing to the fuselage, the centerline of the wing being coincident with the centerline of the fuselage, a center portion of the airfoil of the wing being inside the fuselage, wherein the effective wingspan of the aircraft in the second configuration is equal to twice the span of one of the first part and the second part minus the fuselage width, and wherein a single common wing design for the first part and the second part is used in both the first configuration and the second configuration and the span of the first part and the second part is the same in both the first configuration and the second configuration.