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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsDavid W. Byers, Gary A. Hall, Graham D. Hunter, Colen G. Kennell, Aleksander B. Macander, Judah H. Milgram, Jason D. Strickland
Estimating the term…
A hollow elliptical-cylindrical hull conformingly houses a hollow rectangular-prismatic cabin whereby the four longitudinal parallel outside edges of the latter make contact with the inside surface of the former. The fully constructed aircraft (either non-powered or powered) includes the integral hull-plus-cabin structure along with nose, tail and airfoil structures that are coupled therewith. The cabin conformingly accommodates hollow rectangular-prismatic modules useful for cargo storage. While the nose and/or tail structure is uncoupled from the integral hull-plus-cabin structure, the modules are inserted into the cabin and the cabin is sealed. The aircraft is lifted (e.g., via airplane, helicopter, rocket or balloon) to a particular elevation and released, whereupon the two wings fully emerge and the aircraft effects controlled flight until reaching its destination. After landing, the nose and/or tail structure is uncoupled from the integral hull-plus-cabin structure, the cabin is unsealed, and the modules are removed from the cabin.
An aircraft comprising a fuselage, said fuselage including a shell and a container, said shell approximately describing a cylindrical shape, said container approximately describing a box shape, said fuselage being characterized by a fuselage length and a fuselage geometric axis, said shell and said container each being symmetrical with respect to said fuselage geometric axis, said shell defining an outside shell surface and an inside shell surface, said inside shell surface delimiting an interior shell void, said container including four longitudinal container faces and two end container faces, said four longitudinal container faces and said two end container faces defining an exterior container surface and an interior container surface, said interior container surface delimiting an interior container space, said four longitudinal container faces forming four longitudinal container edges in said exterior container surface, each said longitudinal container edge being formed by two adjoining said longitudinal container faces, said container being situated in said interior shell void so that said four longitudinal container edges contact said interior shell surface, said aircraft further comprising plural compartments, each said compartment approximately describing a box shape, each said compartment including four longitudinal compartment faces and two end compartment faces, said four longitudinal compartment faces and two end compartment faces defining an exterior compartment surface and an interior compartment surface, said exterior compartment surface being conformal with respect to said interior container surface, said compartments being capable of situation in said interior container space so that said compartments are arranged sequentially and so that the combination including said shell, said container and said compartments has an integral structure characteristic, said aircraft further comprising a nose, a tail and a pair of wings, said fuselage having a front fuselage end and a back fuselage end, said aircraft nose being connectable to said fuselage at said front fuselage end, said aircraft tail being connectable to said fuselage at said back fuselage end, said wings being connectable to said fuselage at opposite locations alone a portion of said fuselage length, said tail including a tail casing and three tail stabilizers, said wings being extendable from said fuselage, said wings including plural inflatable spars, each said wing including at least one said inflatable spar.
An aircraft comprising a fuselage, said fuselage including a shell and a container, said shell approximately describing a cylindrical shape, said container approximately describing a box shape, said fuselage being characterized by a fuselage length and a fuselage geometric axis, said shell and said container each being symmetrical with respect to said fuselage geometric axis, said shell defining an outside shell surface and an inside shell surface, said inside shell surface delimiting an interior shell void, said container including four longitudinal container faces and two end container faces, said four longitudinal container faces and said two end container faces defining an exterior container surface and an interior container surface, said interior container surface delimiting an interior container space, said four longitudinal container faces forming four longitudinal container edges in said exterior container surface, each said longitudinal container edge being formed by two adjoining said longitudinal container faces, said container being situated in said interior shell void so that said four longitudinal container edges contact said interior shell surface, said aircraft further comprising plural compartments, each said compartment approximately describing a box shape, each said compartment including four longitudinal compartment faces and two end compartment faces, said four longitudinal compartment faces and two end compartment faces defining an exterior compartment surface and an interior compartment surface, said exterior compartment surface being conformal with respect to said interior container surface, said compartments being capable of situation in said interior container space so that said compartments are arranged sequentially and so that the combination including said shell, said container and said compartments has an integral structure characteristic, said aircraft further comprising a nose, a tail and a pair of wings, said fuselage having a front fuselage end and a back fuselage end, said aircraft nose being connectable to said fuselage at said front fuselage end, said aircraft tail being connectable to said fuselage at said back fuselage end, said wings being connectable to said fuselage at opposite locations along a portion of said fuselage length, said tail including a tail casing and three tail stabilizers, said wings being extendable from said fuselage, said wings being inflatedly extendable wings, said nose describing a truncated ellipsoidal shape, said tail casing describing a truncated conical shape, said aircraft being characterized by an aircraft length and an aircraft geometric axis, said fuselage geometric axis and said aircraft geometric axis being coincident, said shell, said container, said nose and said tail casing being symmetrical with respect to said aircraft geometric axis.
An aircraft comprising a fuselage, said fuselage including a shell and a container, said shell approximately describing a cylindrical shape, said container approximately describing a rectangular prism shape, said fuselage being characterized by a fuselage length and a fuselage geometric axis, said shell and said container each being symmetrical with respect to said fuselage geometric axis, said shell defining an outside shell surface and an inside shell surface, said inside shell surface being characterized by an elliptical cross-section perpendicular to said fuselage geometric axis, said inside shell surface delimiting an interior shell void, said container including four longitudinal container faces and two end container faces, said four longitudinal container faces and said two end container faces defining an exterior container surface and an interior container surface, said exterior container surface being characterized by a rectangular cross-section perpendicular to said fuselage geometric axis, said interior container surface delimiting an interior container space, said four longitudinal container faces forming four longitudinal container edges in said exterior container surface, each said longitudinal container edge being formed by two adjoining said longitudinal container faces, said container being situated in said interior shell void so that said four longitudinal container edges contact said interior shell surface and so that said four longitudinal container faces do not contact said interior shell surface, said aircraft further comprising plural compartments, each said compartment approximately describing a rectangular prism shape, each said compartment including four longitudinal compartment faces and two end compartment faces, said four longitudinal compartment faces and two end compartment faces defining an exterior compartment surface and an interior compartment surface, said exterior compartment surface being conformal with respect to said interior container surface, said compartments being capable of situation in said interior container space so that said compartments are arranged sequentially and so that the combination including said shell, said container and said compartments has an integral structure characteristic, said aircraft further comprising a nose, a tail and a pair of wings, said fuselage having a front fuselage end and a back fuselage end, said aircraft nose being connectable to said fuselage at said front fuselage end, said aircraft tail being connectable to said fuselage at said back fuselage end, said wings being connectable to said fuselage at opposite locations along a portion of said fuselage length, said tail including a tail casing and three tail stabilizers, said wings being extendable from said fuselage, said nose describing a truncated ellipsoidal shape, said tail casing describing a truncated conical shape, said aircraft being characterized by an aircraft length and an aircraft geometric axis, said fuselage geometric axis and said aircraft geometric axis being coincident, said shell, said container, said nose and said tail casing being symmetrical with respect to said aircraft geometric axis.
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