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US 11,897,628 B2Granted
Rotorcraft-assisted system for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft into and from free flight
AssigneeHood Technology Corporation
InventorsAndreas H. von Flotow, Corydon C. Roeseler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotorcraft-assisted system configured to launch a fixed-wing aircraft into flight comprising a fixed-wing aircraft and an aircraft launch apparatus where the aircraft launch apparatus comprises a mechanism for attaching the rotorcraft to the fixed-wing aircraft, such as a saddle that removably engages the wing or wings of the fixed-wing aircraft.
Claims22
A method for launching a fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight, the method comprising:
- attaching a fixed-wing aircraft to an aircraft launch apparatus including a saddle disposed along a longitudinal axis of the fixed-wing aircraft by actuating one or more front engagers and one or more rear engagers to engage a top and a bottom of a first wing of the fixed-wing aircraft;
- attaching the aircraft launch apparatus to a rotorcraft;
- flying the rotorcraft to a designated altitude;
- and
- releasing the fixed-wing aircraft from the aircraft launch apparatus.
2 more elements
A method for launching a fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight, the method comprising:
- attaching a fixed-wing aircraft to an aircraft launch apparatus;
- attaching the aircraft launch apparatus to a rotorcraft;
- flying the rotorcraft to a designated altitude;
- releasing the fixed-wing aircraft from the aircraft launch apparatus;
- and
- stabilizing the fixed-wing aircraft during flight about a vertical (yaw) axis using rear landing gear.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.