Hybrid electric aircraft including fuel pod with electrical interface

A fuel pod for powering aircraft flight components, comprising:

• a housing;
• a fuel tank contained within the housing, wherein the fuel tank is configured to hold a fuel therein;
• a generator contained within the housing and connected to the fuel tank, wherein the generator is configured to convert fuel to electrical power for powering at least one flight component of an aircraft;
• and
• a connection mechanism at the housing, wherein the connection mechanism is configured to removably attach the fuel pod to the aircraft, wherein the connection mechanism comprises an electrical interface configured to electrically link the fuel pod to the at least one flight component of the aircraft.

A fuel pod for a hybrid electric aircraft, comprising:

• a housing;
• a fuel tank contained within the housing and configured to hold a fuel therein;
• a generator contained within the housing and connected to the fuel tank, wherein the generator is configured to power at least one battery of the hybrid electric aircraft and to recharge the at least one battery during operation;
• a connection mechanism at the housing configured to removably attach the fuel pod to the hybrid electric aircraft;
• an electrical interface configured to electrically link the fuel pod to the at least one battery of the hybrid electric aircraft;
• and
• a communication interface configured to communicatively link the fuel pod to a flight controller of the hybrid electric aircraft.

A fuel pod system, comprising:

• a housing having an aerodynamic configuration;
• a fuel tank contained within the housing and configured to hold a hydrocarbon fuel;
• a generator contained within the housing and connected to the fuel tank, wherein the generator comprises a turbine configured to convert the hydrocarbon fuel to electrical power;
• a connection mechanism at the housing configured to removably attach the fuel pod system to a boom of an aircraft;
• an electrical interface configured to conduct electrical flow from the generator to flight components of the aircraft;
• a communication interface configured to transmit control signals between the fuel pod system and a flight controller of the aircraft;
• and
• at least one sensor configured to detect operational parameters of the fuel pod system.