High-speed aircraft and methods for their manufacture

An aircraft comprising.

• a fuselage configured to carry a payload and having a longitudinal axis, the fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion, the aft portion defining a generally constant-width planform;
• a wing extending from the fuselage adjacent to the aft portion of the fuselage;
• and
• a passenger cabin positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage, the passenger cabin having first, second, third, and fourth passenger seat sections, with each of the first, second, third, and fourth seat sections having at least two passenger seats abreast and with neighboring passenger seat sections being spaced apart from each other to form first, second, and third passenger aisles positioned at least generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage, wherein the fuselage includes first windows adjacent the first passenger seat section and second windows adjacent the fourth passenger seat section, and wherein each of the seats in the first, second, third, and fourth passenger seat sections provides visual access to at least one of the first windows and at least one of the second windows.

An aircraft comprising:

• a fuselage configured to carry a payload and having a longitudinal axis, the fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion, the aft portion defining a generally constant-width planform;
• a wing extending from the fuselage adjacent to the aft portion of the fuselage, the wing having a forward region with a leading edge and an aft region with a trailing edge, the wing further having an upper surface and a lower surface;
• a propulsion system at least proximate to the aft region of the wing, with at least part of the propulsion system positioned between the upper and lower surfaces of the wing, the propulsion system having at least one inlet aperture positioned beneath the wing lower surface or above the wing upper surface, at least one engine positioned aft of and vertically offset from the at least one inlet aperture, and at least one exhaust nozzle aft of the at least one engine;
• and
• a passenger cabin positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage, the passenger cabin having first, second, third, and fourth passenger seat sections, with each of the first, second, third, and fourth seat sections having at least two passenger seats abreast and with neighboring passenger seat sections being spaced apart from each other to form first, second, and third passenger aisles positioned at least generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

An aircraft comprising:

• a fuselage configured to carry a payload and having a longitudinal axis, a nose end, a tail end, a forward portion, and an aft portion, the forward portion extending forward directly from the aft portion and defining a generally continuously monotonically tapering planform between the aft portion and the nose end, the aft portion extending aft directly from the forward portion and defining a generally constant-width planform between the forward portion and the tail end;
• a wing extending from the fuselage adjacent to the aft portion of the fuselage;
• and
• a passenger cabin positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage, the passenger cabin having first, second, third, and fourth passenger seat sections, with each of the first, second, third, and fourth seat sections having at least two passenger seats abreast and with neighboring passenger seat sections being spaced apart from each other to form first, second, and third passenger aisles positioned at least generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

An aircraft comprising:

• a fuselage configured to carry a payload and having a longitudinal axis, the fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion, the aft portion defining a generally constant-width planform;
• a wing extending from the fuselage adjacent to the aft portion of the fuselage;
• a passenger cabin positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage, the passenger cabin having first, second, third, and fourth passenger seat sections, with each of the first, second, third, and fourth seat sections having at least two passenger seats abreast and with neighboring passenger seat sections being spaced apart from each other to form first, second, and third passenger aisles positioned at least generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage;
• a cargo hold configured to hold cargo and positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage;
• and
• a center of gravity through which the resultant of the gravitational forces on all components of the aircraft acts, the center of gravity being positioned within the cargo hold.

An aircraft comprising:

• a fuselage configured to carry a payload and having a longitudinal axis, the fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion, the aft portion defining a generally constant-width planform;
• a wing extending from the fuselage adjacent to the aft portion of the fuselage, the wing having a forward region with a leading edge and an aft region with a trailing edge, the wing further having an upper surface and a lower surface;
• a propulsion system at least proximate to the aft region of the wing, with at least part of the propulsion system positioned between the upper and lower surfaces of the wing, the propulsion system having at least one inlet aperture positioned beneath the wing lower surface or above the wing upper surface, at least one engine positioned aft of and vertically offset from the at least one inlet aperture, and at least one exhaust nozzle aft of the at least one engine;
• a passenger cabin positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage, the passenger cabin having first, second, third, and fourth passenger seat sections, with each of the first, second, third, and fourth seat sections having at least two passenger seats abreast and with neighboring passenger seat sections being spaced apart from each other to form first, second, and third passenger aisles positioned at least generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.;
• a cargo hold configured to hold cargo and positioned within the aft portion of the fuselage;
• and
• a center of gravity through which the resultant of the gravitational forces on all components of the aircraft acts, the center of gravity being located within the cargo hold.

An aircraft comprising:

• a fuselage configured to carry a payload;
• a wing extending from the fuselage;
• a propulsion system mounted to one of the fuselage and the wing, wherein the wing and the propulsion system are configured to operate at a cruise Mach number ranging from about 0.80 to about 0.98;
• a cargo hold positioned within the fuselage and configured to carry cargo;
• a fuel volume positioned within the wing and configured to carry fuel;
• and
• a center of gravity through which the resultant of the gravitational forces on all components of the aircraft acts, the center of gravity having a first position when the fuel volume is approximately full of fuel and a second position when the fuel volume is approximately empty of fuel, the first and second positions being located within the cargo hold.